Metroid Producer Reportedly Retires From Nintendo

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Spoilers for Metroid Prime 4: Beyond ahead.

I was really sad to hear that Kensuke Tanabe, a producer at Nintendo for almost 40 years, is retiring! He’s been a huge part of some of my favorite games. I remember playing Super Mario Bros. 2 as a kid, and it’s amazing to learn he actually directed the original Yume Kojo: Doki Doki Panic! back in 1987. But he’s also responsible for helping create the worlds of A Link to the Past and Link’s Awakening, which are classics in The Legend of Zelda series. It’s the end of an era for sure, and he’ll be missed!

In 2003, Koji Tanabe joined Nintendo’s software development team and became the manager of Production Group No. 3. He’s been a producer for many Nintendo games since then, but is best known for his long-time work on the Metroid Prime series with Retro Studios. Most recently, he led the development of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, which was released in December 2025 – more than eight years after it was first revealed.

Nintendo Producer Kensuke Tanabe Reportedly Announces Retirement After 40 Years

Image via Nintendo

According to a recent interview with Nintendo Dream, posted on Weibo, Kensuke Tanabe has indicated that Metroid Prime 4: Beyond will be his last project with Nintendo. He believes Risa Tabata is the likely candidate to take over as producer should another Metroid Prime game be made. Tanabe shared that he’d been considering a showdown between the hero Samus Aran and the villain Sylux since 2007’s Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, even planting hints of this conflict in that game and in 2016’s Metroid Prime: Federation Force.

Tanabe, now 62, considered Metroid Prime 4: Beyond his final opportunity to pit Samus and Sylux against each other directly. Instead of a conclusive fight, he envisioned Beyond as the start of a series where Samus would gradually understand Sylux’s strength and the necessity of defeating him. This is why their encounter in Beyond is left unresolved. Tanabe also expressed regret that the game took so long to develop, making it difficult to fully realize the story between Samus and Sylux.

If true, Kensuke Tanabe’s retirement marks the end of a remarkable career at Nintendo. At 62, Tanabe was a veteran who started with the company during the NES and Super NES days, alongside famous names like Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. He’s worked on over 150 Nintendo games, contributing to many of the most popular titles the company has ever created, including several in the Metroid series.

In addition to leading the development of the Metroid Prime games, Tanabe managed several Nintendo projects created by external developers. Recently, he focused on the Paper Mario, Donkey Kong, and WarioWare series. He also served as the creative director for Super Nintendo World, the popular theme park area found in Universal Studios parks around the globe. Tanabe leaves Nintendo after a prolific career as a producer, leaving a lasting creative mark on many different game series and types of games.

Source Link: VGC

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2026-01-22 00:12