Topic: Next Nintendo Direct?

I severely doubt we're getting a Nintendo Direct before September, apart from perhaps a Mini or Partner Showcase. Firstly, Nintendo will want to maximise TOTK's time as the "main game on offer", and the attention on it. Secondly, it's highly likely that the significant internal resources invested in TOTK will affect the development of other first-party games. Thirdly (and most crucially), Nintendo do actually have enough releases to get them through the summer:

June: Everybody 1 2 Switch
July: Pikmin 4
Late July/early August: MK8DX Wave 5
August/September: Side Order

Not a stellar schedule admittedly but decent considering the two factors above.

I would argue it's near guaranteed the next direct whenever it is includes Mario. Every year of the Switch has had multiple Mario-related games and none so far this year. Given the movie hype also, all signs point to some at least fairly juicy Mario announcements.

I don't see a Mario announcement happening this year unless next gen is also announced this year (which it's looking like no, next year is the year for next gen). 2020-2022 was the time to hear about a new Mario game on Switch. At this point it's likely that Mario (BOTH 2D AND 3D) are being reserved for early next gen releases, they always like to build Mario games around the new consoles features and help it sell the next console (especially for 3D, but also 2D to a lesser degree). I think it's mainly going to be crickets for the next 9-12 months with maybe a few smaller ports/remasters while we have to wait until next gen for the next big first party games. So probably no Mario, no Mario Kart (other than the Booster Course Pack), no DK, none of that stuff until next year. Maybe Prime 4, but that's more likely to be cross gen at this point.

@Bolt_Strike There might not be a totally new game, but I'm sure at least a remake will be announced. Again, every single year of the Switch's lifespan have had multiple Mario games.

Ehh, IDK that they'd have a remake a year before a big next gen game. They'd probably cannibalize each other to a degree. I think if we're getting Mario anything this year it's probably a spinoff, like a Paper Mario or a Mario sports game. Next gen launch (which a lot of people believe is next year) is likely the year for main series Mario.

@Bolt_Strike I'd guess we'll get a spinoff either way. I just checked and including spin-offs, there has arguably been multiple Mario games every year since some point in the 1980s. Obviously some of those years were right before new consoles, but they still spat out at least 2 games. We could easily get two spin-offs, but since last year was two spin-offs, I'm hoping for a remake.

I wouldn't get your hopes up for anything at this point in the Switch's lifespan. It's 6 years old and the pipeline feels like it's drying out, the Switch is probably lucky to get whatever else it ends up getting. Most likely the games we're all actually waiting for are next gen games at this point.

@FishyS
What Mario game would be worth a remake? Galaxy 2 is really the only one I can think of that would make sense. Unless you re-tread on 3D AllStars or go into the portable games back catalogue and re-do Super Mario Land 1/2....

I don't see it happening. Entirely new game would make more sense

This too. There's no obvious candidate for a legitimate remake right now, especially after they just did 3D All Stars (I really think they should've given Sunshine a remake to fix some of its issues, but now that they just ported it they probably won't be doing that anytime soon if at all). Maybe 5 years or so on next gen we can talk 3D Land remake/remaster, but it seems a tad too soon right now.

@Bolt_Strike @SKWAKE

Personally I think a Super Mario Land 1/2 remake would be fun and ever since they added 2 to NSO, I think it's been a definite possibility.

A only slightly modified port of one of the New Super games (or a collection) is also very plausible.

Especially if Switch 2 ends up being back-compatible I think they will eventually add ports or remakes of all of the mainline Mario games.

I'd be very happy with a new game but as others have said, that might be unlikely if a new console is coming, so dipping into their back-catalogue again would make sense. I would guess second-most-likely is a paper mario series port or remake; they haven't been focusing on bringing over those games as much, but it seems like a reasonable time to do one while nothing else big is happening.

I really do think someone at Nintendo keeps track of their 30+ year Mario game streak and will make sure that streak is not broken. I suppose we could just get sports and more sports, but please no.

In June 2023.
List of games that might be announced Nintendo Direct June 2023:

Monster Rancher Advance Collection
Pokken Tournament 2
Xenoblade Chronicles X2
Dead or Alive Collection
Soul Calibur Trilogy Collection

This video is a bit more Daisy focused, but I think this offers some insight into why Super Mario Land is relatively forgotten:

In short, the console and handheld Mario teams were competing with each other creatively and the main Mario teams we have now didn't work on the Game Boy team and seem to resent the games and characters that weren't created by them. That seems to explain why we don't see Daisy or Waluigi outside of spinoffs. And that's why they might not be interested in remaking Super Mario Land and would rather it remain obscure and forgotten. Emulated ports on VC/NSO/something new in the future is probably all we're going to get from the Mario Land games.

A NSMB collection would be a great idea, but they're still trying to sell NSMBU Deluxe this gen. Again, wait until next gen.

No, they don't think like this. When they greenlight projects they're looking at what game concepts they think are profitable and/or creative and then they strategically try to schedule them at the best times they can to maximize profit. There's a long streak of Mario games because the Mario brand is extremely profitable, but there's likely no mandate to have a Mario game every year.

@Bolt_Strike In terms of profitability, they could put out a 'Mario sells car insurance' game this year and people would buy it just because of all the Mario movie hype. I really don't think Nintendo is just going to let all that hype go to waste, regardless of whether they have other traditions about Mario game scheduling.

Nintendo typically doesn't care about timing their releases to events such as anniversary years or multimedia things such as movie releases. They just let the games happen on their own time. I don't think they think we absolutely HAVE to have a main series game this year, even a filler port/remake. They're probably going to be more focused on what's ready to release and what can tide them over until next gen.

With Mario there's a few options:

• A new mainline game indicating Nintendo's going all out with the late Switch era rather than saving stuff for the next hardware. I absolutely don't think this theory can be counted out.
• Older games being brought over, Galaxy 2 being the most obvious one but there's also 3D Land and 3 NSMB games to choose from (stuff like Super Mario Land will come to NSO). They could even re-release 3D All Stars but with Galaxy 2 included or as DLC.
• Mario sports, GC/Wii delved even more into Mario sports than Switch currently has so following the pattern of those systems would suggest Baseball/Sluggers is next.
• Mario & Sonic as there's been a Mario & Sonic game for Beijing 2008, London 2012, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 so it's a safe guess that SEGA will do something for Paris 2024. Though I do recall someone saying in one of these threads that there's rumours about the next one not having Mario so it can be multiplatform.

Something Paper Mario tier could happen, and there was a rumour along those lines not that long ago. I wouldn't bet on it but. As @Bolt_Strike said, Nintendo rarely lines up releases with anniversaries or major releases. When it has happened it seems more of a coincidence than something planned

You have to remember that software takes years to develop. Theres planning, localisation, distribution etc and that's before any potential delays or reworking. And it has to line up with moving hardware plans. You don't do all that and also line up with other releases

I agree with what has been said. These games do take time, believe it or not. I’d rather Nintendo take 6 years, 7 years, hell even 10 years making a full, completed, new Mario masterpiece than shoving one out the door unpolished and not ready for release because of some event that Nintendo doesn’t have to “capitalize on the hype” for. It makes little sense.

What do we think of a likelihood of a Direct after the Ubisoft and Capcom showcases? The Ubisoft one didn't really have much for Switch owners apart from Prince of Persia, but the Capcom one did have a few titles like Ghost Trick and the Apollo Justice Trilogy, the latter of which could have definitely been announced in a Direct.

@StarPoint Maybe a Partner Showcase or a Mini (like 20mins).

Surely the next Direct will announce a DLC/Season Pass for TotK?