History Creator / RetroStudios

The company was founded by [[VideoGame/{{Turok}} Jeff Spangenberg]] in 1998, after he left Creator/{{Acclaim}} and was given funding by {{Creator/Nintendo}} to create four new games for their upcoming UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube system, targeting older audiences. Due to [[TroubledProduction incredibly poor management]], which included Spangenberg rarely appearing at the studio, Creator/ShigeruMiyamoto eventually stepped in to assess the damage. While disappointed in most of their work, Miyamoto was impressed by the work done for an action/adventure game called ''VideoGame/{{Metaforce}}'' and urged the team to create a new ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' title instead, set to be [[ToughActToFollow the first one since the genre-defining]] [[VideoGame/SuperMetroid SNES installment]]. Every other project would soon end up cancelled in favor of the studio focusing all their efforts on what would become ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime'', which was released in November 2002 and, despite the aforementioned struggles, [[AndYouThoughtItWouldFail became one of the most beloved titles for the system]] and the start of a critically-acclaimed sub-series of {{First Person Shooter}}s. In the months before ''Prime'''s release, Nintendo would hastily acquire Spangenberg's controlling shares due to his terrible leadership and ousted him from the company (probably didn't help that he was hosting a softcore porn site on their servers), turning Retro Studios into a first-party developer for the Japanese gaming giant just as Creator/{{Rare}} was about to leave Nintendo for Microsoft. For his part, Spangenberg would go on to make ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNIHAFaWck0 The Guy Game]]''. Make of that what you will.

* ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime'' ([[UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube GameCube]], 2002)[[/index]]
** ''Metroid Prime Remastered'' (UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, 2023, UpdatedRerelease)[[index]]

* ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime3Corruption'' (UsefulNotes/{{Wii}}, 2007)[[/index]]

** ''Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D'' (UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS, 2013, updated re-release)[[note]]Support studio for Monster Games[[/note]][[index]]
* ''VideoGame/MarioKart7'' (UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS, 2011)[[note]]Co-developed alongside Nintendo EAD[[/note]]
* ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryTropicalFreeze'' (UsefulNotes/WiiU, 2014)[[labelnote:note1]]Wii U version with assistance from Monster Games[[/labelnote]][[labelnote:note2]]Also developed 2018 updated re-release for Nintendo Switch[[/labelnote]]

The company was founded by [[VideoGame/{{Turok}} Jeff Spangenberg]] in 1998, after he left Creator/{{Acclaim}} and was given funding by {{Creator/Nintendo}} to create four new games for their upcoming UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube system, targeting older audiences. Due to [[TroubledProduction incredibly poor management]], which included Spangenberg rarely appearing at the studio, Creator/ShigeruMiyamoto eventually stepped in to assess the damage. While disappointed in most of their work, Miyamoto was impressed by the work done for an action/adventure game called ''VideoGame/{{Metaforce}}'' and urged the team to create a new ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' title instead, set to be [[ToughActToFollow the first one since the genre-defining]] [[VideoGame/SuperMetroid SNES installment]]. Every other project would soon end up cancelled in favor of the studio focusing all their efforts on what would become ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime'', which was released in November 2002 and, despite the aforementioned struggles, [[AndYouThoughtItWouldFail became one of the most beloved titles for the system]] and the start of a critically-acclaimed sub-series of {{First Person Shooter}}s. In the months before ''Prime'''s release, Nintendo would hastily acquire Spangenberg's controlling shares due to his terrible leadership and ousted him from the company (probably didn't help that he was hosting a softcore porn site on their servers), turning Retro Studios into a first-party developer for the Japanese gaming giant [[Creator/{{Rare}} just as another Western studio working with Nintendo]] was about to leave for Microsoft. For his part, Spangenberg would go on to make ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNIHAFaWck0 The Guy Game]]''. Make of that what you will.

* ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryTropicalFreeze'' (UsefulNotes/WiiU, 2014; UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, 2018)[[note]]Wii U version with assistance from Monster Games[[/note]]

* ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryReturns'' (Wii, 2010) [[note]]Additionally assisted Monster Games with {{updated rerelease}} for Nintendo 3DS[[/note]]
* ''VideoGame/MarioKart7'' (UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS, 2011)[[note]]Co-developed alongside Nintendo EPD[[/note]]
* ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryTropicalFreeze'' (UsefulNotes/WiiU, 2014)[[note]]Wii U with assistance from Monster Games; additionally developed the 2018 UpdatedRerelease for UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch[[/note]]
* ''Metroid Prime 4'' (Nintendo Switch, TBA)

* ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryTropicalFreeze'' (UsefulNotes/WiiU, 2014)[[/index]][[labelnote:note1]]With assistance from Monster Games[[/labelnote]][[labelnote:note2]]Additionally handled 2018 UpdatedRerelease}} for Nintendo Switch[[/labelnote]]
* ''Metroid Prime 4'' (UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, TBA)

* ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryTropicalFreeze'' (UsefulNotes/WiiU, 2014)[[labelnote:note1]]With assistance from Monster Games[[/labelnote]][[labelnote:note2]]Additionally handled 2018 UpdatedRerelease}} for Nintendo Switch[[/labelnote]][[/index]]

* ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryTropicalFreeze'' (UsefulNotes/WiiU, 2014)[[labelnote:note1]]With assistance from Monster Games[[/labelnote]][[/index]][[labelnote:note2]]Additionally handled 2018 UpdatedRerelease}} for Nintendo Switch[[/labelnote]][[/index]]

For six years afterwards, it was a mystery as to what Retro Studios was working on, and those within the company were staying silent and unwilling to give any hints. Unless the [[https://twitter.com/RetroStudios/status/801548520046075904 occasional picture of barbecued chicken]] is [[EpilepticTrees some sort of clue]]. Whatever project that was is still unknown, but it was abandoned by January 2019 in favor of the studio becoming [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLIv_UXI_So the new developer]] for ''Metroid Prime 4'', following that game's initial {{troubled production}}.

* ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryTropicalFreeze'' (UsefulNotes/WiiU, 2014)[[labelnote:note1]]With assistance from Monster Games[[/labelnote]][[labelnote:note2]]Additionally handled {{updated rerelease}} for Nintendo Switch[[/labelnote]][[/index]]