Matt Manchester

Matt Manchester is an American Environment Artist who works for Retro Studios. He designed environments in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Donkey Kong Country Returns, Mario Kart 7, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze and Metroid Prime Remastered, and is now working on Metroid Prime 4.Manchester, Matt (oracrest). "That's me." [in response to a meme about a Retro employee working on the game] 6 April 2021 1:00 p.m. Tweet. https://twitter.com/oracrest/status/1379479184234446857
==Early career==
Manchester's career in games began at Firefly Studios, where he worked for a little over a year as an artist on the game CivCity: Rome.
Super Metroid was a favorite game of his growing up.Manchester, Matt (oracrest). "Nice. Super Metroid was the big one for me growing up. It's a titan of environmental/gameplay driven narrative." 29 January 2021 11:28 a.m. Tweet. https://twitter.com/oracrest/status/1355191142523039755 Manchester, as a college student, would drive to his local Wal-Mart to play the in-store demo of Metroid Prime on Nintendo GameCube.Manchester, Matt (oracrest). "Aww, thank you! I also love Prime. In college, we used to drive out to the local Wal-Mart to play through the GameCube demo, again. It was an honor to work on 3. I poured all my love of #Metroid into it." 11 July 2021 7:29 p.m. Tweet. https://twitter.com/oracrest/status/1414366143788240897 In July 2005, Manchester moved to Austin, Texas to work for Retro Studios, where he has remained for eighteen years as of January 2024.
==Metroid Prime series==
Manchester's work in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption includes environments and objects. Rooms he designed include Substations East and West, Gateway Hall, G.F.S. Theseus, North and South Jungle Halls, Fiery Airdock, Imperial Hall, Gel Processing Site, Main Lift, Main Docking Access, Powerworks, Concourse Ventilation, Main Docking Bay, Maintenance Shafts AU, CC, GP, OB and TR, Save Station B, Metroid Processing, Creche Transit, Phazon Quarry, and Defense Access.
Manchester created all Dioramas but the one depicting Meta Ridley. He designed the celestial clocks in Save Station B, Zebetite-like tubes in the North and South Jungle Halls, the Korba creature, ceremonial armor in the Gel Processing Site, and wrote backstories for features in rooms such as Metroid Processing and Imperial Hall. Some of this content made it into the game, while most of it was scrapped due to scan text being reduced to three lines. The unused text is available on his blog (linked below) and on their respective Wikitroid articles.
Manchester was part of the development team for Metroid Prime Remastered.Matt Manchester (oracrest). "#MetroidPrime Remastered is announced!So excited I got an opportunity to work on this game.The original was a favorite that I would play in college, driving out to the Wal-Mart late at night to play the demo over and over. Poured a lot of heart in this!I hope you like it!" 8 February 2023 6:14 p.m. Tweet. https://twitter.com/oracrest/status/1623460317287092226Matt Manchester (oracrest). "Thanks for such a warm and loving response to #MetroidPrimeRemastered Fun to see # of followers go above 3k because of the release. I’ll share this bit of info:I am, in fact, an uncle that works for Nintendo :D" 11 February 2023 12:01 p.m. Tweet. https://twitter.com/oracrest/status/1624453659399430144
===Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze reference===
Following the conclusion of the original Metroid Prime trilogy, Manchester hid a Metroid larva in Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, in the underwater portion of level 4-3, Amiss Abyss. It was discovered four years after the game was first released, and he was happy to see it had finally been found.Manchester, Matt (oracrest). "Congrats on finding my easter egg, Shane. I was hoping for as long as possible to find it, and even open to it never being found. But 4 years is a good run I think." 3 Aug 2018 12:20 p.m. Tweet. https://twitter.com/oracrest/status/1025401019340148737Manchester, Matt (oracrest). "Thanks @Kotaku Metroid’s a cool dude, and deserves to be found." 3 Aug 2018 4:04 p.m. Tweet. https://twitter.com/oracrest/status/1025457498516541443Manchester, Matt (oracrest). "I hid a Metroid in Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze, and as best as I can tell it took 4 years and a switch release before it was discovered. 
https://kotaku.com/four-years-later-players-found-a-metroid-hidden-in-don-1828087121" 5 Apr 2021 1:55 p.m. Tweet. https://twitter.com/oracrest/status/1379130672762216456 Manchester, Sean Horton and possibly Teague Schultz added other Metroid easter eggs in Tropical Freeze and its predecessor, Donkey Kong Country Returns.Kiwi Talkz. "#136 - Ted Anderson Interview (Donkey Kong, Mario Kart 7, Artistry, Nintendo, Texture Libraries etc)". YouTube. May 14, 2022. Retrieved May 17, 2022. (starts at 47:13)
==Trivia==
*Manchester dressed up as Wolverine for a Halloween party at Retro Studios one year. (starts at 4:14)
==Gallery==
===Corruption===
File:Processing 11.jpg|Metroid Processing
File:Phazon Quarry 12.jpg|Phazon Quarry
File:Bryyo fire.jpg|Imperial Hall
File:WSPnB.jpg
File:N3QiO.jpg
File:Mnu3k.jpg
File:HTHxc.jpg
File:G2d3A.jpg
File:EoELI.jpg
File:DqT7l.jpg
File:Dd5uq.jpg|Maintenance Shaft CC
File:AqrOL.jpg
File:A3yAR.jpg
File:0rjtw.jpg
File:Wuuab.jpg
File:VPkAK.jpg
File:SSe8S.jpg
File:PSeIt.jpg
File:MQ3Nu.jpg
File:LizKv.jpg
File:AkIfq.jpg
File:5cPHi.jpg
File:1js5M.jpg
File:Main Landing Site Elysia left.jpg|Main Docking Bay
File:Chozo-Bio-Tree.jpg|Save Station B (Eastern SkyTown)
Matt Manchester Concourse Ventilation render.png|Concourse Ventilation
File:Retro01.jpg
File:Retro02.jpg
File:Retro03.jpg
File:RetroRoom.jpg
===Other work===
File:Metroidvsbeholder.jpg|Metroid vs. Beholder. 
File:Konami-mommy.JPG
File:Konami-mommy02.jpg
Matt Manchester Samus Drift.jpg|Produced (or shared) after Corruption.
Matt Manchester Metroid amiibo pen holder.png|Manchester's Metroid larva amiibo, in which he keeps his Wacom pen.Manchester, Matt (oracrest). "Do you like my #Metroid Wacom pen holder?" 24 August 2021 1:26 p.m. Tweet. https://twitter.com/oracrest/status/1430220068160524289
Hanging02.jpg|Recreation of original Metroid sprite with NES cartridges done prior to his employment at Retro Studios. Later donated to the company, where it now resides.http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:uGD87H5sF1MJ:www.modelforge.com/MiscMetroid.html+http://www.modelforge.com&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=firefox-a (dead link) It appears in a GameSpot tour video.
==External links==
*Blog (inactive since 2011)
:*Metroid Prime 3: Corruption post
*Manchester on LinkedIn
*Manchester on MobyGames
==References==
ru:Мэтт Манчестер
Category:Retro Studios employees
Category:Matt Manchester
Category:Environment Artists