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[Spieler Eins]

I wouldn't be surprised, although I don't think another 2D platformer is what the Wii U needs right now. There is a difference between being a best-seller and a system-seller. NWMBU proved that a best-seller in a console isn't necessarily a system-seller. Arguably, a Metroid Prime game brings more value as a system seller than a 2D Donkey Kong.

That said, I do think we need a 3D Donkey Kong. And I wouldn't be opposed to Retro to do it.

When DKCR leaked, I thought Retro was the perfect fit since several experiences from Metroid Prime could easily translate into a modern version of these old 3d platformers. Then it was another 2d game
And Wii U also already has more than enough of those coming too, indeed.

 

[Sendou]

DKC Returns sold 4.96 million copies vs. over 4.1 million copies of all the Metroid Prime titles combined.

So expect Mario from Retro?

 

[Shikamaru Ninja]

Retro Studios, Monster Games, Next-Level Games, and Headstrong Games all work under Nintendo's Software Planning & Development Group No. 3. Kensuke Tanabe seems to pretty much decide what games they work on. They also do most of the music and planning in-house.

If Nintendo were ever to catch up to SONY and it's SCE World Wide Studios structure, I
would imagine Tanabe would be the supreme leader of it all.

 

[Zoramon089]

As hopeful as I am, people really have hyped Retro up to an unreasonable standard. The chances of them revealing a new IP are minimal.

I feel like no matter what they show, someone is bound to be super disappointed. And now with high-level staff leaving year after year, it really makes me wonder what state that studio is in right now.

Now? High level staff have left after every game. I don't know why all of a sudden it's a big deal. Not to mention everyone is ignoring the staff they've hired from other big companies (notably Naughty Dog)

 

[Bisnic]

I don't really like how quiet Retro has been for the last 2-3 years. Not to mention the last update on their website was in 2011. It's like they're doing nothing at all. I know it's not true, but still... if we have nothing from them at E3, that's going to raise some questions.

 

[Sendou]

I don't really like how quiet Retro has been for the last 2-3 years. Not to mention the last update on their website was in 2011. It's like they're doing nothing at all. I know it's not true, but still... if we have nothing from them at E3, that's going to raise some questions.

Just like before Donkey Kong Country Returns was announced. Nothing new under the sun my friend.

 

[Shiggy]

I don't really like how quiet Retro has been for the last 2-3 years. Not to mention the last update on their website was in 2011. It's like they're doing nothing at all. I know it's not true, but still... if we have nothing from them at E3, that's going to raise some questions.

They were put on Mario Kart 7 for a few months.

 

[JDSN]

I wonder if they decided to go back to the drawing board with their mysterious new game (probably an old IP), I remember that tweet about crunch time that was published more than a year ago. Maybe the "talent leak" ended up hurting the product and Nintendo made the call to delay it.

 

[Linkhero1]

I wonder if they decided to go back to the drawing board with their mysterious new game (probably an old IP), I remember that tweet about crunch time that was published more than a year ago. Maybe the "talent leak" ended up hurting the product and Nintendo made the call to delay it.

Maybe, but they were hiring a lot of new talent since 2010 and have grown quite a bit so I don't think a few talent trickling out of Retro would be a reason for them to delay their game. Was there a huge loss of talent since last E3 or something? I don't know how big the studio is now.

 

[JDSN]

Maybe, but they were hiring a lot of new talent since 2010 and have grown quite a bit so I don't think a few talent trickling out of Retro would be a reason for them to delay their game. Was there a huge loss of talent since last E3 or something? I don't know how big the studio is now.

Thats why I put it in quotes, I very much doubt that the problem was involved transitioning to HD due their background and the hirings you mentioned, so I figure if there was something that prolonged crunch time for one year it had to be due quality. But then again, the tweet might be refering to other game.

 

[Linkhero1]

Thats why I put it in quotes, I very much doubt that the problem was involved transitioning to HD due their background and the hirings you mentioned, so I figure if there was something that prolonged crunch time for one year it had to be due quality. But then again, the tweet might be refering to other game.

My guess would be Nintendo didn't have enough resources for other games and put a halt or slow down development in order for some Retro staff to aid other studios. Purely speculation, but considering they've assisted in MK7's development, it wouldn't be too far fetched.

 

[Vampirolol]

That guy who posted about the crunch time wasn't referring to Retro.

 

[PunjabiPlaya]

I'm really hoping it's StarFox, I trust Retro to make an amazing entry to the series and StarFox has been gone for too long.

 

[Kouichi]

I'm really hoping it's StarFox, I trust Retro to make an amazing entry to the series and StarFox has been gone for too long.

Yeah this is what I want too.

 

[Tuck]

It is concerning to hear that people keep leaving, but I think Nintendo's influence over Retro is a major reason for their success. Look at Next Level with Luigi's Mansion. The studio's other games besides maybe Punch Out were not anything really special. But Luigi's Mansion 2 is incredible.

 

[MikeE21286]

Retro has been steadily losing people since Metroid Prime 1. I'm not worried until they will put out a bad game and I'm not sure that's possible with Nintendo overseeing the quality.

Maybe that's why news on their next title is taking so long...

 

[NotLiquid]

I'm really hoping it's StarFox, I trust Retro to make an amazing entry to the series and StarFox has been gone for too long.

Part of me hopes it is, part of me hopes it isn't. The former because right now Retro is the best chance we have at there ever being a Star Fox game developed. The latter is because I feel there are developers much better suited for the job, specifically Platinum, with Kamiya having gone on the record saying it's the Nintendo IP he wants to make a game out of.

I mean if any developer out there can make a short, action-packed, replayable, score-based, cheesy one-liner fiesta, it's Platinum.

 

[Wishmaster92]

Either the next Starfox or a first person Metroid and i will be happy.

 

[A Black Falcon]

I'm really hoping it's StarFox, I trust Retro to make an amazing entry to the series and StarFox has been gone for too long.

That would be awesome...

 

[Jotamide]

They only have this little task of saving a console.

 

[Coolwhip]

They only have this little task of saving a console.

Doubt their games ever moved too many consoles tbh.

 

[Aquamarine]

They were put on Mario Kart 7 for a few months.

Only 30 people from Retro Studios worked on Mario Kart 7.


The rest have always been consistently working on their AAA Wii U project.

 

[MikeE21286]

It's funny that everyone bags on Nintendo and wants them to develop new first-party IPs, yet everyone seemingly wants Retro to make DK, Starfox, or Metroid.

Make a new IP please. Retro is the perfect studio to do so.

 

[Alrus]

They only have this little task of saving a console.

Not really, that task belongs to Namco (Smash) and EAD/EAD Tokyo.

The Metroid Primes games was never a huge seller after all.

 

[Malvingt2]

It is possible that Retro is working in more than one title?

 

[Freezie KO]

Make a new IP please.

Exactly. I want a new IP set in the Mario Kart universe. Preferably an adventure game starring one of the go-karts.

 

[Moonlight]

I'm really hoping it's StarFox, I trust Retro to make an amazing entry to the series and StarFox has been gone for too long.

I'd rather Platinum Games be given the keys to Starfox.

I just want to see a Metroid revival by Retro, if a new IP is out of the question.

 

[SteeloDMZ]

It is possible that Retro is working in more than one title?

Very, very likely. Is safe to assume that there's a group working on their next big game while another is also designing tracks for Mario Kart 8.

 

[Nilaul]

I think they should work at whatever they want, with Nintendo;s supervision (in order to insure quality)

 

[Joeshabadoo]

Assuming that the Art Style series is officially dead, this is my #1 most anticipated title. I have complete confidence in this team, despite any amount of turnover (which is quite normal for western game designers/developers

 

[Himself]

DKC Returns sold 4.96 million copies vs. over 4.1 million copies of all the Metroid Prime titles combined.

Damn, that blows.

 

[Aquamarine]

I think they should work at whatever they want, with Nintendo;s supervision (in order to insure quality)

The issue with this is that Nintendo has to bankroll any project they decide to work on. Not independent investors, not venture capitalists....Nintendo.

Sinking $40 million (dev costs + marketing + distribution) into Retro Studios for an AAA title based off of "faith" that Retro will know how to independently devise a blockbuster title with a new IP.....that's too much of a burden for Nintendo to take on.

 

[Screamapillar]

They're probably working on something Metroid-related, but it's also possible they're making Star Fox, F-Zero, or even something entirely new.

I still think a lot of Retro nowadays is being used to help out EAD with massive in-house projects like 3D Mario or Zelda, or maybe even 'X' or the Wii U Mario Kart, because certainly all of those games require unprecedented team sizes and bigger budgets than have ever been necessary before.

 

[ViewtifulJC]

I can't wait for E3, so we can stop speculating about what Retro is doing and actually see the damn thing

 

[Shiggy]

Only 30 people from Retro Studios worked on Mario Kart 7.


The rest have always been consistently working on their AAA Wii U project.

Let's take a look who was working on Mario Kart 7:

- the Sr. Director Of Development, Production Manager, and Production Coordinator of DKCR
- the last remaining senior designer of DKCR
- the DKCR art director
- the DKCR art lead
- all DKCR designers
- the DKCR principal artist, technical artist, the last remaining DKCR senior artist
- all DKCR artists who remained at the studio after DKCR
- all DKCR senior animators


That's quite a large chunk of meaningful members not on the Wii U project. So who did not contribute to MK7? The Retro Studios engineers and some animators. That really does look to me as if their Wii U project was of lower priority for a few months. We know that Nintendo does this when they want to get a game done quickly; Iwata mentioned this with regard to Nintendo Land and NSMB U and this resulted in the current drought.

Of course, perhaps they just hired a lot of new talent to work on their new game during the same timeframe. That would be a rather strange management of resources; having newcomers lead the development on a major Wii U release is not really Nintendo's way.

 

[EloquentM]

Retro has hired more people than they let go. They even had to move to a new building to accommodate a larger staff. Sheesh people, stop with all the doom and gloom.

 

[waypoetic]

Here's a wild thought : something new, a new IP and not reboots over and over and over again.

 

[Aeriscloud]

Is Retro still operating as one team?

 

[Lord_Byron28]

Didn't DKCR sell more than the three Metroid Prime games combined? Surely there's a sequel in the works for that one.

Also, people have been leaving Retro Studios all the time, and their last two games were great. I wouldn't worry too much about employees leaving to do something new.

I would think DKCR would be a possibility but its been almost 4 years now. I wouldn't think it would take this long to develop another DKCR. Especially when their biggest obstacle was learning how to design good platforming levels. Theyve also been expanding. I've heard it mentioned a couple times now that they've expanded enough to take on more than one project at a time although I don't know about the accuracy of those rumors.

As hopeful as I am, people really have hyped Retro up to an unreasonable standard. The chances of them revealing a new IP are minimal.

I feel like no matter what they show, someone is bound to be super disappointed. And now with high-level staff leaving year after year, it really makes me wonder what state that studio is in right now.

Staff has been leaving year after year since even before MP1 was finished its hardly anything new. A lot of staff comes and goes with western developers and it isn't that publicized. They've also been hiring a lot including people who worked on Uncharted and Darksiders.

 

[Spieler Eins]

I can't wait for E3, so we can stop speculating about what Retro is doing and actually see the damn thing

At this point, it wouldn't be surprising if it isn't even there. I mean, I thought it was a no brainer last year already, but Iwatas handling of resources for the Wii U has obviously been terrible on a whole new level of terribleness.

 

[BD1]

Retro Studios, Monster Games, Next-Level Games, and Headstrong Games all work under Nintendo's Software Planning & Development Group No. 3. Kensuke Tanabe seems to pretty much decide what games they work on. They also do most of the music and planning in-house.

If Nintendo were ever to catch up to SONY and it's SCE World Wide Studios structure, I
would imagine Tanabe would be the supreme leader of it all.

Tanabe is an unsung genius over in SPD. Maybe because he's not an EAD guy, he doesn't get the love that guys like Konno, Aonuma and Koizumi get. Dude is behind some of the BEST Nintendo games of the last two generations, and if you've ever seen an interview with him, he seems to walk to the beat of his own drum.

 

[Lord_Byron28]

Let's take a look who was working on Mario Kart 7:

- the Sr. Director Of Development, Production Manager, and Production Coordinator of DKCR
- the last remaining senior designer of DKCR
- the DKCR art director
- the DKCR art lead
- all DKCR designers
- the DKCR principal artist, technical artist, the last remaining DKCR senior artist
- all DKCR artists who remained at the studio after DKCR
- all DKCR senior animators


That's quite a large chunk of meaningful members not on the Wii U project. So who did not contribute to MK7? The Retro Studios engineers and some animators. That really does look to me as if their Wii U project was of lower priority for a few months. We know that Nintendo does this when they want to get a game done quickly; Iwata mentioned this with regard to Nintendo Land and NSMB U and this resulted in the current drought.

Of course, perhaps they just hired a lot of new talent to work on their new game during the same timeframe. That would be a rather strange management of resources; having newcomers lead the development on a major Wii U release is not really Nintendo's way.

While true. Do we know how long they were really working on it? If I recall all they did was redesign the classic tracks for the 3DS.

 

[Shiggy]

Here's a wild thought : something new, a new IP and not reboots over and over and over again.

Doubtful, it's a Western Nintendo studio. What was the last new major retail franchise Nintendo had in the West? Battalion Wars? I don't think Nintendo would put Retro on a casual title for which they still create new franchises.

 

[Blades64]

There's no doubt in my mind that Retro would make an amazing Star Fox, however, I would rather them work on a new IP, something like an Action Adventure title.

Give Star Fox to Kamiya, since he said its the one Nintendo franchise he really wants to work on.

 

[Zoramon089]

Let's take a look who was working on Mario Kart 7:

- the Sr. Director Of Development, Production Manager, and Production Coordinator of DKCR
- the last remaining senior designer of DKCR
- the DKCR art director
- the DKCR art lead
- all DKCR designers
- the DKCR principal artist, technical artist, the last remaining DKCR senior artist
- all DKCR artists who remained at the studio after DKCR
- all DKCR senior animators


That's quite a large chunk of meaningful members not on the Wii U project. So who did not contribute to MK7? The Retro Studios engineers and some animators. That really does look to me as if their Wii U project was of lower priority for a few months. We know that Nintendo does this when they want to get a game done quickly; Iwata mentioned this with regard to Nintendo Land and NSMB U and this resulted in the current drought.

Of course, perhaps they just hired a lot of new talent to work on their new game during the same timeframe. That would be a rather strange management of resources; having newcomers lead the development on a major Wii U release is not really Nintendo's way.

Ehh we don't know the period of time they worked and notice those are all the senior leads too. They probably aren't directly making the assets they're just delegating so it's not unlikely they would bounce back between both projects while the brunt of work was actively being done by engineers and lower level artists/animators

 

[Sheroking]

Let's take a look who was working on Mario Kart 7:

- the Sr. Director Of Development, Production Manager, and Production Coordinator of DKCR
- the last remaining senior designer of DKCR
- the DKCR art director
- the DKCR art lead
- all DKCR designers
- the DKCR principal artist, technical artist, the last remaining DKCR senior artist
- all DKCR artists who remained at the studio after DKCR
- all DKCR senior animators


That's quite a large chunk of meaningful members not on the Wii U project. So who did not contribute to MK7? The Retro Studios engineers and some animators. That really does look to me as if their Wii U project was of lower priority for a few months. We know that Nintendo does this when they want to get a game done quickly; Iwata mentioned this with regard to Nintendo Land and NSMB U and this resulted in the current drought.

Of course, perhaps they just hired a lot of new talent to work on their new game during the same timeframe. That would be a rather strange management of resources; having newcomers lead the development on a major Wii U release is not really Nintendo's way.

1) That game was done 18 months ago.
2) Retro expanded by at least a dozen in that time.
3) They only worked on a few tracks. We're not sure how time consuming their work on MK7 was in the first place.
4) Monolithsoft helped work on Skyward Sword, which came out within the same month as MK7, and they managed to crank out quality gameplay footage of what I suspect will be a much larger scale game than the one Retro is working on.

 

[TheGreatMightyPoo]

So something nobody want them to make?

Halo it is!!!

 

[Aquamarine]

.

 

[ViewtifulJC]

So something nobody want them to make?

Animal Crossing U

 

[Aquamarine]

Ehh we don't know the period of time they worked and notice those are all the senior leads too. They probably aren't directly making the assets they're just delegating so it's not unlikely they would bounce back between both projects while the brunt of work was actively being done by engineers and lower level artists/animators

Yes and no.

Here are all of the positions that Retro Studios worked on regarding Mario Kart 7:

Additional Design Lead
Additional Design
Art Director
Art Chief
Art Design
Technical Art
Animation
Coordinating Engineer Director
Coordinating Engineer
Product Coordination

The majority of it was high-level, but Retro did do some low-level stuff too.