A Walmart advertisement showing two unannounced GameCube games coming to Nintendo Switch Online was actually a mistake from Nintendo itself, and the two titles aren’t planned for the service as of yet.
After Walmart’s Nintendo page displayed a graphic including Metroid Prime 2: Echoes and Pikmin 2, a Nintendo of America spokesperson told IGN that it “provided a retailer with an image of Nintendo GameCube — Nintendo Classics titles that incorrectly included games that are not planned for release at this time.” The image has since been removed.
The error on Nintendo’s part is somewhat surprising, considering how airtight the company’s marketing usually is. But that hasn’t stopped careful observers from spotting hints of other unannounced retro games possibly making it into the Nintendo Classics library, such as a blurry image hiding some select Nintendo 64 titles.
Walmart’s website removed an advertisement for Nintendo Switch Online that included Metroid Prime 2 and Pikmin 2.
Of course, the fact that Metroid Prime 2 and Pikmin 2 “are not planned for release at this time” does not rule out their inclusion in the future, though Pikmin 2 might be redundant, seeing as Nintendo published an HD re-release of the game for Switch.
Out of the GameCube selections that Nintendo has actually announced, the only titles that have yet to be released on the service so far are Pokemon Colosseum, Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness, and Super Mario Sunshine. Recent additions to GameCube titles on Nintendo Classics include Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance and Wario World.
When the now-deleted image first emerged on Walmart’s website, many Metroid fans feared that Prime 2 being a Nintendo Classics game would rule out a proper remaster. Re-releases of Prime 2 and 3 have long been rumored and reported, essentially becoming Nintendo’s Bigfoot or Loch Ness Monster.