Metroid Ravenous leaked by Brazil's ratings board ahead of any Nintendo announcement

Brazil's Ministry of Justice and Public Security appears to have leaked the next Metroid game — Metroid Ravenous — before Nintendo has said a word about it. The listing, spotted by members of the Famiboards forum and since removed, includes a 2026 US production start date and content descriptors covering violence (weapons, blood, death) and light sexual content. Brazilian journalist Necro Felipe Lima added that the rating was based on roughly 41 minutes of gameplay and carries a recommended age of 12.

No platform, developer, or release window has been officially confirmed, but the circumstantial evidence points toward MercurySteam — the Spanish studio behind Metroid Dread — as the likely developer. MercurySteam announced in 2023 that it had two projects in development; the first, the fantasy action game Blades of Fire, launched last year and underperformed commercially, leading to layoffs. That leaves the second project unaccounted for. The subtitle Ravenous has fueled speculation that this is a direct follow-up to Dread, which leaned heavily into horror atmosphere — the name could reference the parasitic Metroids, a new threat, or even Samus herself given where Dread's story left her.

Metroid Dread launched in 2021 and sold over 3 million units, making it one of the stronger performers in a franchise that has historically trailed Nintendo's bigger IPs. By contrast, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond — which launched in 2025 after years of development trouble — only crossed 1 million units sold as of February 2026, and that figure combines Switch and Switch 2 sales. Nintendo's confirmed holiday 2026 tentpole is a remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, with the company hinting at a few more surprises still to come this year — which Metroid Ravenous could plausibly be among.

Nintendo has not responded to requests for comment, and the Brazilian listing has been taken down. If the leak is accurate, an announcement could come at any point — Nintendo has a history of revealing games close to their release dates, and a 2026 window would demand a reveal soon.