
In the world of gaming, there are some titular characters that are recognizable no matter the context, Super Mario, Link, even though he is commonly referred to as “Zelda”, by some people, and the list goes on. One of the characters that fits that description as well as any other is Samus Aran, the protagonist of the Metroid series which incorporates 2D platforming with 3D puzzle-solving mechanics in an immersive Sci-Fi world. The first Metroid game in the series was released way back in 1986, and it has continued to be one of the heavy hitters in the gaming industry since. In honor of the longevity of these games and the quality they bring to the table, we’re showing you some Metroid statistics and facts to see how the series has performed in the past, how it is doing now, and where it is going in the future. If you want to learn more, like how big the video game industry is, we’ve got you covered there, as well!
Metroid key stats
The first Metroid game was released in 1986 and developed by Retro Studio for the Nintendo Game Cube. Since then, subsequent titles released have been featured on a wide variety of platforms and the series has gained critical acclaim as one of the best Sci-Fi video game series in history. This section is going to include all of the relevant stats for this series, from total sales across all of the games to money generated, as well as user-relevant news postings and practically everything you might expect.
The Metroid series has sold 17.9 million copies across all of the games in the series.
(Source: VG Chartz)
- The original Metroid sold 2.73 million copies.
- Metroid II: Return of Samus sold 1.72 million copies.
- Super Metroid sold 1.42 million copies.
- Metroid Fusion sold 1.60 million copies.
- Metroid Prime sold 2.84 million copies.
- Metroid Prime 2: Echoes sold 1.10 million copies.
- Metroid Prime Hunters sold 1.08 million copies.
- Metroid Prime 3: Corruption 1.41 million copies.
- Metroid Dread sold 2.90 million copies.
- Metroid Prime Remastered sold 1.09 million copies.
Right off the bat, we can see that the Metroid series has had decent sales throughout the years, never falling below 1 million for any title, as far as information is available. The highest-performing game we have is Metroid Dread, which was released in 2021 and was very well-received.
Metroid Prime: Remastered sold 1 million units within three months of its release.
(Source: IGN, GameReactor)
- The game nearly beat Hogwarts Legacy for the UK’s top boxed game in March 2023.
- It ended up losing by 1,000 sales.
- Because of this success, Metroid Prime Remastered earned the fourth biggest physical Metroid launch of all time.
- The sales of this game were 45% lower than the original game released in 2002.
The iconic game in the series has always taken a special place in the hearts of fans, and the remastered version has restated that fact perfectly through its sales, competing with one of the highest-selling games of Q1 2023. The million mark is something plenty of games expect but never achieve, and Metroid blew that out of the water.
Metroid Prime 2 and 3 are on their way to their Nintendo Switch.
(Source: MyNintendoNews)
- Jeff Grubb has stated that the two games are on their way, with minor graphical improvements.
- It is not known whether or not they will get the same treatment as the original.
- The same team that remastered the original should be working on these titles as well.
- The remastered trilogy should hit the Switch before the release of Metroid Prime 4.
Usually, the best way to keep a fanbase alive and wanting more and more is to remaster the oldest games and then move up through the titles until you have nothing more to do. Since Metroid is such an old series, many of the fans that got the remastered edition have played the original when it came out, or maybe a short time after its release.
Samus Aran might be reaching her end in the Metroid series.
(Source: GameRant)
- Samus Aran has been the main character of each Metroid game since the first one was released.
- Interest in the series is on the rise, but future games might not have Samus as the main character, due to her fate in Metroid Dread, which we won’t spoil.
- This might prove to be a slippery slope for Nintendo in the future as the appeal for the series also lies with the main character.
Samus has been the protagonist of the Metroid series forever, as well as the favorite gaming character of many people for generations, but it seems as though she might be reaching her end in the series because of the story of Metroid Dread unless some of the games in the future explore alternate storylines or past scenarios. Either way, we’ll have to wait and see!
To sum up
With Metroid Prime 4 coming out relatively soon, we’re happy to have been able to present this small view of the Metroid series for you to see how some of the most recent games have performed and what to expect in the future. We’re all waiting for Prime 4 to come out eagerly, just to see what Nintendo is going to do with it. We sincerely hope that you’ve enjoyed what we’ve had to say and that all of your questions have been answered!
Sources
- “Metroid (Series)”. VG Chartz, 2023, https://www.vgchartz.com/game/226179/metroid/?region=All
- “Metroid Prime Remastered almost beat Hogwarts Legacy as the UK’s top boxed game last week”. GameReactor, 2023, https://www.gamereactor.eu/metroid-prime-remastered-almost-beat-hogwarts-legacy-as-the-uks-top-boxed-game-last-week-1247353/
- “Metroid Prime: Remastered Sells 1 Million Units, Pokémon and Splatoon 3 Also Hit Major Milestones”. IGN, 2023, https://www.ign.com/articles/metroid-prime-remastered-sells-1-million-units-pokmon-and-splatoon-3-also-hit-major-milestones
- “Jeff Grubb reiterates that Metroid Prime 2 & Metroid Prime 3 are Switch bound”. My Nintendo News, 2023, https://mynintendonews.com/2023/02/14/jeff-grubb-reiterates-that-metroid-prime-2-metroid-prime-3-are-switch-bound/
- “Metroid’s Samus Aran May be Reaching the End of the Line”. GameRant, 2023, https://gamerant.com/metroid-dread-protagonist-samus-aran-narrative-arc-complete-new-gameplay-story-opportunities/