Metroid Prime 4: a former Dreamworks and Sony Santa Monica joins Retro Studios

Metroid Prime 4

Retro Studios is continuing its massive expansion campaign. In fact, in recent months, many talents are approaching the studio, currently working on Metroid Prime 4. The latest in chronological order is Chad Orr, a veteran who has worked at Dreamworks and Sony Santa Monica and who will fill the role of Senior Lighting Artist.

Through LinkedIn we discover that Orr has a very respectable past and will go to enrich the already vast pool of talents available to Retro Studios. In fact, in recent weeks, the Nintendo studio has recruited producer Marisa Palumbo, formerly of GTA 5 and Overwatch, but not only. All without showing a single second of this highly anticipated game.

Chad Orr worked at Disney, where he created the animations of Oceania and Zootropia, at DreamWorks, where he worked on How to Train Your Dragon 3 and The Croods, but also at Sony Santa Monica for God of War. At the same time as he hired him, the ads for an artist of the rooms and one of the lights also disappeared, both positions probably occupied by him.

Now, however, we hope the time has come to show something. Nintendo has promised a good participation in E3 2021, that this is the right time for the reveal?

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Metroid Prime 4 Developer Hires DreamWorks Talent As A Lighting Artist

Samus as seen in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (2018) (Image: Nintendo)

Over the past year, Retro Studios has been on a mass hiring spree for its highly anticipated release Metroid Prime 4. While this important process seems to have slowed down in recent months, apparently the studio isn't done just yet.

Metroid fan site Shinesparkers reports a 'Lighting and Compositing Artist' by the name of Chad Orr has signed on at Retro as a Senior Lighting Artist. This information comes via LinkedIn. His former projects are just as impressive as the studios' other recruits, and he's even got some common links.

In terms of film, he's worked on projects at Disney such as the animations Moana and Zootopia and at DreamWorks Animation on How to Train Your Dragon 3 and The Croods: A New Age. Like some others on the team, he helped Sony Santa Monica with God of War and has also won some awards for this title and How to Train Your Dragon 3. He's assisted Sony Pictures Imageworks, too. You can check out his reel on Vimeo.

The same source notes how job listings for lighting and environment artists have now disappeared from Retro's website - which may suggest it has filled all of these spots. It seems there are only a handful of jobs left on the website, so perhaps this project is finally making some ground.

Retro's latest recruit will join a whole host of talent at the studio - including individuals who have previously worked on blockbuster titles such as Halo, Call of Duty, Borderlands, Battlefield and Grand Theft Auto.

Metroid Prime 4's development was originally restarted under Retro Studios in January 2019. When do you think we'll actually see this game arrive? Share your thoughts down below.