No, Metroid Prime 4 Isn’t Out Now, Despite What This Nintendo Switch 2 Ad Says

The Nintendo Switch 2 has been out for a couple of weeks now, and the company is experimenting with expanded marketing such as a livestream for its upcoming Donkey Kong Bananza, and the company has now taken over one of London’s biggest underground train stations to off the new console and its games. However, it has backfired for Nintendo as fans focus on an error in one of the ads.

Nintendo fans passing through Oxford Circus underground station have been confused as one ad says that the upcoming Metroid Prime 4 Beyond is “out now.” The game doesn’t have an official release date, and all we know so far is it’s coming later in 2025.

Nintendo’s ads stretch down a platform at the station showing off titles such as Donkey Kong Bananza, Mario Kart World, and Super Mario Party Jamboree: Nintendo Switch 2 Edition. There are also ads explaining key features of the console, including the new GameChat feature.

(Credit: Orchestar / Reddit)

Metroid Prime 4 Beyond’s billboard is the fourth at the station, and it appears these titles are in release order. It starts with the new Mario Kart, followed by Donkey Kong Bananza, which is coming on July 17, and then Super Mario Party Jamboree, which is set to land a week later. It may be that this ad was meant to read “coming soon,” but there was an error somewhere in Nintendo’s process.

The ad itself doesn’t provide any further information about the game. It says the game supports Switch 2 mouse controls, 4K support in TV mode, up to 120 frames per second gameplay, and there’s HDR support.

Social media is rife with people speculating about how this ad could have been published with an inaccurate date, but we’ve yet to hear directly from Nintendo. Some suggest it may be Nintendo intended to cover over the wording with a “coming soon” sign, or it may be a templating issue where designers accidentally used the same format as the Mario Kart ad and forgot to change the wording.

Marketing campaigns like this one go through many stages to be signed off, so it’s remarkable this error made it to the final stage and was published. All we know for certain is that the ad is wrong, and we’re still not any closer to getting a release date for the next Metroid game. The game will be playable on both the original Switch and the Nintendo Switch 2.

Get Our Best Stories!

Your Daily Dose of Our Top Tech News

Sign up for our What’s New Now newsletter to receive the latest news, best new products, and expert advice from the editors of PCMag.

By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Thanks for signing up!

Your subscription has been confirmed. Keep an eye on your inbox!

About James Peckham

Reporter

I’ve written tech news for over a decade, and as a Reporter at PCMag, I cover the latest developments across the gadgets and services you use every day. Previously, I worked for Android Police, TechRadar, and more.

Read James’s full bio

Read the latest from James Peckham