Reggie Fils-Aime talks about Metroid Federation Force and fan backlash
After the dismayed outcry of Metroid fans during E3, Nintendo of America's president, Reggie Fils-Amie stepped up to discuss the criticism of the new "Metroid" game. He likened the problems of "Metroid Prime: Federation Force", to what happened when "Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker" was announced, back in the day.
Here's what I would state: we know what our fans want. We will also push the envelope in developing something that we know is high-quality and that we know will deliver in the marketplace. The best example I can give you of this, and I think you will appreciate it, is Legend of Zelda Wind Waker. Remember when that art style was first shown. The uproar from the Zelda community was intensely negative. If there had been social media then, there probably would have been a petition to make that game go away.
...So, the game is developed, becomes one of the most beloved games of all time, one of the most highly-rated games of all time, so I use that example to say: 'We know what we're doing, trust us, play the game and then we can have a conversation.
Look, we know that the fans want a straight Samus Aran game. We also know that the best way to launch a game like that is to surprise and delight them, to give them a launch date, in an environment like this let them play it vs. what other companies do which is to announce a project that you may not see for five, six years. It's just not the way we do things. We know the community wants to see a straight-up Metroid game. We know it.
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He states that Nintendo knows that fans want a new Metroid game. Maybe there's still a little hope for a new fully-fledged entry to the franchise.