Veteran Nintendo producer Kensuke Tanabe, perhaps best known for his work overseeing the long-running Metroid Prime series, is reportedly retiring after almost four decades with the company.
Tanabe joined Nintendo in 1987, serving as director and course designer on Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic – the game retooled into Super Mario Bros. 2 for release in the west. Since then, Tanabe has been involved in almost every major Nintendo franchise, from The Legend of Zelda to Donkey Kong.
2002 saw Tanabe helping steer the Metroid series toward its three-dimensional debut as co-producer on Metroid Prime, and he’s continued to serve as producer on the series in the years since, overseeing the likes of Metroid Prime 2, Metroid Prime 3, and Metroid Prime: Federation Force. That’s alongside producer work on many other series, including Luigi’s Mansion, Donkey Kong Country Returns, Kirby, and WarioWare.
But it appears Tanabe’s time with Nintendo is now at an end following the release of last year’s Metroid Prime 4. As reported by VGC, Tanabe announced his retirement in an interview with Japanese magazine Nintendo Dream, uploaded to Chinese social media platform Weibo. “I have confirmed that I will no longer be involved in the production of the series moving forward,” he explained (via machine translation), adding “It’s been 40 years since I joined Nintendo. Metroid Prime 4 will be my final title developed at Nintendo.”
Tanabe also revealed a sequel to Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is “still uncertain” but expressed his hope that developer Retro Studios and Risa Tabata – who served as assistant producer on last year’s game, and who’ll reportedly succeed Tanabe – “will be able to tell this story completely and bring it to a close.” We’ve asked Nintendo for comment.
Metroid Prime 4 did, of course, have a long and troubled history, initially being announced in 2017 before all work at Bandai Namco Studios was scrapped and shifted to previous Metroid Prime developer Retro Studios. When it finally launched for Switch and Switch 2 last December, it was to a mixed reception. “Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is enjoyable enough, and has glimpses of vintage Metroid shining through,” Eurogamer’s Alex Donladson wrote in his three star review, “but this game could and should have been so much more.”
