Renowned leaker, Reece “Kiwi Talkz” Reilly, known for his links to Retro Studios through previous interviews, has dropped some intriguing insights on his Twitter account. He revealed that after wrapping up development on Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, Retro Studios plans to dive into the development of Metroid Prime 5. However, it seems the team is also keen on exploring fresh territories once their work on Metroid Prime 5 concludes, aiming to stave off franchise fatigue.
Im seeing people taking Nintendo's comments about there being 2D & 3D Donkey Kong going forward as Retro continuing with 2D Donkey Kong, No that’s copium. It’s unlikely Retro returns to Donkey Kong again, there were unique circumstances at play to allow them to make the DK games. Retro’s original existence was to make games for Nintendo that they themselves couldn’t make. There are so many internal teams that can make a 2D Donkey Kong game, there is NO ONE other than Retro that can make a Metroid Prime game at the caliber they make them. I am not saying they are going to become the Metroid Prime studio, I imagine after Prime 4 they will do Prime 5 then move onto another IP due to franchise fatigue I am also not saying that Retro aren’t capable they certainly are and Tropical Freeze is easily Top 5 2D Platformers ever made but we are in a different era of Nintendo and a different era of Retro. I just want to keep everyone’s expectations in check here.
Reilly also mentioned that it's improbable for Retro Studios to return to the Donkey Kong series anytime soon, noting that this marks a new chapter for the studio. He emphasized the evolving landscape within Nintendo, suggesting that while Retro has mastered the Metroid franchise like no other, the team’s future endeavors will likely see a broader exploration of new intellectual properties.