Retro Studios hiring nine roles; insider refutes closure rumors after Bluepoint layoffs

Retro Studios, Nintendo’s Austin-based developer, is actively recruiting nine positions for its next project following Metroid Prime 4, signaling fresh hiring on February 24, 2026. The nine-role slate appears on the studio’s recruitment pipeline and directly contradicts chatter that Nintendo planned to wind down the Austin team after recent industry cuts nearby.

Rumors of a Retro closure surged in the wake of layoffs at Bluepoint, the Sony-owned studio that recently reduced staff in the same Austin area. Those Bluepoint layoffs prompted local concern about domino effects across second-party and partner studios, especially for a high-profile team that handled the Metroid Prime series. The proximity of Bluepoint’s cuts is the specific trigger industry sources identified for the Retro speculation.

An industry insider familiar with Nintendo’s studio operations pushed back on the closure narrative on February 24, 2026, pointing to both the new job listings and Nintendo’s long-term studio management approach as evidence. That source emphasized that Nintendo tends to steward internal and affiliated studios over multi-year cycles rather than abruptly closing established teams, making a sudden shutdown of Retro unlikely in light of current hiring.

The nine roles at Retro are tied to work described as the studio’s next project after Metroid Prime 4, showing a continuity of development rather than a wind-down. Hiring of this size in Austin directly affects local staffing needs and suggests Retro will need additional design, engineering, or production capacity to move into its next development phase. For employees and contractors tracking Nintendo’s internal rhythm, a nine-position push is a concrete signal of forward momentum.

For Nintendo-watchers who equated Bluepoint’s Sony-era reductions with a broader industry retrenchment in Austin, the combination of Retro’s postings and the insider’s statement offers a narrower read: one studio’s layoffs do not equal an across-the-board contraction at Nintendo. On February 24, 2026, Retro’s active recruitment and the insider rebuttal together make closure rumors less tenable and point toward continued investment in Nintendo’s Austin operations as the company prepares its post-Metroid Prime 4 roadmap.