The surprise launch of Metroid Prime Remastered during the February 2023 Nintendo Direct came to the delight of many, especially after its existence had been rumoured for so long. But while the game’s release was certainly appreciated, it’s now come under fire for significant exclusions in its credits.
As two of Metroid Prime‘s developers have noted, no-one from the original Retro Studios team that built the game is listed in the game’s closing scroll. Instead, a small note pops up, after a brief credit for the Remastered team.
It reads: ‘Based on the work of Metroid Prime (Original
Given the remaster is essentially just a visual refresh of the original work, with some new tweaks to the control scheme among other small features, the exclusion of the original developers makes little sense. Without their work, Remastered would have no foundation.
‘While many studios did amazing work on the remaster, I’m let down Metroid Prime‘s Remaster does not include the full original game credits,’ Zoid Kirsch, Senior Gameplay Engineer on Metroid Prime wrote on Twitter, after discovering the credit omission.
‘I worked with so many amazing people on the game and everyone’s name should be included in the remaster, not just a single card like this.’
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Jack Matthews, Tech Lead on Metroid Prime, shared harsher words.
‘This is a travesty,’ he wrote on Twitter. ‘Not just for my credit (even though most of my code was probably replaced), but for people whose code and work are largely unchanged, like Mark HH, Steve McCrea, all of the uprezzed art and concepts, the game design. Shameful.’
Nintendo has yet to respond to the controversy, and it’s unknown if the uproar will lead to an update for the game. Whatever the case, it’s clear the existing Metroid Prime credits aren’t good enough. Developers deserve recognition for their work, regardless of royalty structures and other complications.
In recent years, this issue has become more prominent – most recently tied to HBO’s The Last of Us. Following the launch of the show, original game co-creator Bruce Straley spoke out about not being credited for the television series, despite his contributions to the narrative of the game, which has been adapted wholesale by the HBO writing team.
Recent game remasters including Shadow of the Colossus and Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy also featured similar omissions, with the work of original developers being paved over and forgotten. In an era where remasters and remakes are now commonplace, this practice must change.
The outcry over Metroid Prime Remastered should be a lesson for the future: credit developers for their work.
