Original ‘Metroid Prime’ devs criticise “shameful” lack of credit in remaster

13 February, 2023

Metroid Prime

Zoid Kirsch, senior gameplay engineer for 2002’s Metroid Prime and its 2004 sequel Echoes, has criticised Nintendo’s Metroid Prime Remasted for not crediting the original team.

Nintendo surprise-released Metroid Prime Remastered last week, shortly after it was announced during their Direct Livestream while a physical version will follow on March 3.

Originally released for the GameCube in 2002, Metroid Prime follows armoured bounty hunter Samus Arun as she explores the planet of Tallon IV. As detailed on Nintendo’s storefront, the Switch remaster features “revamped graphics, sound, unlockable art, and updated control schemes,” and allows players to use the game’s original controls or more modern ones.

However, Zoid Kirsch has since taken to Twitter to criticise Nintendo for not including the names of the original developer team in Metroid Prime Remastered’s credits.

Sharing a screenshot from the game that reads “Based on the work of Metroid Prime (original Nintendo Gamecube and Wii versions) development staff.”

Captioning the image, Kirsch wrote: “While many studios did amazing work on the remaster,  I’m let down Metroid Prime‘s remaster does not include the full original game credits. I worked with so many amazing people on the game and everyone’s name should be included in the remaster, not just a single card like this.”

Tech lead Jack Mathews shared Kirch’s tweet and added: “This is a travesty. Not just for my credit (even though most of my code was probably replaced), but for people whose code and work are largely unchanged, like Mark HH, Steve McCrea, all of the uprezzed art and concepts, the game design. Shameful.”

Shortly after the release of Metroid Prime Remastered, Kirsch praised the “wonderful” remaster, despite the “fucked up” doors.

Last month, The Last Of Us game director Bruce Straley claimed that not being credited on HBO‘s television adaptation is “an argument for unionisation” in the games industry.

“Someone who was part of the co-creation of that world and those characters isn’t getting a credit or a nickel for the work they put into it,” he explained.

In other news, a group of LGBTQ+ designers have raised over $79,000 (£65,587) after they put together a bundle games in protest at Hogwarts Legacy.

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