There are a few games that have been speculated about for such a long time that they find a permanent place in the culture. Half Life 3 is a good example of this, but Metroid Prime 4 is perhaps even better.
With Metroid Prime 3 releasing back in 2007 for the Nintendo Wii, there’s been a lot of anticipation built over many years, only to be dashed again and again. However, in 2017, Metroid Prime 4 was announced to be real, and in development.
That was 10 years since the previous release, and it’s been another eight years since that announcement. With the ESRB rating for the game made public, however, it looks as though the release could finally be around the corner.
ESRB Rating For Metroid Prime 4
The rating provided was a Teen rating, which translates to a PEGI 12 in the UK.
This is in line with the ESRB rating for Metroid Prime: Remastered, which was Retro’s last game, and perhaps best example of what to expect from Metroid Prime 4: Beyond in terms of gameplay.
A Tumultuous Development
Needless to say, Metroid Prime 4 has drawn impressive reviews, but it has also had its share of developmental woes.
In 2019, two years after that initial reveal, Nintendo restarted development, shifting care of Metroid Prime 4 away from Bandai Namco and back to Retro studios who developed the original games.
Since then, players have been working with crumbs of information here and there, until the subtitle of Beyond was revealed alongside its 2025 release date in June 2024, eventually leading to hands-on experiences of the game which drew wide-spread acclaim.
When are ESRB Ratings Usually Announced?
If a dedicated Metroid fan was looking to somehow get a sense of when a release date might be expected compared to the ESRB rating, they might look to games in the past that have gone through the same process.
Unfortunately, there isn’t a hard and fast rule about how much time will pass between an ESRB rating, and the release of a game. The game is usually complete for the rating as all the content needs to be seen, but estimates generally place the release as being up to six months after the rating.
Earlier in August, Nintendo reaffirmed its commitment to the 2025 release window, with posters appearing on the London Underground that erroneously stated that the game was available now – all pointing towards a release date that’s sooner rather than later.
