Metroid Prime: It’s been 20 years and we just learned another secret  

Its soundtrack was almost too different

Metroid Prime was first released in November 2002 exclusively for the Nintendo GameCube to critical acclaim, with numerous Game of The Year awards and many gamers and critics calling it one of the best games of all time . Almost two decades have passed since then, and it seems we still haven’t learned all the secrets about what went on behind the scenes at Nintendo and Retro Studios.

In particular, last year we learned that the project had originally started as a third-person shooter, while now it was revealed that the iconic soundtrack that fans have loved was almost very different!

Going into detail, during an AMA live stream on Twitch, Sean Booth of the cult British duo Autechre, a band from the UK that is particularly well known in the electronic music scene, was asked why his name is in the credits of Metroid Prime , along with his musical partner, Rob Brown.

So, Sean clarified what exactly happened, stressing that indeed Nintendo initially approached the band to take over the Metroid Prime soundtrack . However, in the end, the Japanese giant decided to leave the project in the experienced hands of the series’ composer Kenji Yamamoto, who ended up writing the score and some of the legendary pieces that fans would love.

In more detail, the musician stated:

I’m breaking an NDA by talking about this, but basically we were asked to do the soundtrack by Retro Studios.

We met up with them in Austin. They were very excited and we were very excited because this is fucking Metroid – the best game ever! However, then Nintendo canceled it for some reason and wanted their own man to do it.

I don’t know how much input they had on the sound of it or if they deliberately tried to make it sound a little more us, but I don’t think so. Of course, I’ve read comments from people who think it sounds a bit like us, but I don’t think that’s the case. Of course, we are talking about something really subjective.

In this way, an additional piece of the puzzle of the development of Metroid Prime is completed, which even 20 years later seems to hide mysteries!