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MercurySteam

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Mercury Steam Entertainment S.L.
MercurySteam
TypeSociedad Limitada
IndustryVideo games
PredecessorRebel Act Studios
FoundedMay 2002; 24 years ago (2002-05)[1]
FoundersEnric Álvarez
José Ignacio Navas
HeadquartersSan Sebastián de los Reyes, Madrid, Spain
Key peopleEnric Álvarez
Dave Cox
OwnerNordisk Film (40%)
Number of employees
246 (Nov. 2024)
Websitemercurysteam.com

Mercury Steam Entertainment S.L., doing business as MercurySteam, is a Spanish video game developer based in San Sebastián de los Reyes, Madrid. Their games include Castlevania: Lords of Shadow (2010), Metroid: Samus Returns (2017), Metroid Dread (2021) and Metroid Ravenous (2027).

History

[edit]

MercurySteam was formed in May 2002 by former members of Rebel Act Studios who had developed Severance: Blade of Darkness.[2] Co-founder Enric Alvarez was CEO and games director.[3][4] The company's first game was American McGee Presents: Scrapland for Xbox and PlayStation 2.[5]

When Konami decided to reboot the Castlevania series, MercurySteam successfully pitched a 3D action game that would become Lords of Shadow. The developers received assistance from Hideo Kojima.[6] After the game was released in 2010, additional downloadable content was released the following year.[7][8] Toward the end of initial development, the company took on the work of developing a sequel for the Nintendo 3DS. MercurySteam chose to develop for the 3DS over the PlayStation Vita for its stereoscopic technology. The company redeveloped its internal engine for the project.[9] Initially expected in 2012, it was delayed to the beginning of 2013.[10] Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate allowed the 60-person company to stay in business between bigger projects.[11]

Lords of Shadow sold better than expected and proved to be the best selling Castlevania game of all time. As a result, Konami requested a home console sequel, forcing MercurySteam to develop two games at once.[11] Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate was released in early 2013. Lords of Shadow 2 was developed as an open world game set in a modern city, and would be the company's last in the series.[12][13][14] It suffered from reported development problems before releasing in 2014.[5][11][15][16] Art director José Luis Vaello left for Tequila Works during development.[17] The studio's leadership denied any wrongdoing.[18]

In 2016, the company self-published Raiders of the Broken Planet, a four-versus-one online shooter.[5][19] Having left Konami after the release of Lords of Shadow 2, producer for the trilogy, Dave Cox, joined MercurySteam.[20] The studio increased to 140 employees during development.[21] It was initially conceived to be episodic, with a free tutorial and mission included. Paid campaign expansions were then offered.[22][23] The game performed well on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One but struggled on PC. A progression system was added with the game's third campaign, which helped improve attach rate. By August 2018, the game was relaunched as a free-to-play title called Spacelords.[24] By this point, the game was maintained by a team of 100.[25]

As early as 2015, it was reported that MercurySteam was working on a prototype for a Metroid game.[26] It had pitched a remake of the 2002 game Metroid Fusion to Nintendo, but producer Yoshio Sakamoto had hired them to create a remake of Metroid II instead.[27][28] Nintendo announced Metroid: Samus Returns at E3 2017, a remake of the 1991 Metroid II: Return of Samus on the Game Boy. It was developed in partnership with Nintendo and released for the Nintendo 3DS in September 2017.[29][5]

MercurySteam collaborated with Sakamoto again to develop Metroid Dread for the Nintendo Switch.[30][31] Known as Project Cazadora during development, reports after launch described a chaotic work environment, including mismanagement during the COVID-19 pandemic and other toxic behavior. Nintendo performed an internal review of the project and found the company had massively overscoped for art and cinematics, leading to significant cuts in content.[32] In December 2020, Nordisk Film, under its Nordisk Games division, purchased a 40% stake in the studio.[33][34]

Metroid Dread was released in 2021 and debuted as the third best-selling game in the US and the highest-ranked selling game on the platform.[35] MercurySteam were criticized for excluding staff members from the credits of Metroid Dread.[36][32] A representative defended the decision to GameSpot, stating: "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."[37][38] The studio suggested years later that it had adjusted this policy to be more in line with International Game Developers Association recommendations.[39] In a 2023 interview, studio head Enric Álvarez denied all wrongdoing.[40]

In December 2021, MercurySteam released a remaster of Scrapland, its first game.[41] 505 Games also announced it had partnered with MercurySteam to develop a third-person action RPG under the codename Project Iron.[35] Blades of Fire was announced for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and PC (as an Epic Games Store exclusive) in February 2025.[42] The game was released in May, but was reported to have underperformed by July.[43]

In September 2025, the Spanish trade union CSVI-CGT accused the MercurySteam of instituting mandatory overtime, including 10-hour days, a crackdown of internal communications, the limitation of vacation days for several months of the year and the elimination of remote work. Another group of employees denied these accusations.[39] 3DJuegos reported a toxic work environment during the development of Blades of Fire, especially in early to mid-2025. These include forced 10-hour workdays and intimidation strategies.[44][45]

In February 2026, it was announced that Blades of Fire would be released on Steam in May with additional features.[46][47] In September, Nintendo announced Metroid Ravenous, scheduled for release on January 28, 2027, for the Nintendo Switch 2.[48]

Games developed

[edit]
Title Year Platform(s) Publisher(s) Notes Ref.
American McGee Presents: Scrapland 2004 N/a [5]
Zombies 2006 MercurySteam N/a
Clive Barker's Jericho 2007 Codemasters Co-developed with Alchemic Productions
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2010 Konami N/a [6]
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate 2013 Konami N/a [11]
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 2014 Konami N/a [8]
Metroid: Samus Returns 2017 Nintendo 3DS Nintendo Co-developed with Nintendo EPD [27]
Spacelords MercurySteam N/a [24]
Metroid Dread 2021 Nintendo Switch Nintendo Co-developed with Nintendo EPD [30]
American McGee Presents: Scrapland Remastered Windows MercurySteam N/a [41]
Blades of Fire 2025 N/a [42]
Metroid Ravenous 2027 Nintendo Switch 2 Nintendo Co-developed with Nintendo EPD [48]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "Mercury Steam Entertainment S.L." MobyGames. Archived from the original on 8 March 2024. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  2. ↑ "Scrapland Ships for Xbox". Gamershell. 4 March 2005. Archived from the original on 9 October 2012. Retrieved 26 February 2011.
  3. ↑ "Enric Alvarez". www.diceeurope.org. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  4. ↑ Staff, I. G. N. (8 August 2011). "2011 GDC Europe Adds Keynotes From Crytek and Mercury Steam". IGN. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Ronaghan, Neal (14 June 2017). "A Brief History of Metroid: Samus Returns Developer MercurySteam". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved 14 February 2026.
  6. 1 2 Cipriano, Jason (26 August 2010). "The Story Of How 'Castlevania: Lords of Shadow' Was Canceled, Then Resurrected, Dracula-Style". MTV Multiplayer. Archived from the original on 30 September 2012. Retrieved 14 February 2026.
  7. ↑ Sinclair, Brendan (22 December 2010). "Castlevania: Lords of Shadow DLC detailed". GameSpot. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  8. 1 2 "Castlevania: Lords Of Shadow 2 – a titanic series overhaul". Edge. 6 June 2013. Archived from the original on 5 December 2013. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  9. ↑ Hillier, Brenna (21 August 2012). "Castlevania on 3DS "quite a challenge" but "remarkable"". VG247. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  10. ↑ Sinclair, Brendan (17 August 2012). "Castlevania 3DS delayed". GameSpot. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Yin-Poole, Wesley (20 February 2013). "Castlevania Lords of Shadow: Mercury Steam's mission to be the next Naughty Dog". Eurogamer.net. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  12. ↑ Cai, Catherine (26 June 2013). "Castlevania: LoS2 brings Dracula to the modern age". VG247. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  13. ↑ Oshry, Dave (27 June 2012). "Moving on: Cox and Mercury Steam aim for Contra reboot". VG247. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  14. ↑ Williams, Mike (22 July 2013). "MercurySteam Not Developing Next Castlevania". VG247. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  15. ↑ Cook, Dave (28 February 2014). "Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 dev discusses troubled development, blames director for 'mediocre' game". VG247. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  16. ↑ "Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 dev steps forward to confirm troubled development reports". VG247. 1 March 2014. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  17. ↑ Santo, Anthony (28 February 2014). "Desvelamos los problemas de desarrollo de Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2". FS Gamer (in European Spanish). Archived from the original on 10 November 2015. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  18. ↑ Yin-Poole, Wesley (20 September 2016). ""We got caught in a s***storm"". Eurogamer.net. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  19. ↑ Nunneley-Jackson, Stephany (15 April 2016). "Raiders of the Broken Planet is MercurySteam's new multiplayer online game". VG247. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  20. ↑ Handrahan, Matthew (18 March 2016). "ex-Konami producer Dave Cox teams up with MercurySteam". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  21. ↑ Dring, Christopher (8 September 2017). "The most important seven days in MercurySteam's history". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  22. ↑ Philips, Tom (7 September 2017). "Raiders of the Broken Planet has a release date and a tempting price". Eurogamer.net. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  23. ↑ Makuch, Eddie (19 June 2017). "E3 2017: Castlevania Dev's New Shooter Not Coming To Nintendo Switch". GameSpot. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  24. 1 2 Jones, Ali (21 July 2018). "Raiders of the Broken Planet is dead, long live Spacelords". PCGamesN. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  25. ↑ Dring, Christopher (1 October 2018). "MercurySteam: "Going free-to-play has been a nightmare... but it's working"". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  26. ↑ Robertson, Liam (14 August 2015). "Exclusive: MercurySteam Has Been Working On A Metroid Prototype For Wii U And 3DS". Nintendo Life. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  27. 1 2 Reeves, Ben (15 September 2017). "Metroid: Samus Returns Preview – A Remake That Feels Original". Game Informer. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  28. ↑ Knezevic, Kevin (15 June 2017). "E3 2017: Metroid's Producer Talks MercurySteam's Contributions To Samus Returns". GameSpot. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  29. ↑ "Un Metroid "made in Spain" y Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Secuaces de Bowser completan la primera jornada de anuncios de Nintendo en el E3". Nintendo of Europe SE (in European Spanish). Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  30. 1 2 Sheridan, Connor (15 June 2021). "Metroid Dread release date revealed and it's a sequel to Metroid Fusion". GamesRadar. Archived from the original on 15 June 2021. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
  31. ↑ Bailey, Kat (17 June 2021). "Inside Metroid Dread's Development With Producer Yoshio Sakamoto". IGN. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  32. 1 2 Trivi, Marta (15 October 2021). "Empleados de MercurySteam hablan sobre las condiciones de trabajo del estudio". AnaitGames (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  33. ↑ Handrahan, Matthew (22 December 2020). "Nordisk Games buys 40% of MercurySteam". gamesindustry.biz. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  34. ↑ Ivan, Tom (22 December 2020). "Nordisk has acquired 40% of Metroid: Samus Returns studio MercurySteam". VGC. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  35. 1 2 Moore, Jared (30 November 2021). "Metroid Dread Developer Now Working on a Dark Fantasy RPG". IGN. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  36. ↑ Plant, Logan (15 October 2021). "Developer Who Worked on Metroid Dread Doesn't Appear In the Credits". IGN. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  37. ↑ Koch, Cameron (14 October 2021). "Metroid Dread Studio MercurySteam Doesn't Credit Everyone Who Worked On The Game". GameSpot. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  38. ↑ Francis, Bryant (14 October 2025). "MercurySteam defends leaving developers out of Metroid Dread credits". Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  39. 1 2 "MercurySteam denies accusations of poor work conditions by Spanish union". Shinesparkers. 2 October 2025. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  40. ↑ Caballero, David (28 July 2023). "MercurySteam y Nintendo "nos entendemos a la perfección"". Gamereactor España (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  41. 1 2 Nightingale, Ed (13 December 2021). "Mercury Steam releases remaster of first ever game". Eurogamer.net. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  42. 1 2 Nightingale, Ed (28 February 2025). "Metroid Dread studio announces new action-adventure Blades of Fire". Eurogamer.net. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  43. ↑ Wales, Matt (23 July 2025). "Metroid Dread studio's recent console and Epic-exclusive action-adventure "underperformed" due to "increasingly selective consumers", says publisher". Eurogamer.net. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  44. ↑ Amores "Blissy", Marina (15 October 2025). ""Si algo hace bien MercurySteam es jugar con el miedo porque no hay otro lugar donde ir": Así se ha degradado el ambiente laboral en uno de los estudios de videojuegos más grandes de España". 3DJuegos (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  45. ↑ Francis, Bryant (16 October 2025). "Metroid Dread dev accused of crunch and retaliation". Game Developer. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  46. ↑ Carcasole, David (11 February 2026). "Blades of Fire Arrives on Steam With New "Version 2.0," Adding NG+, NVIDIA DLSS 4 Support, and More". Wccftech. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  47. ↑ Karunakar, Varun. "Blades of Fire Launches on May 14th for Steam With New Game Plus, Photo Mode and More". GamingBolt. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  48. 1 2 Phillips, Tom (9 September 2026). "Metroid Ravenous Announced, a Side-Scrolling Sequel to Metroid Dread". IGN. Retrieved 9 September 2026.
[edit]
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