Nintendo’s remastered release of Metroid Prime which had its surprise launch earlier this month has received wide acclaim, with a 95 Metascore and 9.0 User Score on Metacritic. However while players and critics seem to be happy with this newest title for the Nintendo Switch, one party has come forward with slighted feelings about their lack of credit on the project. Zoid Kirsch, a senior engineer on the original Metroid Prime released in 2002, took to Twitter on Saturday to share his disappointment that the game did not include the full credits featuring everyone who worked on the original game. Instead, the credits contain a single card that states: “Based on the work of Metroid Prime original Nintendo GameCube and Wii Version development staff.”
He was soon backed up Jack Matthews, former lead engineer of the Metroid Prime series, who expressed that while his own individual code was replaced, the game featured too much work by its original development team for them to be uncredited in this updated version.
Who to credit in a remastered version of a game has come up frequently before, with different remasters taking different approaches, even within Nintendo. Games like Sonic Colors Ultimate and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D featured full credits to their original teams, while The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD and Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster did not. With no enforceable guidelines on how crediting works within the video game industry, it’s likely more issues on who did or did not appear in the credits will come up in the future.