Topic: Next Nintendo Direct?

So this has been discussed on a few other threads, but emails are going on asking people to play Mario Odyssey and says "there might be even more to discover". Anyone thinking an Odyssey announcement at the next Direct?

@Bolt_Strike Maybe they are just targetting people who don't have 999 stars?

@GrailUK Why do that after 5 years? It doesn't make sense to promote Odyssey specifically if they don't have more content planned. If the purpose is just "Hey, have you played the recent Mario games?", there's also games like 3D World + Bowser's Fury, NSMBU Deluxe, and Super Mario Maker 2 as well which are all more recent than Odyssey. Just promoting Odyssey now makes it look like they're trying to generate interest in future Odyssey content.

@Bolt_Strike Well, if they haven't completed Mario Odyssey after 5 years, then they deserve a barrage of emails lol!

Erm, in all seriousness, I just think it's simply cheap promotion in order to start bigging up Mario this year for his film. Brand awareness etc etc.

@Bolt_Strike Do you ever listen to Spawnwave or the Spawncast podcast? They have discussed Mario a few times and they think a 2D Mario game might be coming this year. As a tie in to the movie as a 2D game is more accessible to a movie fan who isn't a gamer and this may help them sell more units...This seems logical to me, they could save the new 3D title to be a launch title for the new hardware...

"Mario movie tie-in game" must be tied with "Switch Pro" as the most common myth in the modern Nintendo community.

If there is a Mario game this year, it will be totally separate from the movie, much like how Sonic Frontiers has nothing to do with the Sonic 2 movie.

@westman98 At this point it is all speculation, i'm not saying there will be, but it is a theory which makes sense. It ties in with the rumoured game in development, the increase in projected switch unit sales and it is something you could see Nintendo doing. I think the 2D vs 3D theory makes sense too...either way, we should know in the next six weeks or so!

@Bolt_Strike maybe Nintendo is using Super Mario Odyssey to market the Mario movie or DLC for the game will be anounced soon

I hope it isn't a new Mario Odyssey, and instead something actually original. Mario Odyssey left me with an empty feeling inside.

@Bolt_Strike I think only at the next Direct if it’s DLC coming within the next few months, if it’s a new game coming in Fall/Holiday 2023 then announcement at E3.

I doubt it's Mario Odyssey DLC. I wouldn't be surprised, given Nintendo wants to manufacture cheap excuses for why people should pay for their horrid online expansion pass, but part of me doubts it, given that the game would have probably had DLC far sooner if they wanted to do DLC in the first place. It was one of those games where they really could have added more content upon what was already there, and would've at the time.

@Grumblevolcano Ehh, even if it's a full sequel, I still think it gets a teaser in the Direct with a full announcement at E3.

@VoidofLight A year ago I would've agreed with you, but then the Booster Course pack happened and now DLC for 5 year old games is on the table. It does sound like they originally intended not to make an Odyssey 2 given how we got Bowser's Fury, but considering Odyssey sold so well and everyone is expecting it, a Booster Course pack scenario to satiate the demand for more Odyssey content would make a lot of sense at this point.

I might be in the minority, but I would openly weep if more Odyssey content got announced. It legit is one of my favorite games of all time. I think it's better than BOTW as well.

@Bolt_Strike
The big difference is that Mario Kart 8 DX is an online multiplayer game that continues to maintain a huge playerbase and has sold over 2× more than Super Mario Odyssey. If there is new Mario content coming this year, it will come in the form of a new game.

@Bolt_Strike I was thinking about the opener and closer, as that's where new Mario platformer would be if it was in the next Direct. Closer I was thinking Metroid Prime 4, even Pikmin 4 is still real after its announcement back in 2015 so I feel the next Direct will provide closure on the 4 year complete Prime 4 silence (the restart video was posted on January 25th 2019):

TotK I feel will be a big spotlight (10 minute segment) in the middle of the Direct rather than opener or closer as by the time the Direct likely airs it'll be around 3 months before launch and we currently know very little about the game.

Opener I was thinking would be Silksong, the Xbox Showcase suggests the game will launch by June 2023 and it appears that the Xbox Direct is only showcasing the 4 games announced (Forza Motorsport, Redfall, Minecraft Legends, Elder Scrolls Online) rather than having any surprises:

https://www.purexbox.com/news/2023/01/xbox-exec-wants-fans-to...

The next Xbox Direct after that one is just about Starfield. So I think Silksong has a good chance of appearing in the next Nintendo Direct if it's releasing before June.

@Bolt_Strike The booster course pack wasn't made because people demanded more content. It was made so Nintendo could make a quick buck and justify a second tier for their online service. If Nintendo genuinely cared about adding more content to 8, it would actually have had effort put into it.

@VoidofLight Well, I mean... companies exist to make money. They may even be making another Mario Kart behind the scenes, so using some quick courses that are ported/made in a less demanding way to bolster sales or keep interest in the series stoked is a smart move.

@LeJuiceCup Still doesn't really change how lazy the DLC is.

@Grumblevolcano is still too early to show something about Metroid Prime 4, in E3 2024 Nintendo might finaly show the game.

I'm calling it now: the next Direct will feature Ring Fit Adventure 2!
The previous game came out over 2 years ago and sold like ring-shaped hotcakes.
Also it's a game that doesn't need to be held back to bolster the next Switch's launch lineup (as opposed to the next Metroid or Mario).