Over the past decade Nintendo has put its fans through some tough times, but no matter how bleak it got Nintendo fans could always take solace in the fact that Retro Studios was out there working on something special for them.
Retro Studios, located in Austin, Texas, was founded by Nintendo in the late 90s, and since then has been responsible for some of the Big N’s best games. Games like the Metroid Prime Trilogy and Donkey Kong Country Returns. As one of Nintendo’s most graphically savvy studios, many people were expecting an HD Retro Studios game to be unveiled at this year’s E3, but it didn’t happen.
Why? Well, unfortunately rumors are flying that Retro Studios is completely dysfunctional. After Metroid Prime 3 was finished, three top Metroid Prime developers, Mark Pacini, Todd Keller and Jack Mathews left Retro to start their own studio. It seems Nintendo took this personally and as retaliation, took the Metroid series from Retro and gave it to Team Ninja. This dickishness on Nintendo’s part lead to even more departures. At this point almost nobody who worked on the original Metroid Prime is left with the company. Retro now has a staff made up of new, young talent, and the studio has essentially forgot how to make games the “Nintendo way” because all the people Nintendo trained/brainwashed to work like them have left.
Retro is working on a WiiU project (it’s rumored to be Star Fox related) but the development process has been turbulent, and it’s likely the project won’t end up being released for some time.
Will Retro’s latest game turn out well? Probably. Nintendo will get their hands in there and make it turn out well if they have to. Sadly, it seems as though the Retro Studios that made classic games like Metroid Prime has already been scattered to the wind.
via GoNintendo