Metroid Dread Studio MercurySteam Doesn't Credit Everyone Who Worked On The Game

Metroid Dread is a return to form for Nintendo heroine Samus Aran, but it seems developer MercurySteam didn't credit everyone who worked on the game.

A new report from Spanish gaming site Vandal, which has been confirmed by MercurySteam in a statement to GameSpot, highlights how most developers who worked on the project for less than 25% of the game's total development time are not included in Metroid Dread's final credits.

Vandal cites at least three former MercurySteam employees left out of the game's credits: former 3D artist Roberto Mejías, former 3D character animator Tania Peñaranda Hernández, and a third source who wished to stay anonymous, but who is said to have worked on the project for 11 months. Mejías worked on Metroid Dread for eight months, and says his work on some of the environments and assets are easily seen in the finished product.

“I would like to sincerely congratulate the Metroid Dread team for putting out such an outstanding game,” Mejías wrote on LinkedIn on October 12. “I’m not surprised of the quality of the game though, since the amount of talent on that team was through the roof. I know this first hand because, despite not being included on the game’s credits, I was part of that team for eight months.”

The same goes for Hernández, who wrote on on LinkedIn that "It has been hard for me to see that they have considered that it should be like this when I keep seeing a lot of animations that I made in every gameplay.“

In a statement to GameSpot, MercurySteam explained its process for including, or excluding, a former developer's name in the game's credits. Below is MercurySteam's full statement:

"We accredit all those who certify a minimum participation in a particular project--usually the vast majority of devs. We set the minimum at 25% of development time. We also credit those who, even though they have not been in the project for too long, have had significant creative and/or technical contributions. A game development is a complex, hard and exhausting endeavor. We understand any of us needs to contribute at a minimum to it, to be accredited in the final product. Thanks for your interest."

MercurySteam previously worked on reboots of Konami's Castlevania franchise, having developed the Castlevania: Lords of Shadow series. Reports surrounding Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 claimed the game had a troubled development cycle, and that MercurySteam's workplace culture was equally troubling. MercurySteam co-founder Enric Alvarez denied those reports.

Metroid Dread is MercurySteam's second time working on the franchise, having previously developed 2017's Metroid: Samus Returns for Nintendo 3DS.