Metroid Prime
Samus Aran in Nintendo's first person Metroid reboot Metroid Prime. Nintendo

Beloved Metroid Prime developers Retro Studios have teased their participation in Nintendo's E3 2015 plans, sparking speculation among fans as to what their next project might be.

Linking to Nintendo's E3 homepage, Retro asked simply: "Can you dig it?" A tweet so devilishly teasing it's had gamers scratching their heads down to a nub. What does it mean? What does 'dig' relate to, if anything?

Nintendo are holding their E3 Nintendo Direct on Tuesday 16 June at 5:00PM with a live Treehouse broadcast featuring demos, developer interviews and further announcements taking place from Tuesday to 18 June.

Retro could turn up at the latter, but they are a big name studio who have become Nintendo's most valuable Western asset since developing the Metroid Prime series in the noughties. Since that success Retro have gone on to develop Mario Kart 7 for 3DS and Donkey Kong Country Returns for Wii, a hugely successful reboot.

In 2013 Retro were expected to announce a new game, with many gamers expecting a return to the Metroid license or possibly even a new IP. What they got however was Tropical Freeze, a Donkey Kong Country follow-up for Wii U. As good as the game turned out to be, fans were a little disappointed.

Probably just best to presume they're announcing a third Donkey Kong game next week.