Next Metroid Prime "would likely be on Nintendo's NX console," says Tanabe at E3 2015 

Those wanting a "proper" Metroid game instead of 3DS offerings will likely have to wait until Nintendo NX is released.

Speaking with Eurogamer at E3 2015, Metroid Prime series producer Kensuke Tanabe said if the next game in the franchise were started on Wii U, it would take at least three years to develop due to the large amount of content required.

"It's a long time but it would need to include a lot of content, which would take a lot of work on the development side," said Tanabe, adding that with the next Metroid game, he's considering focusing on one planet with dual variants much like Metroid Prime 2: Echoes.

"Instead of broadening it to more planets I would have one and would focus on the timeline, and being able to change that," he said. "That's one interesting idea I have in mind... but I understand many people thought that [Echoes] was too difficult."

Tanabe went on to say that the two storylines in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption wouldn't be revisited neither, but other Prime-series elements would be present.

Metroid Prime Federation Force is the latest from Tanabe and his team, and it focuses on the series' Galactic Federation.

"I'd like to create a story centering around Sylux and Samus," he said. "We've done a story based on the Hunters, and this time around we're doing a story on the Galactic Federation. "I would like to cross the two over in the future.

"And of course see a little more of Samus."

Metroid Prime Federation Force features 4-player co-op missions with players using mech suits to tackle missions with an objective-based structure.

It’s due in 2016 for 3DS and was announced during Nintnedo's E3 2015 digital presentation.