Nintendo Exec Slip Suggests Metroid Prime 4 and Pokemon Switch May Both Be 2018 games

Two of the biggest game announcements that came from E3 this year was the long awaited revival of the Metroid Prime series with Metroid Prime 4, as well as the confirmation that, at long last, Nintendo’s beloved Pokemon series will be making the move to the Switch, making the Switch the very first home console to get a Pokemon game ever.

Of course, we literally just got confirmation of these games’ existence- we don’t have gameplay footage, CG trailers, we don’t have the final names, and we certainly don’t have release dates. Given the manner in which they were announced, many assumed that these games may be farther off. However, it looks like Nintendo of America corporate communications director Charlie Scibetta may have tipped Nintendo’s hand slightly in an interview with VentureBeat.

“Just as you get through a game and you’re starting to put your head up, put the periscope out to see what else is out there, hopefully we’ll have something right there for you,” he said. “We’ve announced a nice lineup through this year, and next year we have some big games coming with Metroid 4. 2018 will be around Metroid, Kirby, Yoshi, new Pokemon game has been announced. We feel good about the lineup for this year and beyond.”

Now, a Nintendo executive has reached out to GoNintendo to claim that there is “no change in what we announced last week, which is that those two games are coming, but they have no specifically announced release window/year.” Which may just be right- but as we have seen in the past, sometimes these accidental leaks end up being far more telling than the damage control to cover them up is.