Talking Point: Our 2024 Nintendo Gaming Predictions

I'm not fully confident on this prediction but I will predict next gen "Switch 2" whatever it will be called does release in November this year and will announced in late April

Completely forgot about Silksong lol, maybe this year we'll finally see... a new trailer!

Just give me more GameCube remakes/remasters, Nintendo. Wind Waker, Twillight Princess, F-Zero GX. I'll pay full price, I swear.

I want a new 3D Mario (but then on the next gen switch) showing of what its capable of. Voice acting, and cutscenes like i watch a new Mario movie (loved the illumination Mario movie)
I also want a new Nintendo RPG game, with different characters teaming up. Could be in the gameplay style (battles) of Sparks of hope, so addicted to that gameplay.

I expect the current Switch to lean hard on ports and third party games (harder than in any previous year) until the NG Switch arrives in November. At the earliest.

Predictions:

• Metroid Prime 2&3 shadow drop when firm Metroid Prime 4 release date is revealed, similar to Pikmin 4. Best case scenario would be 2&3 release in 2024, but 4 likely misses this year.
• We’ll get both Wind Waker / Twilight Princess in 2024. There was no way we were getting those in the same year as TotK. Possible twist, NSO adds GameCube games with Switch 2 reveal, where only one will be released in 2024.
• I think we’ll get another N64 Rare game on NSO, probably Banjo Tooie.
• Switch 2 reveal, backwards compatability with current eShop games. I have this funny feeling that physical Switch games won’t be compatible with new hardware. That seems like a very Nintendo thing to do. 😋

All out Metroid sounds good. Port Samus Returns, Prime 2 & 3 as a double pack (perhaps a bit less spit n polish than Prime Remastered), and Zero Mission on Switch Online.

Also putting Pokémon gen 1 -3 on Switch Online sounds good, especially if it’s just to tide us over while they pour more into the next iteration.

Another top down Grezzo Zelda feels like something that’s likely been in development for awhile.

DK64 and Diddy Kong Racing seem like a possibility surely.

Waluigis ghost mansion on the Nintendo Switch U

Those short blurbs regarding Alana still being off work are hilarious. XD Not sure if those were author edits or if they were supplied in advance; I know I'd do that in Alana's shoes if I knew this article was coming far in advance.

Love some of these predictions, even if some are way more feasible than others. NGL, I completely forgot about Silksong.

I think we'll get an announcement for Switch's successor this year, but won't see a release until 2025. I'm sure that we'll have one more solid Direct drop another big game or two, but nothing too crazy. With the recent news that Smash Bros will be adding new spirits for games like TotK and Mario Wonder, I'd be willing to put money on a re-release with all DLC characters included.

I'm honestly astounded that after all these years, we never got any custom themes for the home menu. Not even an extra color option.

Why remake Minish Cap before Oracle of Ages & Oracle of Seasons?

Without any leaks... Imo, Nintendo is too much unpredictable, lol.

With no foundation of evidence, I'll also venture that this will be a transitionary year. I hope we do get MP2 and 3, and, perhaps selfishly, I hope that MP4, the next 3D Mario, etc. are all saved for the next console.
I hope that Nintendo and/or retailers will ensure a smooth launch. The nightmare of the PS5 and Xbox Series X looms in my memory, and they didn't even have any exclusives to worry about. I would be disappointed to have to wait an extra year for a chance to buy the darn thing.

I predict they'll bring back real Virtual Console so people can actually buy their games. Also they'll release Mother 3 in the west.

I selfishly want a Samus Returns Again just because I’m missing the best (Samus) amiibo of all.

Yas queen. Let's go Collectors Edition for Earthbound. 🥰🥰🥰

Ya know, just twiddling my thumbs still waiting for that HD-2D remake of Dragon Quest III the Seeds of Salvation. I'm predicting and/or hoping it comes out this year. They announced that so early and we've only recently got an update on it...

... just hoping that means it's very polished and not a buggy mess like Pokemon S/V. I'd rather a game take a long time and be well made than be rushed out and be a complete clusterduck.

I feel like I need to eat a pair of socks or something for Silksong missing the 2023 launch year window. Surely it will come out in 2024...

My predictions:

•No "Switch 2" this year. There's no reason to jump ship yet when the OG Switch continues to sell so well. Even in its worst-performing year, Nintendo is still able to ship more hardware units in 12 months than the entirety of Wii U's that were sold in 5 years. Nintendo is still breaking software records as well. Nintendo has nothing to gain and everything to lose by launching a new console right now. If we do get a new system this year, it will be something that doesn't render the old Switch obsolete, like that Pro model people kept expecting but never got.

•The latter half of the year will be supplemented by even more remakes as well as smaller projects, since a lot of their development resources will be devoted to working on next-gen software arriving in 2025. These will still generate a lot of hype, because despite being relatively easy to develop, these are games people have been asking for for a long time.

•The February Direct will open with a trailer for "Kid Icarus Uprising: Resurrection," an HD remaster of the 3DS original. After the trailer, Sakurai will briefly talk about how he was asked to just supervise the project rather than direct it, but jokes that he just couldn't help himself and basically did the same duties as a director would anyways. He'll talk about how they spent a lot of time making sure the controls were updated just right to work for home consoles.

•This same Direct will include a stealth drop of The Wind Waker. Like Metroid Prime last year, you'll be able to download it that very same day or wait a couple weeks to get the physical version for $40.

•Donkey Kong Country Returns Deluxe will be announced and release this summer to coincide with the launch of the DK expansion in Universal Japan. This makes too much sense, as the park is very heavily based on Returns. The graphics will get a beautiful visual overhaul, content from the 3DS version will return, and Dixie will be added as a new character who completely breaks the game.

•The June Direct will give us the HD ports of Metroid Prime 2 and 3. These will be pretty basic ports, but you can pick them up for $40 physically or download each individual game from the eShop for $30. This will be another stealth drop.

•A remake of the first two Chibi-Robo games will be announced in the September Direct.

•Also in September, we'll get the stealth drop of Twilight Princess HD. Like Wind Waker, it will be $40. Yeah, these GameCube stealth launches aren't going anywhere--we're in it for the long haul, baybee!

•Original titles will include a new Mario Baseball releasing in June where characters are fully decked out in baseball gear. It will be helmed by Bandai-Namco, and because of this, the quality will be significantly better than other Mario sports games on Switch. Releasing this fall will be a new Rythm Heaven game for $50 and a new Wario Land developed by WayForward for $60.

•HAL has also been working on a free-to-play online Kirby Air Ride game as an incentive for subscribing to NSO. It won't have any actual race tracks and will instead focus solely on the City Trial Mode. There will be daily challenges to complete for new cosmetics, characters, and car accessories.

•Third-party software will include ports of games like Crash Team Rumble and Tchia. Namco will also announce Pac-Man World 2 Re-Pac, and Sonic Dream Team will go multiplatform after a year of exclusivity to Apple Arcade.

•A remake of Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time will be announced in the Fall and release early 2025. The game will boast beautiful, hand-drawn graphics which will be the style for all Mario & Luigi games moving forward. Nintendo is really bringing back all the Mario RPG's now.

•Pikmin 4, Mario Wonder, and Mario Party Superstars will all get substantial DLC expansions. Only the one for Mario Party will be included as a freebie for NSO Expansion Pass subscribers, though.

•Swordfighter Peach and Gooigi will get amiibo figures this year to correspond with their respective games. Fans will be disappointed it's not an E. Gadd amiibo, but Gooigi will be added as a co-op character for the remake of Dark Moon and will be one of the main selling points--just like the 3DS remake of the first game.

•Probs some Pokémanz and some weeb stuff I don't care about. (Sorry.)

•Obviously, new games added to NSO. There will be no new platforms added this year, but we'll get the last handful of N64 games like Banjo-Tooie, Smash Bros, Diddy Kong Racing, and even Konker's Bad Fur Day. For GB/GBA, we'll get games like Metroid Zero Mission, Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, WarioWare: Twisted, Yoshi Topsy-Turvy, Mario Party Advance, the rest of the Wario Lands, and Mario Land 1.

In the words of Koizumi-san: "What did you think?" Not a bad lineup despite there being no Switch 2 this year, eh? Probably at least a couple of these won't happen, but I feel pretty confident that the majority could come true if I'm indeed right about no new hardware. It's an unpopular opinion, I know, but only time will tell.

I wish I could save this comment so we can refer back to it in a year, lol. Everyone will either be really impressed and think I'm an insider or point and laugh in mockery at how bad this list was.

Switch 2 and those games were thought should be on Switch will be launch titles (P3Reload), that new Mana game, etc, and a couple of personal requests, FF7 remake, Shenmue, Monkey Island games.

Like to see a few obscure NSO games for SNES/Mega Drive and more frequent.

I think I say this every year but surely square enix can give us final fantasy tactics ?

DK64, Diddy Kong Racing, and Blast Corps being added to NSO would be nice to see in 2024

These are my predictions.

• A shadow drop during one of the Nintendo Directs.
• Switch 2 reveal towards the end of the year with a March 2025 release date.
• Metroid Prime 2 Remastered.
• Pokémon Black and White Remakes.
• Chrono Trigger Remake.
• Dragon Quest 10 Offline announced for the west.
• A trailer for the next game from Monolith Soft with a Switch 2 release window.

@Ultimapunch
With NSO, I doubt those games will ever come back for sale

I predict there are no unannounced 1st party games for the 1st half of 2024 such that the lineup ends up being (bolded are prediction release dates):

• January 19th - Another Code Recollection
• February 16th - Mario vs. Donkey Kong
• March 22nd - Princess Peach Showtime
• April 26th - Paper Mario The Thousand-Year Door
• May 31st - Splatoon 3 Side Order DLC
• June 28th - Luigi's Mansion 2 HD

Switch 2 gets announced in the first general Direct of the year and releases in September. The Direct happening either in late January/early February or April/early May. Switch 2 pretty much being a Switch but more powerful.

As for the 2nd half of the year, Nintendo pulls the Pikmin 4 trick for Metroid Prime 4 and we get:

• July 19th - Metroid Prime 2+3 HD
• September 13th - Metroid Prime 4 (crossgen), 3D Mario (Switch 2 only)
• October 4th - DKC Returns HD (crossgen)
• October 25th - New Mario Party (Switch 2 only)
• November 15th - Pokemon Gen 5 remakes (crossgen)
• December 6th - Xenoblade Chronicles X Definitive Edition (Switch 2 only)

Nintendo decides to keep Splatoon 3, Smash Ultimate and MK8 Deluxe alive throughout the early Switch 2 era with new content (more seasons for Splatoon 3, Fighters Pass 3 for Smash Ultimate and Booster Course Pass 2 for MK8 Deluxe). No new consoles for NSO but Booster Course Pass 2 gets added as a perk for the expansion pack alongside your typical dripfeed of classic games.

Why do people keep saying a reveal towards the end of the year and a release of next year?
That would destroy sales this holiday season.
If the Switch successor releases next year, then it will be revealed early next year.

I greatly appreciated Alana's insights lol

@jamesthemagi Erm the Switch reveal date was October 2016, came out March 2017.

@somnambulance I definitely think this year will be the year of the Ports and easy Remakes, they want the bulk of their teams working on Switch 2 games.

@UltimateOtaku91
The Wii U was a failure.
There were no sales to "destroy."
The Switch is a completely different scenario.

@jamesthemagi You're probably right. But I hope you aren't.

@Ultimapunch
I'm glad I grabbed some titles on the 3DS, but it's a shame to not be able to purchase some of these which have been released for the first time in this kind of platform.
It sucks. I hope I am wrong too, but I doubt it.

We already know game of the year 2025 is going to GTA 6, so it's best to vie for the 2024 trophy with MP4 or a 3D Mario...or perhaps the rumored Donkey Kong Odyssey.

A quite year from Nintendo, with the new console being announced late in the year, and releasing the following march (much like the switch did)
I think the biggest possible games for the switch next year would be Metroid Prime remasters and a new Pokémon game (let's go 2 maybe? Or Black and White remakes?)

The new Switch will be announced this year. It might not be out, but we will hear about it. I am one of the only people who has never predicted this in previous years.

I’m 80% sure this year will finally be the year Switch 2 is announced. But if we get like a big 3D Mario title for next Direct then we’ll definitely be stuck with the old toaster for another year.

I predict the Switch 2 until 2025

And a Master Hand amiibo ,as a grand finale, to close the Smash amiibo line after Sora. With a golden variant.

And for the love of god, a sequel to F-Zero GX, a new Kid Icarus, a Pilotwings…. Every neglected IP Nintendo has.

And for NSO: Mischief Makers, Iggys recikn balls, DK 64 and Diddy Kong Racing, Banjo Tooie

Phil (Teacher of Hercules) - my answer is two word. Backwards compatibility.

I blame ocarina-of-timetraveller-link for us not having hoverboards and inside-trousers.

He changed our timeline!

What's the prediction on low-life scalpers messing up the inevitable Switch 2 launch?

I think Nintendo will have to do a big Direct in March before the end of their fiscal year. While many say the Switch announcement will be in April, I think that may only happen depending on their earning performance for the year end. They will either end the year on a bang with the announcement, or ride the wave with whatever the real numbers are from holiday sales. Then start the new fiscal year with the announcement. I guess it probably makes more sense to start the year with the announcement than to end it. hmm, ya maybe I'm switching my vote to April as well. Either way, I think it depends on their earnings performance. Regardless, I'm 90% sure the system will launch in November 2024. I think they would face significantly slower hardware sales if they don't. Holding out another year is just going to cause the market to hold its breath at that point holding out for the inevitable announcement before buying any more hardware. I would.

As someone who is playing through the Xenoblade series, I'm wrapping up the second game, and after a short break, will dive into Xenoblade 3, and I hope by the time I finish that game and it's DLC, Nintendo will have announced a port or remaster of Xenoblade X, before I end up playing it on Wii U lol
Even if I have the Wii U version, I'd prefer having the whole series on one system, especially since it's portable which just makes it more convenient to play, what with it being an RPG and all.

@Croctopus In splatoon 3, I don’t know if a final fest pitting the idol bands will happen. can’t really see all the idols crammed in the anarchy splatcast announcement, yknow? And it’d be weird having two members of deep cut not being loyal to their own band. Of course if Nintendo wants to do that, they’ll find a way. I think a Past Present Future fest would be most likely, with Future advancing onto the super technological and giant open world of Splatoon 4, Past going back to the Great Turf War, with a more story based campaign, and present sticking with the mechanics of Splatoon 3, and do minor upgrades like 2 to 3
Also personally chirpy chips would be an amazing idol band for splat 4

My prediction for 2024 :
Spent 1000+ hours on my MARIO MAKER 2 World
(Super 36.chamber world ID : 62L-6MH-MQG
36 level with 36 chambers, all styles and themes)
...and no one will play it !! Was supposed to be a Xmas presi for everyone, but illness kept me from finishing it on time ! So now it's a new years gift !
If I never achieve anything in life (and I'm on a good way) at least I made my own Mario game !
...and it fulfilled your prediction of a new Mario game in 2024 ! Hope someone enjoys !!
Happy new year and good gaming !!

2024 will be the year of the NEW Switch !

@jamesthemagi My Wii U is loaded with Virtual Console titles. That will be my preferred way of playing their legacy content until I can hopefully purchase them on newer hardware someday.

I only have a switch now and love it!

This year I will likely pick up a PS5 Pro OR the next Nintendo console......

Difficult!

I just want more Mario.... a new animal crossing would be cool also.

I'll continue to emulate all classic nintendo games on my series x via retriarch!

Okay here I go: no Switch 2, at all. Nothing. Fire Emblem Sacred Stones on NSO. That's all I got lol

I only really care about three things that are currently uncertain. I want to be able to play Metroid Prime 2 and Metroid Prime 3 on the Switch, and I want Metroid Prime 4 info. It will have 5 years by the time of the year's first general Nintendo Direct. It's time to show something.

@TheBigK
Sacred Stones is a great guess for NSO!!!
I was hoping they would remake the 3 GBA FE
There is still hope for the GC/Wii duology

Switch 2 or we riot 🤪

@OctolingKing13 I think we'd see each group being on their own team. So like Shiver, Frye and Big Man would be on team Deep Cut.

Nintendo telegraph their moves. It's not rocket science. They push a system as far as possible, unless it's a dud like the Wii U and is quickly discarded. Just like Mario Kart tracks announced way in advance to December 2023 meant no Switch 2 in 2023, there's game releases until June 2024 so almost certainly no official announcement of anything until after that. A teaser in April of a new system coming and a complete announcement and reveal in July with a release in September looks the time for a Switch 2. Perhaps a month or two later, and this window will confirm further as the months roll by and no games announced. If there's a major release coming, we could be looking at March 2025 for Switch 2.

I agree 3D Mario on release, and I highly suspect Metroid Prime 4 to cater to older gamers and really give the game a chance to achieve big sales. A Mario Kart 8 Ultimate would not surprise, especially if Mario Kart 9 is still a way off. MK8 Ultimate could be furnished with dual characters, another suite of tracks, and some new game modes like Cups for each source game, like a DS Cup and Wii Cup.

My wish list is F-Zero X remastered. Again, as a launch title, it would get far more prominence and sales than a release a few years later when it would be buried by so many other releases, like potentially a Mario Kart 9.

Edit: My guess is the Switch 2 only hardware backwards compatible, meaning all joycons and controllers work both ways, and the new dock accepts the old Switch. That will make it very easy to play older games.

Agree, I think Nintendo Cosmo will announce in July with release in fall. Donkey Kong open world, breath of the wild remastered, and mario kart 9 for launch and Pokémon infinity in spring 2025.

I’m really hoping for a Zelda oracle remake or something Xenoblade as those are the only Nintendo exclusives that still interest me.

I hope Silksong will get a 2024 release soon, for the sake of all the 5 fans out here. (really, nobody cares)

Switch 2 ? Its a MUST now. Or nintendo will face another bad time , again. And honestly, after the huge success of the Switch, would be a foolish thing to do.

Got to get some Parodius on this thing at some point, for crying out loud. Whether it emerges from Konami itself in a compilation or from Hamster via Arcade Archives, just get the heckers out there.

Hoping for some news on Romancelvania too.

And Silksong?

https://media1.giphy.com/media/Su0aljmbFVghW/200w.gif

Can't really make any prediction this year as it's been said already. It all depends on whether they announce switch 2 and if/when it releases. Otherwise I'd tell you of how the next DKC and 3d Mario will crush all platforming competition, how Metroid Prime 4 will be the best in the series, but we all know this is going to be switch 2.

Wild cards though? Hell yeah!

• Castlevania DS collection! Come on M2!
• A nice collection of M2's Japan exclusive shmup remakes gets released overseas!
• FFVI remake by the team behind Octopath 2!
• Samus Returns and Link Between Worlds get ports!
• Dark Souls 3 finally gets a switch version! We skip 2, nobody likes 2.
• Dlc for Wonder! You want more difficult levels? Buy our extra levels with speedrun mode included. Also replay the main game with extra obstacles/enemies, tweaked levels layout, and new/re-postionned harder to get collectibles. Essentially the hard mode that's missing from the game and would have made it go from awesome to absolute masterpiece.
• N64 extravaganza! Mischief Makers! Goemon! Conker! Bangai O! Bomberman! Hybrid Heaven! Tetris sphere! Rayman 2!
• And the one to rule them all : Perfect Dark.

I would love, love, love that Prime 2 remaster that you all seem to think is a dead cert to be released but truth be told I really don't see it happening. The Prime Remaster was wonderful, but I think people underestimate just how much work had to be put in behind the scenes to make it happen. I just don't think there's enough profit in it for Nintendo at the end of the day to do the whole series like that, and surely we'd have heard by now if they were aiming to stagger the trilogy in the run up to Metroid Prime 4. On the other hand I will happily indulge in baseless optimism for a Xenoblade Chronicles X port, since that series has really picked up steam on the Switch.

A new Donkey Kong game and a 2D Zelda game I reckon.

I'm not expecting a Switch 2 announcement until March 2025 - and that's where I'd expect to see Mario Odyssey 2 and the Ocarina of Time Remake.

Windwaker and Twilight Princess will be a few more years. They'll sit in the void between OOT remake in 2025 and the next all new 3D Zelda which is likely 2028. WW in 2026 and TP in 2027 is fine by me.

I've got so much to still play on my Switch from previous years. But I'm gonna predict another one or two NSO apps - thinking Virtual Boy, Sega Master System, Game Gear or Saturn.
Virtual Boy would be a fun one as they could release most of the games for that system in the first drop easily .

I bet Nintendo surprises and confuses all of us Metroid fans by shadow dropping Metroid Prime 5 before any of the other games! Or Metroid Prime Pinball Remastered.

@Not_Soos I love the specificity! Nintendo has a rule though that the retail release and digital release prices have to match. They can't be violating that themselves, or it will hurt their relationship with third parties. They could do a bundle price and then make that the only retail option. I wish they had done that with the Famicom Detective Club games.

Ultimately, I'd love to see the best launch library (not just window) ever. Thus far, that would go either to SNES (SMW and F-Zero) or Wii (Twilight Princess and Wii Sports). Having three killer apps ready to go would probably be a record. Here's to Mario Kart 9, a new 3D Mario, and Metroid Prime 4. I can't predict a tech demo game without an idea of what they will do hardware-wise. MK9 means it would probably need to be next year since we just finished getting new MK8 content.

Also, it's possible that they already have the machine ready but that waiting longer can mean a lower price point. Perhaps a 2024 release would be $400 but a 2025 one would mean $350. I think $350 is the max price ever for a Nintendo console. (Wii U 64gb and Switch OLED) But we are likely to be in a recession in the US by next year, so $400 this year might be more affordable than $350 next year.