Topic: Next Nintendo Direct?

I don't know how to feel about this claim. Ironically, I tend to have hope for a Direct when there's a tiny rumor, but the moment more people latch on to it the more ready I am for disappointment!

I do think we're getting SOMETHING this month, after this week the only game with a confirmed release date will be Air Riders and we've got multiple games supposedly coming soon that need announcements/updates (Prime 4 and Age of Imprisonment are supposedly coming in the next few months, Raiders was announced with not even so much of a release window, and everyone's wondering if we're going to get one or more games celebrating Mario's 40th anniversary). But I've seen various claims about a general, a Mario 40th, and a Prime 4 Direct (and Nash Weedle is even saying we're getting all 3) and I'm very skeptical. We're definitely due for something but how much of it we're getting and in what form is the big question mark.

On the one hand, VGC claims to have sources besides Switchforce. On the other hand, general directs are never on Fridays so the Friday day before Mario anniversary sounds more like a Mario direct. But direct dates usually leak via third party games since Nintendo itself is pretty careful. Although I suppose Mario merch or Mario + Rabbids or something might leak a direct date.

On the gripping hand, games like FF7 remake have gone out of their way to not give release dates and unlike first party games I doubt they would be dropped via Nintendo Today. So there almost has to be some type of direct beyond just a Mario Direct in September.

Will we get a Mario Direct and then a partner or general or mini direct the next week?? Or will we get an unheard of Friday general direct? Or are the leaks just wrong 😝

@FishyS Maybe we get something like this except it's a general and Mario 40th combo?

@PikminMarioKirby Possible, would just be bizarre on a Friday.

@FishyS True, depending on the time of day, it could be Mario's 40th anniversary in Japan (kind of like how the final Mario Movie Direct was Mar10 Day in Japan)

If the Friday rumor is true I suspect it is just going to be the 40th, I don't think they'd have a long, full Direct on a Friday they'd just have the relevant Mario things.

I hope the rumor’s wrong just so SwitchForce can go back into the irrelevance he crawled out of. Tired of seeing him be treated as a credible leaker.

Yeah if it's true that there'll be a Direct on the 12th, then I have no doubt it's a Mario 40th Direct.

@Bolt_Strike There's also Rhythm Heaven and Tomodachi Life that need info, and I'm assuming at least one of them is Q1 2026.

honestly because VGC backed it up and the weird friday date, i believe it, but i dont have high hopes. but doing one JUST for mario forty would be slightly strange i fear. Super Mario’s Mid Life Crisis anyone?

@PikminMarioKirby i very much hope youre right about this, thatd be perfect.

I mean... the September Mario 35 anniversary direct was just mario. There was a partner showcase and single game direct later in the month. The only unusual aspect would be having it on a Friday, but that is as close as you can get to the real anniversary date on a weekday.

@FishyS thats true, maybe thatll be the case. 35th was the most jam-packed anniversary celebration so far though, do you think it mightve just been good advertising to promote games already planned and getting through the pandemic? a special edition game boy was released for mario 20, all stars for wii on mario 25, and mario maker on mario 30, so so i think we might see a similar situation to mario 30 where its just a lot of merch and a game and a movie teaser possibly?

@OctolingKing13 Mario 30 had mario maker which was a whole special real game so I would argue it was the biggest anniversary. Mario 35 had the limited NSO game, the limited time 3-ports-in-a-bundle-limited-presumably-because-Nintendo-knew-expansion-pack-was-coming and a few website things. I know they technically included Bowser's Fury in 2021 but that one felt like a game which just happened to be finished nearish the right time so they pretended it was part of the anniversary.

But yeah, I assume movie mention, merch, and Wonder Switch 2 edition and/or some other mario game or port. And some silliness in Nintendo today. If there isn't a September general direct, I suppose some teaser for a big far off future mario game is possible.

@IceClimbers Possibly, but since they were 2026 entries off the bat they're probably coming a bit later than the other games I mentioned (aside from maybe Raiders). They could probably save some February/March announcements for 2026 if needed, but anything still slated for 2025 or early 2026, which most of the titles I mentioned probably are, is more pressing and therefore more likely to show up now.

I think fair to say probably also wise to do a celebration of Mario on the Friday rather than the Thursday given the Thursday is the 11th of September. Not that I personally think that date should be avoided in perpetuity but also I don't think there's any reason to be unnecessarily provocative when they could just do it on the Friday instead

With that said, I know people seem to be clamouring for a Mario 40th Direct and maybe that makes sense. Really it does make sense. And then people are also filling the gap with "well there must be a General Direct also". And sure, maybe. But I think also it's not entirely impossible for there to be a General Direct that just.... exists.... and gives a bit of a nod to the 40th rather than being a pure Mario Direct

@skywake I 100% agree a general direct could just include 5+ minutes about Mario anniversary, I just would have expected it to be on Wednesday rather than Friday, especially if there was any type of shadow drop game.

I'm not convinced we would get both a mario and general direct, but if there is no general direct, clearly other things have to happen soonish also (maybe the expected Prime direct and another partner direct in September or October)

If I'm wrong about Prime 4 being delayed (and it's starting to look like it), then I don't see a universe where we hit the end of September without a deep dive trailer and a release date. It's just the last feasible time for us to learn about the game for a 2025 release, especially if it's releasing before Air Riders (which I think it will be, if it's this year I suspect it's releasing close to Halloween). And as I've mentioned, boy do we need to learn a lot about this game. There is so much of the game that hasn't been shown that warrants at least one more trailer, we've only seen no more than 1/3 of the game and in highly curated segments, there's likely another big mechanic they haven't shown us yet. I'm not sure how we're going to get that news, whether it's a general Direct, Prime 4 Direct, or Nintendo Today update. But it's looking like a foregone conclusion we'll get this in some form this month.

@Bolt_Strike I wonder if Nintendo have been shrewd enough to realise that there will definitely be some audience cross-over between Silksong and MP4... and therefore wanted to give a decent amount of breathing room between the releases?

Perhaps N will eventually just shadow-drop MP4 with a week's notice, IIRC they did a similar shadow drop with the MP1 remaster?

@CJD87 No, they could get away with it for Prime 1 because it was a remake that most of its audience knew well. Prime 4 is a new entry and one they seem to be positioning as a major title (unusually large given Metroid's relatively modest sales). I can buy that they're pausing marketing for Prime 4 because of Silksong, but a shadow drop would be disastrous for it.

It seems that Tomb Raider LAU (Legend/Anniversary/Underworld) Remastered teasing is massively ramping up. It may be something to consider regarding Direct speculation considering TR1-3 Remastered was announced in the September 14th 2023 general Direct. TR4-6 Remastered got announced standalone in October 2024 but Nintendo did skip September that year while State of Play got Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver 1+2 Remastered.