Metroid: Ravenous has a release date: January 28, 2027, on Switch 2. Nintendo used today's Nintendo Direct broadcast to turn a deleted listing into an official sequel, giving Samus Aran's next side-scrolling outing a firm launch plan.
Samus Aran will return in a side-scrolling sequel to Metroid Dread, and the trailer shows her being attacked by strange enemies that zap her energy before she fires back with, “It's eat or be eaten.” For a series that has lived in long gaps between major entries, a date that specific does more than satisfy curiosity; it sets a target for Switch 2 owners and gives Nintendo a new entry point for its side-scrolling branch of Metroid.
Nintendo Direct and a deleted listing
Before the reveal, Metroid: Ravenous had already surfaced in a swiftly deleted ratings board listing in Brazil, which is why the announcement did not arrive from nowhere. The leak cycle also fueled speculation that the name pointed to Raven Beak, and that reading now appears to have been right. For readers tracking the series’ release trail, the official reveal closed the gap between rumor and schedule in one move.
MercurySteam appears to be the studio behind the game, extending a run that already includes Metroid Dread and Metroid: Samus Returns. That matters because Nintendo’s side-scrolling Metroid games sit apart from the first-person Metroid Prime subseries, and Metroid Dread and Metroid: Ravenous occupy the end of the series chronology to date. The new title therefore reads less like a restart than a direct continuation of the branch that most recently carried the story forward.
MercurySteam returns with Samus
Tom Phillips, IGN News Editor, noted that Metroid: Ravenous looks to be the work of MercurySteam, which would keep the same development partnership in place after Metroid Dread. MercurySteam also worked with Nintendo on Metroid: Samus Returns, the remake of Metroid 2: Return of Samus for 3DS, so the studio already has history with both the character and the structure of these side-scrolling games.
January 28, 2027 now becomes the practical date for anyone waiting on the next 2D-style Metroid release. The trailer gives the first public glimpse of the new threat, but the larger business story is simpler: Nintendo has locked a sequel, a platform, and a launch window into place, while leaving the finer story and gameplay details for the next rollout.
