Metroid Database.com

More interviews with Sakamoto-san. The latest one comes from Games^TM. While we still get the same, billionth-time-asked "When's the movie coming out?" or "What happened with Dread?" questions, there are still some good statements by the man. The most interesting part of the interview is when they asked him about Metroid 64, when Sakamoto admits to his inability to develop on the N64:

GAMES^TM: This apprehension over 3D gaming, is that the reason there was never a Metroid 64?

SAKAMOTO:I was actually thinking about the possibility of making a Metroid game for N64 but I felt that I shouldn't be the one making the game. When I held the N64 controller in my hands I just couldn't imagine how it could be used to move Samus around. So for me it was just too early to personally make a 3D Metroid at that time. Also, I know this is isn't a direct answer to your question but Nintendo at that time approached another company and asked them if they would make an N64 version of Metroid and their response was that no, they could not. They turned it down, saying that unfortunately they didn't have the confidence to create an N64 Metroid game that could compare favourably with Super Metroid. That's something I take as a complement to what we achieved with Super Metroid.

GAMES^TM:Can you say who that company was?

SAKAMOTO:Sorry, I cannot.

CapCom: Partway through the interview, Mr. Sakamoto mentions an interview he did back when Super Metroid came out regarding the game's development and 'telling a story without words'. The MDb has a translation of this.

--Infinity's End