Nintendo has announced the release window for Metroid Prime: Federation Force.

The game will ship sometime this spring, for the Nintendo 3DS. Game producer Kensuke Tanabe announced the game during today’s Nintendo Direct broadcast. According to Tanabe, the game is a long time coming, having started production back in 2009 for the Nintendo DSi.

You can view a trailer for the game (featured above), which debuted in today’s broadcast.

Tanabe also talked up the game a bit, saying that it will focus on the battle between the Galactic Federation and the Space Pirates. The game is co-developed by Nintendo and Next Level Games, the folks behind Punch-Out!! for Wii and Super Mario Strikers.

As for the game’s critical reception last year, Tanabe promised fans that Metroid Prime: Federation Force is “a game that absolutely belongs in the Metroid universe — that I promise.”