Retro Studios Explained

Retro Studios, Inc.
Type:Subsidiary
Industry:Video games
Founder:Jeff Spangenberg
Hq Location City:Austin, Texas
Hq Location Country:U.S.
Key People:Michael Kelbaugh (president and CEO)
Parent:Nintendo (2002–present)

Retro Studios, Inc. is an American video game developer and subsidiary of Nintendo based in Austin, Texas. The studio is best known for its work on the Metroid Prime and Donkey Kong Country series, and has contributed to several other Nintendo-developed projects, such as Mario Kart 7.

Retro was founded on September 21, 1998, as an alliance between Nintendo and Iguana Entertainment founder Jeff Spangenberg, hoping to create games for the upcoming GameCube aiming at an older demographic. The company began work on four games, all of which were canceled once Retro focused their resources on Metroid Prime, the first Metroid game developed outside Japan. The success of Metroid Prime led Retro to work on three sequels, and later to become involved with reviving the Donkey Kong series with Donkey Kong Country Returns.

History

1998–2002: Founding and Metroid Prime

Retro Studios was founded on September 21, 1998, as an alliance between Nintendo and industry veteran Jeff Spangenberg.[1] Spangenberg subsequently launched the company from his home on October 1, using funds he generated with his previous ventures, including Iguana Entertainment.[2] [3] Nintendo saw an opportunity for the new studio to create games for the upcoming GameCube targeting an older demographic, in the same vein as Iguana Entertainment's successful Turok series for the Nintendo 64. Retro began with 4 key people in late 1998 and opened an office in Austin, Texas in early 1999 with a staff of 25 people, including several former Iguana employees. Despite not having access to GameCube development kits,[4] the studio immediately began work on four projects for the GameCube: an action adventure game named MetaForce, a vehicular combat game with the working title Car Combat (also known as Thunder Rally), an American football simulator named NFL Retro Football, and role-playing game Raven Blade. By the time development began, the studio had already grown in size to 120 employees. The company continued to grow during production, eventually peaking at over 200 employees.[5]

The working environment was chaotic, with development getting behind schedule, and Nintendo executives complaining on how the games turned out.[6] In 2000, producer Shigeru Miyamoto visited the studio. He was disappointed by the games except for their demonstration of the MetaForce game engine, which led Miyamoto to suggest that Retro could use the engine to develop a new game in the Metroid series. Shortly before the 2000 Nintendo Space World conference, Nintendo granted Retro the license to create Metroid Prime, and Retro shifted all development resources from MetaForce to the new game.

Retro eventually canceled development of their other projects to focus solely on Metroid Prime. In February 2001, the company ended development of both NFL Retro Football and Thunder Rally, laying off about 20 employees.[7] Although Retro demonstrated Raven Blade at E3 in 2001, the development team was plagued by technical setbacks. In July 2001, Retro canceled the project, retaining only nine team members to work on Metroid Prime.[8] Notably, artist Android Jones served as lead concept artist on the development of Metroid Prime.[9]

On May 2, 2002, Nintendo secured $1 million worth of Retro Studios stock from Spangenberg, and reclassified the company as a first party developer and division of Nintendo.[10] Steve Barcia, the founder of Simtex, replaced Spangenberg as president of the company.[2]

During the final nine months of Metroid Primes development, Retro's staff worked 80- to 100-hour weeks to reach their final milestone. Despite its troubled production cycle and initial skepticism from fans,[11] the game was released on November 17, 2002, in North America to universal critical acclaim and commercial success,[12] selling over two million units worldwide.

2003–2009: The Metroid Prime trilogy

After the critical and commercial success of Metroid Prime, Nintendo asked Retro Studios to produce a sequel. The developers decided against recycling the features of the first game while creating , and instead used new sound models, weapon effects, and art designs.[13] A multiplayer component was also added to the game.[14] In April 2003, Steve Barcia left the company. Michael Kelbaugh, who had worked with Nintendo for over 15 years, was appointed president, a job he retains to this date.[15] Retro tried to include some extras, such as a hidden version of Super Metroid, but were halted by the short development time. Producer Kensuke Tanabe later revealed in an interview that the game was just about thirty percent complete three months before the strict deadline Nintendo had set for a release in the 2004 holiday season.[16] The critical reception for Metroid Prime 2: Echoes was very positive,[17] but earned some criticism on the game's high difficulty.[18] [19] Sales for Echoes were lower than the first Prime, with a total of 800,000 units.

Retro Studios was then put to produce the next game in the Metroid Prime series, . Retro intended to give Metroid Prime 3: Corruption larger environments than Echoes. The developers were also interested in using the WiiConnect24 feature to provide additional content for the game that would be accessible from the Internet.[20] Retro announced that Corruption would be the final chapter of the Prime series and would have a plot "about closure, told against the backdrop of an epic struggle".[21] After the Wii Remote was revealed, Nintendo demonstrated how Metroid Prime 3 would take advantage of the controller's special abilities with a version of Echoes modified for the Wii and shown at the Tokyo Game Show in 2005.[22] Originally envisioned as a launch game for the Wii in November 2006, Corruption suffered many delays, but eventually being released in August 2007 generally positive reviews, and over 1.60 million copies sold worldwide.[23]

While Retro was busy with the Prime sequels, they had to pass on the Nintendo DS game Metroid Prime Hunters. The eventual developer, Nintendo Software Technology (NST), worked closely with Retro to design the game's art and characters to make sure that they fit into the overall Metroid series.[24] [25]

2010–present: Donkey Kong Country series, Metroid Prime 4, and other projects

In April 2008, Retro saw the departure of three key developers, designer Mark Pacini, art director Todd Keller, and principal technology engineer Jack Mathews,[26] who went on to form their own company, Armature Studio.[27] [28] Around the same time, Shigeru Miyamoto asked fellow producer Kensuke Tanabe to recommend a studio that could develop a new Donkey Kong game, and Tanabe recommended Retro. Kelbaugh had worked on the Donkey Kong Country series during his years at Nintendo of America, and had interest in continuing with the franchise. Retro accepted the task, and thus started development of Donkey Kong Country Returns.[29] [30] Similar to New Super Mario Bros., the game was developed with the intention to invoke nostalgic feelings in the player with its art style and sound, while trying to provide them with new gameplay experiences. Returns employs fully polygonal 3D graphics with three times the amount of textures and polygons that Corruption offered, and over the course of six months, two thirds of the game's tools and engine had to be rewritten by the programmers. Development accelerated at the outset of 2010, and the project was just "beginning to cohere as a game" around the time of E3, when it was officially announced to the press.[31] Although the game was set for release in autumn that year, the team still had 70 levels to create or refine.[32]

At E3 2011, it was announced during Nintendo's Developer Roundtable that Retro Studios would be involved in the development of Mario Kart 7 for Nintendo 3DS.[33] At first, Retro would contribute assets to developing one of the Donkey Kong-themed levels,[34] but the number evolved to the stage design of sixteen tracks in the late stages of development, as the Nintendo EAD crew started working on other projects and the game would not be finished before the December 2011 deadline.[35]

In 2012, it was revealed that Retro Studios had received a Wii U development kit, and was reportedly working on a Wii U game.[36] Miyamoto has said he would like to work with Retro Studios in an installment for The Legend of Zelda; however, he says that the current game Retro Studios was working on is not related to Zelda.[37] At E3 2012, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé told IGN in an interview that Retro is currently "hard at work" on an untitled project for the Wii U.[38]

On February 28, 2014, Kensuke Tanabe announced that Retro Studios was working on a new game, which CEO Michael Kelbaugh declared had been in development for a few months since was finished.[39] In August 2015 however, during an interview about , Tanabe said that he was not quite sure about what Retro Studios was working on, leaving the impression that he was no longer involved with their unannounced project.[40]

Nintendo announced Metroid Prime 4 at E3 2017, showing only the logo. Shortly after the announcement, Bill Trinen, Director of Product Marketing at Nintendo of America, confirmed that Prime 4 would not be developed by Retro Studios, the studio that developed the previous Metroid Prime games, but would be produced by Kensuke Tanabe, the producer of the previous games.[41] [42] In 2018, Eurogamer reported that Prime 4 was being developed by Bandai Namco Studios in Singapore.[43] However, in a video released on January 25, 2019, Nintendo EPD general manager Shinya Takahashi announced that Metroid Prime 4 had been delayed, and that development had been restarted with Retro Studios. Takahashi said that development under the previous studio had not met Nintendo's standards.[44] Nintendo's shares fell by 2.8 percent in the week following the announcement.[45]

Games

TitleGenre(s)Platform(s)
Metroid PrimeAction-adventureGameCube2002
2004
Metroid Prime HuntersNintendo DS2006
Wii2007
2009
Donkey Kong Country ReturnsPlatform2010
Mario Kart 7RacingNintendo 3DS2011
PlatformWii U2014
Nintendo Switch2018
Metroid Prime RemasteredAction-adventure2023
2025

Canceled

TitleGenre(s)Platform(s)Details
MetaForceAction-adventureGameCubeThe game mostly consisted of concept artwork, design documents, and a mock up engine for a third-person game that was reworked into a first-person game due to pressure from Nintendo and Retro executives. This game was eventually cancelled, but apparently inspired Shigeru Miyamoto to hand Retro the Metroid license, thereby moving the development team to produce Metroid Prime instead.[46]
NFL Retro FootballSportsThe game designers initially wanted to make a Mario Football game, but Nintendo settled on a realistic simulator with the NFL license due to Retro's purpose of creating mature games. The game was canceled in February 2001. A possible cause was Electronic Arts and Sega agreeing to port the Madden NFL and NFL 2K series to the GameCube.
Car Combat / Thunder Rally (working titles)Vehicular combatIt was initially pitched to Nintendo as a mix of "QuakeWorld, Twisted Metal 2, and Mario Kart 64 with shades of Mad Max and Street Fighter II". Despite being the project with most progress at Retro, it was canceled along with NFL Retro Football in February 2001. Two members of the development team, programmer David "Zoid" Kirsch and modeler Rick Kohler, joined the Metroid Prime project.
Raven BladeRole-playingThe game was showcased at E3 2001, but production was plagued with technical setbacks,[47] and the game eventually got canceled in July 2001 so Retro could focus on Metroid Prime. Nine members of its development team joined Prime.
Untitled The Legend of Zelda titleUnknownWiiA Legend of Zelda title starring a Sheikah in a story that explores the origins of the Master Sword.[48] [49]
Heroes of HyruleUnknownUnknownA rejected pitch for a Legend of Zelda title starring a Goron, a Zora, and a Rito who set out to rescue Link.[50]
Star Fox ArmadaUnknownWii UA rejected pitch for a Star Fox title featuring a puppet visual style and online multiplayer.[51]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Anniversary: Retro Studios Celebrates 20 Years In Gaming . Ryan . Craddock . September 21, 2018 . . December 7, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181209123828/http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2018/09/anniversary_retro_studios_celebrates_20_years_in_gaming . December 9, 2018 . live .
  2. Web site: The rocky story of Retro Studios before Metroid Prime . Blake . Hester . May 29, 2018 . . December 7, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181209123534/https://www.polygon.com/2018/5/29/17386066/the-rocky-story-of-retro-studios-before-metroid-prime . December 9, 2018 . live .
  3. Web site: A Retrospective: The Story of Retro Studios . Kenneth Kyle . Wade . December 17, 2004 . . December 7, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181108105347/https://www.ign.com/articles/2004/12/18/a-retrospective-the-story-of-retro-studios . November 8, 2018 . live .
  4. Web site: MIGS 2007: Retro Studios On The Journey Of Metroid Prime . Mathew . Kumar . Leigh . Alexander . November 27, 2007 . . December 3, 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120616163819/http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=16389 . June 16, 2012 . live .
  5. Web site: A Space Bounty Hunter in Texas . Matt . Casamassina . Matt Casamassina . August 28, 2009 . . April 28, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120928091257/http://www.ign.com/articles/2009/08/29/a-space-bounty-hunter-in-texas . September 28, 2012 . live .
  6. Web site: Metroid Primed . April 6, 2006 . Allen . Varney . September 16, 2007 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20120402173840/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_39/235-Metroid-Primed . April 2, 2012 . live .
  7. Web site: Retro Regroups . IGN Staff . February 15, 2001 . . December 25, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110807074827/http://cube.ign.com/articles/091/091547p1.html . August 7, 2011 . live .
  8. Web site: Raven Blade Killed, Retro Lays off 26 . IGN Staff . July 19, 2001 . . December 25, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110807075300/http://cube.ign.com/articles/096/096761p1.html . August 7, 2011 . live .
  9. Web site: Murphy, L.D. . The Story Of Retro Studios' Secret Weapon In The Development Of Metroid Prime . www.timeextension.com . 1 December 2022 . 18 November 2022 . December 1, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221201044731/https://www.timeextension.com/features/the-story-of-retro-studios-secret-weapon-in-the-development-of-metroid-prime?mc_cid=af6d7caca4&mc_eid=5e8f8e3549 . live .
  10. Web site: Nintendo makes Retro Studios a full subsidiary . Shane . Satterfield . May 2, 2002 . . April 2, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120125205602/http://www.gamespot.com/news/2863826.html . January 25, 2012 . live .
  11. Web site: Metroid Prime – Development Summary . N-Sider . February 20, 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080228173858/http://www.n-sider.com/gameview.php?gameid=153&view=dev . February 28, 2008 . dead .
  12. Web site: Metroid Prime for GameCube . . February 16, 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121014005944/http://www.gamerankings.com/gamecube/447244-metroid-prime/ . October 14, 2012 . live .
  13. Web site: Metroid Prime 2 Echoes Interview . IGN Staff . October 12, 2004 . . October 18, 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110519080430/http://cube.ign.com/articles/556/556375p1.html . May 19, 2011 . live .
  14. Web site: Post game report: Retro Studios talk Metroid Prime 2 Echoes . NOM Staff . December 3, 2004 . . November 30, 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090122114008/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=112761 . January 22, 2009 . dead .
  15. Web site: Nintendo appoints new president at Retro . Giancarlo . Varanini . November 4, 2003 . . December 15, 2010 . May 20, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140520034105/http://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-appoints-new-president-at-retro/1100-6025021/ . live .
  16. Web site: The President Asks About "Metroid Prime 3: Corruption": Virtues of the West and Virtues of the East . . https://web.archive.org/web/20101029215715/http://wii.com/jp/articles/metroid-prime3/crv/vol/page2.html . October 29, 2010 . dead .
  17. Web site: Metroid Prime 2: Echoes for GameCube . . October 18, 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121213095740/http://www.gamerankings.com/gamecube/589573-metroid-prime-2-echoes/index.html . December 13, 2012 . live .
  18. News: Computer Games . Rebecca . Armstrong . December 18, 2004 . . 98.
  19. Web site: Game Theory; A Big Sequel That's Worthy Of Its Lineage . Charles . Herold . November 25, 2004 . . October 27, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161020103350/http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/25/technology/circuits/a-big-sequel-thats-worthy-of-its-lineage.html . October 20, 2016 . live .
  20. Web site: Interview: Metroid Prime 3: Corruption . Matt . Casamassina . Matt Casamassina . May 16, 2006 . . June 27, 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070625172202/http://wii.ign.com/articles/708/708948p1.html . June 25, 2007 . live .
  21. Web site: Devs talk Metroid Prime 3 . Tim . Surette . August 5, 2005 . . April 10, 2008 . April 11, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160411140707/http://www.gamespot.com/articles/devs-talk-metroid-prime-3/1100-6130348/ . live .
  22. Web site: Revolution Controller Revealed . Mark . MacDonald . September 15, 2005 . . April 10, 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100106014509/http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3143782 . January 6, 2010 . dead .
  23. Web site: Nintendo Co., Ltd. Financial Results Briefing for Fiscal Year Ended March 2008 . April 25, 2008 . . 6 . August 3, 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080910032513/http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/pdf/2008/080425e.pdf#page=6 . September 10, 2008 . live .
  24. Web site: NST Discusses Metroid Prime: Hunters . Daniel . Bloodworth . March 2, 2006 . Nintendo World Report . December 30, 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120609112838/http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/interview/11162 . June 9, 2012 . live .
  25. Web site: E3 2005: Metroid Prime Hunters Creator Interview . Craig . Harris . May 18, 2005 . . January 28, 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20081205185913/http://ds.ign.com/articles/616/616902p1.html . December 5, 2008 . live .
  26. Web site: Key Metroid Prime Staff Leave Retro Studios . Chris . Faylor . April 23, 2008 . . April 2, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120921000316/http://www.shacknews.com/article/52373/key-metroid-prime-staff-leave . September 21, 2012 . live .
  27. Web site: Ex-Metroid Prime Devs Form Armature Studio . Dustin . Quillen . September 15, 2008 . . April 2, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120730212013/http://www.1up.com/news/ex-metroid-prime-devs-form-armature . July 30, 2012 . dead .
  28. Web site: Metroid Prime vets form Armature . Brendan . Sinclair . September 17, 2008 . . October 27, 2019 . October 30, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191030143619/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/metroid-prime-vets-form-armature/1100-6197858/ . live .
  29. Web site: E3 2010: Kensuke Tanabe and the Metroid Palm Tree . Craig . Harris . June 17, 2010 . . June 18, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120521085336/http://wii.ign.com/articles/109/1099190p1.html . May 21, 2012 . dead .
  30. Web site: Iwata Asks: DKCR . June 16, 2010 . . June 16, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110307081952/http://e3.nintendo.com/iwata-asks/#/?v=iwataasks_tanabe . March 7, 2011 . dead .
  31. Web site: The Magic Moment . 2010 . . April 2, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110405122909/http://us.wii.com/iwata_asks/donkey-kong-country-returns/vol1_page2.jsp . April 5, 2011 . dead .
  32. Web site: GDC: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Donkey Kong Country Returns and Retro Studios . Samuel . Claiborn . March 3, 2011 . . April 2, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110307121141/http://wii.ign.com/articles/115/1153582p1.html . March 7, 2011 . dead .
  33. Web site: LIVE At Nintendo's E3 2011 Mystery Developer Q&A . Michael . McWhertor . June 7, 2011 . . June 8, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110611042759/http://kotaku.com/5809704 . June 11, 2011 . live .
  34. Web site: Nintendo Voice Chat: Wii U, Zelda and the 3DS . Richard . George . . August 22, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110720061443/http://uk.wii.ign.com/articles/117/1174089p1.html . July 20, 2011 . live .
  35. Web site: Iwata Asks - Mario Kart 7 . . December 14, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160927194716/http://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/#/3ds/mario-kart-7/0/0 . September 27, 2016 . live .
  36. Web site: Reggie: Retro is working on fantastic Wii U project . Kyo . Sasaki . September 29, 2012 . NintendoToday . April 19, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130214032740/http://wiiudaily.com/2012/09/reggie-retro-is-working-on-fantastic-wii-u-project/ . February 14, 2013 . live .
  37. Q&A: Shigeru Miyamoto Looks Into Nintendo's Future . Chris . Kohler . December 13, 2011 . . December 13, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120107202316/http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2011/12/miyamoto-interview-transcript/all/1 . January 7, 2012 . live .
  38. Web site: E3 2012: Reggie Discusses Launching Wii U, Retro . Richard . George . June 6, 2012 . . June 30, 2012 . June 28, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120628151255/http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/06/06/e3-2012-reggie-discusses-launching-wii-u-retro . live .
  39. Web site: Wii U is a 'Powerhouse,' Says Donkey Kong Country Developer . Steve . Watts . February 28, 2014 . . May 2, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180613041035/http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/02/28/wii-u-is-a-powerhouse-says-donkey-kong-country-developer . June 13, 2018 . live .
  40. Web site: Tanabe on Metroid Prime: FF - amiibo, backlash, timeline, story, Retro Studios . Brian . August 5, 2015 . Nintendo Everything . August 24, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160826153339/http://nintendoeverything.com/tanabe-on-metroid-prime-ff-amiibo-backlash-timeline-story-retro-studios/ . August 26, 2016 . live .
  41. Web site: Metroid Prime 4 Confirmed For Nintendo Switch, But Retro Studios Isn't Involved. McFerran. Damien. Nintendo Life. June 13, 2017. January 25, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20180615052437/http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2017/06/metroid_prime_4_confirmed_for_nintendo_switch_but_retro_studios_isnt_involved. June 15, 2018. live.
  42. Metroid Prime 4 Is Being Developed By "A Talented New Development Team". Reeves. Ben. Game Informer. June 13, 2017. January 25, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20181122183935/https://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2017/06/13/metroid-prime-4-is-being-developed-by-a-talented-new-development-team.aspx. November 22, 2018. dead.
  43. Web site: Yes, Bandai Namco is working on Metroid Prime 4. Phillips. Tom. February 9, 2018. Eurogamer. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20181119082756/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2018-02-08-yes-namco-bandai-is-working-on-metroid-prime-4. November 19, 2018. January 25, 2019.
  44. Nintendo Restarting The Development Of Metroid Prime 4. Kato. Matthew. Game Informer. January 25, 2019. January 25, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190218002520/https://www.gameinformer.com/2019/01/25/nintendo-restarting-the-development-of-metroid-prime-4. February 18, 2019. dead. mdy-all.
  45. Web site: Nintendo Declines After Delaying Metroid Prime 4 Game for Switch. Allan. Gareth. Bloomberg News. January 27, 2019. January 27, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190201065543/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-01-28/nintendo-declines-after-delaying-metroid-prime-4-game-for-switch. February 1, 2019. live. mdy-all.
  46. Web site: Hagues . Alana . Metroid Prime Was Once A Third-Person Shooter About Eugenics . Nintendo Life . April 18, 2022 . April 18, 2022 . April 18, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220418113026/https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2022/04/metroid-prime-was-once-a-third-person-shooter-about-eugenics . live .
  47. Web site: Metroid, Raven Blade Blues . IGN Staff . July 11, 2001 . . April 2, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120603011259/http://cube.ign.com/articles/096/096517p1.html . June 3, 2012 . live.
  48. Web site: Phillips . Tom . Artwork reveals Retro Studios' cancelled The Legend of Zelda project . . . 5 September 2022 . 6 May 2020 . September 5, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220905161521/https://www.eurogamer.net/artwork-reveals-cancelled-the-legend-of-zelda-project-starring-sheik . live .
  49. Web site: Nightingale . Ed . Retro Studios' unreleased Zelda project was "an experiment gone wrong" . . . 5 September 2022 . 5 September 2022 . September 5, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220905161537/https://www.eurogamer.net/retro-studios-unreleased-zelda-project-was-an-experiment-gone-wrong . live .
  50. Web site: Doolan . Liam . Metroid Prime Dev Retro Studios Pitched A Zelda Game Called 'Heroes Of Hyrule' . . . 5 September 2022 . 4 September 2022 . September 5, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220905161520/https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2022/09/metroid-prime-dev-retro-studios-pitched-a-zelda-game-called-heroes-of-hyrule . live .
  51. Web site: Nightingale . Ed . Unreleased Wii U game Star Fox Armada would have featured puppet visuals, online multiplayer, and invasions . . 13 February 2023 . 6 February 2023 . February 12, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230212225351/https://www.eurogamer.net/unreleased-wii-u-game-star-fox-armada-would-have-featured-puppet-visuals-online-multiplayer-and-invasions . live .