Nintendo announced "Metroid Prime 4" in June 2017 during their E3 2017 broadcast. Shortly after the announcement, Bill Trinen, director of product marketing at Nintendo of America, confirmed that "Metroid" "Prime 4" would involve "Metroid" producer Kensuke Tanabe but not Retro Studios, which had developed the previous "Metroid Prime" games. In 2018, "Eurogamer" reported that "Prime 4" was being developed by Bandai Namco Studios of Japan and Singapore; the Bandai Singapore staff included former LucasArts staff who had worked on the cancelled "Star Wars 1313".