The Metroid series has never been a sales leader for Nintendo and ranks 17th among the company's major franchises, behind Wario, Duck Hunt, and Game & Watch.
The second week of Metroid Prime 4 sales in Japan amounted to only 3,381 physical copies. Total sales for the first two weeks reached 32,382 units—three times less than Metroid Dread during the same period, and significantly lower than many other Switch games, including Kirby Air Riders and Donkey Kong Bananza.
The first two weeks of Prime 4 sales were weaker than the launch figures for Metroid Prime and Metroid Prime 3. Digital copies are not included, but the trend shows negative dynamics.
The development of Prime 4 was long and complex: first announced in 2017, the project was restarted in 2019 with Retro Studios, and the game was only released in December 2025.
