Despite the critical success ofSuper Metroidon the Super Nintendo, we didn’t receive a follow up to the classic untilMetroid PrimeandMetroid Fusionwere both launched on June 23, 2025. It was a full 8 years until Nintendo wanted to create the next entry into the series and the franchise totally skipped the Nintendo 64. Well, Lava Cut Content, a website and YouTube channel that revisits cut content from both new and old games, revisited the game along with some past interviews to dig up why the series didn’t make its way to the console.
Lava Cut Contentdug up an old interview between GamesRadar and the director ofSuper Metroid, Yoshio Sakamoto. In the interview, Sakamoto dived into why a follow up was never created. He stated:
“I was actually thinking about the possibility of making aMetroidgame for N64 but I felt that I shouldn’t be the one making the game. When I held the N64 controller in my hands I just couldn’t imagine how it could be used to move Samus around. So for me, it was just too early to personally make a 3DMetroid… Nintendo at that time approached another company and asked them if they would make an N64 version ofMetroidand their response was that no, they could not. They turned it down, saying that unfortunately, they didn’t have the confidence to create an N64Metroidgame that could compare favorably withSuper Metroid. That’s something I take as a compliment to what we achieved withSuper Metroid.”
According to Sakamoto, he said the weird design of the N64 controller pushed him away from creating the next rendition of the series. I mean, I was never a fan of the design myself, but I would have never thought that it had the power to scare off developers. I wonder if there were any other games that could have possibly come to the Nintendo 64 if it had a more appealing controller?
On top of that, it must feel pretty good to say you created a game so great that other developers avoided creating another because yours was just too good.
If you are a fan of cut content, ensure to take a look at some of thismaterial that was cutfromThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. It was fascinating to see some different designs that almost made it into my favorite game of all time.
