Metroid Dread

Metroid Dread is the presumed title of a rumored adventure game believed to be developed by Intelligent Systems which will be published by Nintendo. The game is believed to have been cancelled, with Nintendo having recently stated that it is not in development. Yoshio Sakamoto later claimed that it had been in development and that he may like to return to the title after Metroid: Other M.

2005/2006
Metroid Dread was first announced in the June 2005 issue of Game Informer, and further details emerged on the magazine's online forums. According to the forum moderators, the game was a 2D side-scroller being developed for the Nintendo DS, with its plot following the events of Metroid Fusion.

On September 19, 2005, IGN reported that Metroid Dread is being developed, but will not be formally announced for some time. Nintendo had neither confirmed nor denied its existence.

On February 17, 2006, the British Official Nintendo Magazine included Metroid Dread in their "Official Release Dates", listed under November 2006 as 'to be confirmed'. However, on March 16, 2006, in the second issue of the magazine, the game was marked with a vague 2006 release date, although ONM highlighted the ambiguity surrounding the game, and suggested to wait until E3 2006 for concrete information.

On October 7, 2005, the Nintendo-Next website reported that the game was cancelled though did not give its sources. However, on March 23, 2006, the website N-Sider reported that IGN editor Craig Harris was asked about Metroid Dread, and his response was that it was too early to show at E3 in 2005, but that it could be shown later that year. This shows a possibility that Metroid Dread has not been cancelled, and the cancellation could have been reported falsely by Nintendo-Next.

The game failed to make an appearance at E3 2006 and no information was released on the status of the game for the rest of the year and into 2007.

2007
Metroid Dread once again failed to make an appearance at E3 2007. However, on August 27, 2007, IGN found a message in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption using Samus Aran's Scan Visor on a terminal in the Metroid Processing facility. The message states, "Experiment status report update: Metroid project 'Dread' is nearing the final stages of completion." It was once rumored by some that this was an implication that a "Metroid Dread" game was nearing completion, but on September 6, 2007, Nintendo denied the existence of Metroid Dread and said "Nintendo is not making the 2D Metroid at this point in time." though this does not rule out another 3D game, or "2.5D." It is likely that the scan data is merely a reference to yet another strain of Metroid research being conducted by Space Pirate scientists, and works as an in-joke for Retro Studios. One of the things missed out about this scan is that the screen next to the Dread scan says when scanned (in the English version) that the experiment failed and that the Dread project was a program by the Space Pirates to use Metroids as living batteries for their guns. Which completely undermines the possiblity of the the 'Dread' project referring to a game.

2008
The Metroid Dread reference was removed in the Japanese version of Metroid Prime 3: Corruption only. It now reads:

"Space Pirates data decrypted: Ordnance research and development progress report. The development of Dread-Class Turret is going well."

2009
In an interview, Yoshio Sakamoto confirmed that the upcoming title, Metroid: Other M, is not the long rumored project. Sakamoto also said that the game was real at some point and may eventually be released, but Other M is "something that's completely different".