Longevity in the gaming industry is always a tricky thing to talk about. Because on one hand, you have franchises like Mario, Legend of Zelda, Kirby, Sonic The Hedgehog and others that have been going on for generations. But…just because you have a lot of games doesn’t mean they’re quality. So at times, you have to wonder if a franchise should end instead of being squeezed for money. In the case of the Metroid franchise, a major plotline happened via the newest entry in Dread.
In short, it “ended” the storyline that started in the original title. But, according to director and producer Yoshio Sakamoto, the series can still go on…because Samus is still around.
“As long as the character Samus exists, I think her adventure will continue. I feel that Samus should continue her adventure, and that’s something that we would really need to put our best effort into. Metroid Dread does conclude the five-story arc that has been going on for 35 years. However, I feel that it’s not the ultimate end. There should be something that is able to continue the franchise and the universe. So yes, as long as your character Samus is loved, I would like to do what I have to do.”
It’s not hard to see Samus having new adventures eithers. The Prime series takes place in the earlier parts of her career, and we know there are other threats out in the universe that Samus could handle, so why not continue her journey, especially if Dread and the upcoming Prime 4 do really well sales-wise?
We’ll have to see what happens next, in the meantime, check out our review of Metroid Dread!