Ratings boards have a habit of spoiling Nintendo's surprises, and it looks like it just happened again.
As Nintendo Life reports, an unannounced game titled Metroid Ravenous briefly surfaced on Brazil's classification database before being pulled. The listing reportedly included around 41 minutes of submitted gameplay footage, which is the kind of detail that suggests this isn't vaporware sitting on a whiteboard somewhere. It's far enough along that someone was ready to have it rated.
Let's get this out of the way - This is a leak, not an announcement. Nintendo hasn't confirmed a thing, the listing vanished quickly, and until there's an official reveal, everything past the name itself is educated guessing.
The Bigger Claim: More Than One
Here's where it gets interesting. VGC editor-in-chief Andy Robinson responded to the leak by saying that "more than one" new Metroid game is on the way, according to his sources. So the read from people who tend to be plugged in is that Ravenous may be one piece of a bigger Metroid slate, not a one-off.
That's a reporter's claim rather than a confirmed roadmap, so file it accordingly. But Robinson isn't a random account, and the timing tracks with a franchise that's clearly in an up cycle.
Most of the early speculation pegs Ravenous as a 2D, side-scrolling entry in the vein of Metroid Dread rather than a first-person Prime game. The name alone has fans spinning theories about a hungrier, more aggressive spin on the series' usual isolation-and-exploration formula, though that's pure vibes until Nintendo shows anything.
It helps to remember how patient this franchise makes people. Metroid started back in 1986, and the series has never been a yearly machine. Before Metroid Dread arrived in 2021, fans had waited 19 years for a brand-new 2D Metroid. So when even a whisper of a new game leaks, the reaction is loud for a reason. This is a fanbase used to counting the gap between entries in decades, not months.
Ratings boards have become the internet's favorite spoiler, too. Age-rating and classification databases around the world have tipped off unannounced games for years, precisely because publishers have to file paperwork long before they're ready to make noise. Brazil's board in particular has a track record of surfacing things early, which is why a quickly-deleted listing sets off this much chatter.
Why Metroid Fans Should Care
Metroid Dread ended on a note that practically begged for a follow-up, and it was one of the best-reviewed entries the series has ever put out. A new 2D Metroid landing on Switch 2 hardware, with more horsepower to play with, is exactly the kind of thing that gets this fanbase off the sidelines.
The Switch 2 launch window has already leaned on Nintendo's heavy hitters. The Star Fox revival pulled a big crowd, and Metroid carries that same nostalgic pull with a modern track record to match.
There's also the long-teased Metroid Prime 4 to factor in, a game that's been in the public eye since its infamous 2017 logo reveal and a full development reboot. If Nintendo really does have more than one Metroid cooking, a 2D Ravenous sitting alongside a big Prime return would give the series its healthiest slate in years. That's the dream scenario fans are already running with, leak or no leak.
For now, temper the hype with a little patience. A pulled ratings listing and a trusted journalist's tease are enough to get excited about, not enough to book the release date. If a bigger Metroid reveal is coming, a Nintendo Direct is the obvious stage for it.
What do you want out of the next Metroid? Another 2D follow-up to Dread, a full return to Prime-style first-person exploration, or something that shakes up the formula entirely?
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