Topic: Next Nintendo Direct?

@IceClimbers If that was to happen, I'd be almost certain that the "In-Game Purchases" in the ESRB rating for Animal Crossing are microtransactions. You don't go quiet on your biggest known game of the year until a week before launch unless there's massive controversy.

I'm predicting no Direct next week either

Saving everything for E3. People are going to be here begging until then.

Actually, last rumors say Nintendo won't go to E3

Was hoping there would have been an announcement today for a Direct on Thursday but sadly not the case. Ah well; looks like it's going to be next week or maybe not.

I'm certain there will be a Direct focus on ACNH before the end of the month.

Looking like a March direct.

Predictions ranked by likelyhood. Be curious to see my scorecard later and how it lines up with everyone else’s.

Feeling strongly: A new Paper Mario game released in Summer, A release date for No More Heroes 3 in Fall, A surprise 3rd party release in also in late Summer/Early Fall, Xenoblade Chronicles gets a May release, Bioshock Collection gets a release date

Maybes: 2D Metroid set to release in October, Gameplay trailer for Bravely Default 2, a non streaming version of Resident Evil 7 comes to Switch (the rest are already on there except 2 and 3 and Alien Isolation was able to run so, physical release but only half on cartridge), Pikmin 3 set for Fall release

Not likely: BOTW 2 trailer (seems more like an E3 thing), Metroid Prime Trilogy, A new F-Zero, Mario Kart 9, Any news about Shin Megami Tensei 5

It's happening...eventually

I do think now that we'll be seeing a Direct in March or April. They have a large game (Animal Crossing) and a remake of a Pokémon game within the same month, so first quarter doesn't need filling out any more - even with instant or near-instant releases. Second quarter and beyond can still be detailed in March, or even April.

I have a feeling that Nintendo is going fully in with not announcing things until they are ready to release or will be ready by that release. Only the large games and DLC will be exempt from that. As such, that three-nine month full announcement to release schedule is going to get shorter, I reckon.

I still hold out that an Animal Crossing Direct will be a month out from the release of the game, meaning it should be coming next week.

March, a couple weeks before Animal Crossing arrives, would be my guess at this point. Ten minutes focused solely on AC: NH and twenty minutes towards other games arriving between April and September (because the release schedule between those months is almost barren). No mention of Bayonetta 3. No mention of Shin Megami Tensei V.

Hmm well they've started advertising Animal Crossing in youtube ads. I dunno what that means in relation to a potential Direct.

Also isn't the new Fire Emblem DLC out today? Where's the fanfare?

@Dezzy I'm really excited for the Fire Emblem DLC though given it has a February 13th release for Europe means there's still like 6 hours to go before it drops.

@Grumblevolcano

Yeah me too, but it's been suspiciously quiet. Isn't this DLC like 80-90% of the value of the season pass?
Kinda like with the Xenoblade 2 season pass.

Well that got an entire standalone release. This Fire Emblem one has had 1 trailer and that's it. Something seems weird. I'd assumed it was because there was a Direct tomorrow and they'd give it that final push in the Direct.

@Dezzy Maybe avoiding spoilers? With Torna, Nintendo managed to promote it in such a way that the base game wasn't spoiled despite certain parts of Torna being major spoilers but it could be that Cindered Shadows' story is such that it's harder to not spoil the main game.

Why are Nintendo being so quiet? Something is not right.

I hope there's a Mini Direct tomorrow, It's been forever since we've gotten an announcement that wasn't DLC

@Grumblevolcano

They could just show more exploration of the underground and more battle maps though. No need to do story at all.
One of the main issues for me with any Fire Emblem game is how interesting the battle maps are. In terms of visuals, as well as in terms of structure and challenge.
The main game has like the biggest range of map quality in any Fire Emblem game ever made. Some are brilliant and some are dreadful.
What would make the DLC an instant buy for me would be if we could just see all of the new battle maps are they all looked really good.

@DannyBoi I used to think Nintendo are worryingly quiet but as @Grumblevolcano and others have started to get me thinking, it’s likely just because there’s nothing to announce to release first half of the year. Animal Crossing is what they’ll likely hope to keep hardware sales moving until second half of the year.

@FragRed Surely seems like the case. It's honestly getting kinda annoying getting nothing in the first half and then being drowned in games in the second, they really need to find a balance.

I would be fine with that, but I still want a Direct for them to just tease what's coming later in the year, even if it's just a serious of 2 minute trailers and then they tell us to just wait til E3 to hear more.

@Dezzy Even those kind of things could be main story spoilers in some sense like with battle maps the location, enemies or allies could reveal story info.

@FragRed I'd imagine either the first half of the year is pretty limited and the 2nd half is packed like in 2019 or the whole year is pretty limited. Either way, I'd guess Nintendo's decisions this year are at least somewhat a result of the next gen consoles.