Metroid Tactics: Retro Studios’ Canceled Wii Project Revealed—Turn-Based Tactical Gameplay Inspired by XCOM

Metroid Tactics: Retro Studios’ Canceled Wii Project Revealed—Turn-Based Tactical Gameplay Inspired by XCOM The Metroid franchise has long captivated fans with its action-adventure roots and atmospheric storytelling.

Behind the scenes, however, Retro Studios was exploring new directions for the series—one of the most intriguing being Metroid Tactics, a previously unreleased project intended for the Nintendo Wii.

This revelation, brought to light by Did You Know Gaming, provides rare insights into a genre-defying proposal developed internally at Retro Studios following the completion of Metroid Prime 3: Corruption in late 2007. Metroid Tactics was conceived by Paul Tozer, a member of the acclaimed Metroid Prime development team.

Designed as a prequel set long before the events of the main Metroid series, the game would have chronicled Samus Aran's initial separation from her Chozo guardians, her first encounters with humanity, and her origins as a bounty hunter.

Notably, the narrative was set to include the Galactic Federation’s earliest confrontations with iconic antagonists—the Space Pirates and Metroids—on planets such as Norion, Earth, and Zebes. As detailed in the recovered pitch, Tozer envisioned gameplay that closely mirrored the mechanics of the celebrated turn-based tactical franchise XCOM.

In his words, Metroid Tactics would have functioned as XCOM set within the Metroid universe, with players leading operations against Space Pirates.

Samus would still play a central role, but the player would command an elite team comprised of Galactic Federation troopers and fellow bounty hunters.

One commander character, humorously named Justin Bailey in reference to the original NES Metroid password, would serve as the player's primary avatar. Tozer explained, “The player would assume the role of a Galactic Federation commander, with a full squad to manage across various planetary battlefields.

Familiar Metroid characters like Samus would feature as part of a larger ensemble of soldiers.” The project was designed to utilize the Nintendo Wii’s unique motion controls and, according to Tozer, would have been cost-effective for Retro Studios, leveraging assets and technology from the Metroid Prime trilogy.

Despite its ambitious concept and alignment with the Wii’s innovative hardware, Metroid Tactics remained in the early pitch stage and was ultimately discontinued before reaching Nintendo’s executive review.

At the time, only Paul Tozer was actively working on the prototype, and Retro Studios leadership decided not to pursue the project further. The legacy of Metroid Tactics now endures as a fascinating "what-if" in Nintendo history, offering fans a glimpse into Retro Studios’ creative ambitions during a pivotal era for the Metroid series.

The cancelled title also highlights the versatility of the Metroid franchise and the willingness of developers to experiment with established IPs, even if those experiments never reach release. For more details on unused Nintendo projects and the hidden stories behind classic games, fans can watch the full Did You Know Gaming video on YouTube.

Metroid Samus Nintendo Wii Retro Studios Samus Aran Metroid Tactics XCOM