Five years ago, the Nintendo Switch was graced with Metroid Dread. This beloved title holds a special place in the Metroid community, and served as the introduction to many recent fans of the series. On the surface, Metroid Dread might seem like a relatively young title when looking at the overarching history of Metroid, but its history spans more than half of the Metroid series’ 40 year run. Being a Metroid fan can be difficult sometimes. There’s a lot of waiting, uncertainty, and anxiety between several of the series’ releases. As a consequence of these waits however, those moments where new Metroid titles do get announced feels extra special. Metroid Dread still serves as the premiere example of this in action, so today we’re going to tell the whole story; where Metroid Dread started, what it became, and how its influence continues in the present day.

 

In the Beginning

 

The year is 2005. We’ve entered the month of June, and the Electronic Entertainment Expo, or “E3” for short, has just wrapped up. Metroid fans are eating unusually well after this show. Not only is more footage of Metroid Prime Hunters and Metroid Prime Pinball for the Nintendo DS shown off, but Metroid Prime 3 is announced alongside Nintendo’s next-generation home console, the Revolution. But despite this buffet of news, it’s what happens AFTER the show where things get especially interesting.

The June 2005 issue of Game Informer goes into print a few weeks after E3 finishes, with the majority of the magazine dedicated to covering the show. In the Nintendo news roundup is a column summarizing a selection of announced titles on the horizon. One game stands out amongst the list however because you, the reader, have never heard of it before.

That game… is Metroid Dread.

This is the very first mention of this title to the public. The only information given is a blurb that mentions it being “a 2D Metroid adventure”. For years, this would be the only information known about this mysterious title. The general consensus from speculation assumes this would be a brand new entry as opposed to a remake like Metroid: Zero Mission, essentially making this game the likely successor to Metroid Fusion… Metroid 5.

 

 

Enter August 27th, 2007. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, the highly anticipated conclusion to the Metroid Prime Trilogy has just been released in North America for the Wii. Metroid fans across the continent are playing through this title for the very first time, and along the way stumble upon a curious scan on the Pirate Homeworld:

 

 

The Metroid community goes CRAZY when this scan gets out, and speculation immediately begins on whether or not this was a legitimate hint towards an official reveal of the elusive title. But again, time would pass in silence from Nintendo. Fans start to question if this game had been cancelled, or if it was even real in the first place. The latter is finally answered a couple of years later in an interview conducted by Stephen Totilo for Kotaku on June 3rd, 2009, where he asked series creator Yoshio Sakamoto about the newly announced Metroid: Other M and whether or not this title was an evolution of the rumored Metroid Dread. Sakamoto claimed that Other M had no relation to Dread, but also confirmed that the title was real and in development at one point. Otherwise, years continue to pass without a mention of Dread before becoming a mythic legend in the Metroid community.

 

Twelve Years Later…

 

The date is June 15th, 2021 – Exactly sixteen years after Game Informer’s June 2005 issue. Nintendo is premiering their annual June Direct to showcase upcoming titles for the Switch console. Metroid fans are on pins and needles; Metroid Prime 4, which was announced in 2017, was restarted in 2019. Nobody knows when this game will be shown off again, and if they can expect anything else to tide them over in the meantime. After a segment showcasing Mario Party Superstars, senior manager Shinya Takahashi enters the frame to talk about Metroid Prime 4. He mentions that development is going smoothly, but that they aren’t ready to show anything at this time. Instead, he says that they have another Metroid title to reveal, urging the audience to “please, take a look”.

The trailer begins, shows off Samus in a brand new power suit, and immediately reveals it as “Metroid 5”, an official sequel to Metroid Fusion from 2002. Fans are already ecstatic seeing the continuation of the Metroid story from where it last ended nineteen years prior, especially when the gameplay kicks in to show a creepy robotic antagonist chasing Samus throughout the map. But the real pop-off happens after the robot corners Samus. It pins her down to the floor, gets ready to perform a lethal strike, and the screen cuts to a black background with “Metroid” written just as the machine strikes.

 

And then…

 

 

It was at that moment where legend became reality: Metroid Dread was REAL! And it was releasing in just a few months! A fire was lit in the Metroid community the likes it had never seen before. A beacon of hope that injected new optimism and excitement into a community that had hit rock bottom not too long ago. Metroid, of all series, just got its “Half-Life 3” moment.

 

 

Sticking the Landing

 

When Metroid Dread was released on October 8th, 2021, it was met with high critical reception. It earned itself an 88 on metacritic and got nominated for several different awards, including Game of the Year at the Game Awards where the “Theme of Samus” was included in a live orchestral medley to celebrate the nominees. Metroid Dread would also win the award for “Best Action/Adventure Game” at the same show.

 

 

But Samus wasn’t just taking trophies home, she was taking paper too. On May 10th, 2022, Nintendo’s quarterly financial briefing revealed that Metroid Dread had sold 2.9 million units, making it the best-selling Metroid title of all time! As of this writing, Dread still currently holds this title, which was previously held by the original Metroid Prime release on the Nintendo GameCube at 2.86 million units.

 

Paving the Way to a Ravenous Future

 

Under normal circumstances, the story of Metroid Dread would have ended here, an already fantastic note to finish on. However, if this editorial has taught you something, it’s that Metroid Dread is anything but a normal game. On September 9th, 2026, Metroid Ravenous was revealed in the middle of the most recent Nintendo Direct. What makes this so relevant to Metroid Dread is that it seemingly takes place right after that game’s ending. It also takes the climax of that story, Samus unleashing her full Metroid instincts, and puts that front and center in the trailer; showing it off as one of the new gameplay additions and a critical part of the narrative that will continue to be explored.

 

 

For now at least, that is the conclusion of the incredible legacy held by Metroid Dread; a game once lost to the sands of time, reborn as a phoenix that led the charge to a new, prosperous era of Metroid. Was Metroid Dread the game that got you into the Metroid series? Were you in the trenches since 2005 dreaming about what the game would look like? Share your favorite Metroid Dread memories with us on Bluesky and Discord during this momentous celebration and tell us all about how you were impacted by this game!