According to the German rating organisation, USK, Metroid Prime Remastered was classified nearly two years ago, implying that Nintendo has been sitting on its release for a while.

One of the most frequent Nintendo rumours over the past few years is that a remastered version of the Metroid Prime Trilogy would be released on the Nintendo Switch, with insiders frequently reporting its existence. However, as widely reported as this rumour was, it only just ended up coming to pass earlier this week when Nintendo shadow dropped the first game out of nowhere.

It seems that there was a good reason this rumour has been reported for so long, however, as the German rating organisation, better known as the USK, has revealed that Metroid Prime Remastered was actually submitted for classification back in July 2021. This implies that Prime Remastered was in development for some time before then, which would explain why it's been rumoured for so long.

This was pointed out by Twitter user pierre485_, who noted that, including time for polishing, the game was likely finished over a year ago. Interestingly, this isn't the first time this year that Nintendo has released a game that has seemingly been complete for some time. As reported by My Nintendo News, data from the Australian Classification Board and the USK in Germany reveal that Fire Emblem Engage finished development and was also submitted for classification in 2021.

It's not as clear why Nintendo would hold back Engage, as there's no big Fire Emblem to be building up to, but it seems to imply that Nintendo is staggering out releases, possibly to make sure the Switch can continue to have game releases while bigger titles are being developed. In the case of Metroid Prime Remastered, it seems likely the remaster was held off until Metroid Prime 4 was a little closer to being finished.

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