Metroid Prime 4, Announced Back in 2017, Has Pre-Orders Cancelled by Amazon

Amazon is canceling pre-orders for Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and contacting customers via email. Let's explore what this means for the game's future and its planned 2025 release.

Amazon Cancels Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Pre-Orders

Full Refunds for Cancelled Pre-orders

On January 11th, 2025, numerous reports surfaced across online forums like Reddit and Resetera: Amazon was canceling Metroid Prime 4 pre-orders. Screenshots shared online show Amazon's communication, citing "lack of availability" as the reason for cancellation. Reassuringly, the emails promise full refunds within one to two business days.

While disappointing for fans who pre-ordered since the game's 2017 announcement, the cancellation doesn't signal the game's demise. It simply means the game is temporarily unavailable for pre-order through Amazon. For more details on Metroid Prime 4, check out our dedicated article!

A Look Back at Metroid Prime 4's Development

Initially announced at E3 2017, Metroid Prime 4's early development was shrouded in mystery. Nintendo initially confirmed that Retro Studios, the developer behind previous Metroid Prime titles, wouldn't be involved. The initial developing team remained undisclosed.

Two years later, in January 2019, Nintendo revealed a significant setback. In a YouTube video, Shinya Takahashi announced a development restart under Retro Studios, citing the existing progress as not meeting their quality standards for a Metroid Prime sequel.

Fast forward to June 2024, and Nintendo unveiled a full gameplay trailer during a Nintendo Direct, officially naming the game Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and confirming a 2025 release. The trailer showcased the antagonist, Sylux, and his Space Pirates operating within an unknown facility.

More recently, on January 3rd, 2025, Nintendo reiterated the 2025 release window in a news post. Despite Amazon's pre-order cancellations, this reaffirms the game's ongoing development and planned release this year. The upcoming Switch 2 announcement adds an interesting layer of speculation – will the game launch on the original Switch or its successor? Only time will tell.