Metroid Prime: Federation Force Flops

This is not the kind of news I like to report. Metroid Prime: Federation Force has flopped financially. This is especially worrying when you take into account that the success of Nintendo’s first-party IPs has often been the one thing that’s saved them from bankruptcy in the past. And although Metroid has never been quite as big as Mario, Pokémon or Zelda, this is still a worrying sign.

Developed by the Vancouver-based Next Level Games, Federation Force debuted at a hugely disappointing number 15 in the UK charts, although exact sales figures were not specified. In Japan, where the series originates, it did even worse, failing to land in even the top 20 and only selling an abysmal 4286 copies in its first week of release.

Since its announcement, Federation Force has been the target of endless hatred and hostility from fans due to the fact that it drops regular protagonist Samus Aran in favor of a squad of soldiers from the titular intergalactic army, and because of its more cartoonish art-style as opposed to Metroid’s usual sombre approach. This even led to a Change.org petition to have the game cancelled, so it comes as no surprise that fans aren’t buying it, despite the fact that it ultimately received mildly positive reviews. Aside from fans, it also appears that the general public have no interest in Federation Force.

In total, the Metroid series has sold over 17.5 million copies, with each of the individual games usually selling over 1 million copies each. Other M only sold around half a million in North America, which was considered hugely disappointing at the time, although that figure seems like blockbuster success compared to how Federation Force is doing.

So, does this mean that the franchise is dead? Hopefully not. Let’s hope that Nintendo decides to release a AAA Metroid game on the NX to revive interest in the intergalactic adventures of Samus Aran. In the meantime, if you consider yourself a fan of the series and want to support it in any way you can without buying Federation Force, then hop onto the Wii U eShop and buy the Metroid Prime Trilogy for £17.99. The collection offers three of the most critically acclaimed FPS games of all time in one package, so you really can’t go wrong with it.