A giant advert for Metroid Prime 4: Beyond at London's Oxford Circus tube station states that the game is now available, sparking confusion from Nintendo fans on their morning commute.
First off, if you've seen the advert yourself, no — the current London heatwave hasn't melted your senses. The advert, now spotted by multiple fans, really does say the game is "out now".
Officially, Nintendo has not announced a Metroid Prime 4: Beyond release date other than a vague promise it will launch this year. But even if the game isn't out now, its appearance on an advert in such a prominent location is giving Nintendo fans hope its launch is right around the corner.
"Any idea why the MP4 Beyond ad in the London Underground says 'out now'?" Nintendo fan orchestar wrote on reddit. "I’m genuinely confused. Do they mean the Switch 2 is out? I wish the game was truly out though haha."
Fans have speculated that the advert is perhaps outdated — maybe Nintendo did initially plan to launch Metroid Prime 4 now, and the wording wasn't updated? Alternatively, we could be seeing a version of the advert not due until later, alongside the game's actual release date.
For other Nintendo fans, keen to play the game soon after many years of waiting, the advert has sparked hope of a surprise release. This does seem unlikely, however, with Donkey Kong Bananza firmly positioned as Nintendo's next big Switch 2 title.
IGN has contacted Nintendo for comment.
Now a cross-gen title for Nintendo Switch and Switch 2, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is set to finally arrive at some point in 2025 after a long and eventful development.
Originally announced back in 2017, the follow-up to Retro Studios' beloved GameCube and Wii trilogy was rebooted in 2019, and development restarted by Retro Studios after an earlier version in the works at Bandai Namco failed to meet Nintendo's standards. Years later, with Switch 2 on the horizon, Nintendo finally gave the game a proper unveiling in June 2024.
On Switch 2, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond will run at 120 frames per second and offer optional controls that take advantage of the Joy-Con's mouse feature. It seems most likely to arrive at some point between Donkey Kong Bananza's July launch and Pokémon Legends: Z-A's arrival in October.
Image credit: orchestar
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
