Topic: Next Nintendo Direct?

Splatoon Raiders seems like it should've been a given for a Nintendo Direct, so either there's still a Direct coming soon that's stacked with games or Nintendo might just wait until September at the absolute latest. June Directs have been standard but then so were September ones until last year. Who knows anymore?

@PikminMarioKirby Splatoon 4 being far off is good news for Animal Crossing coming sooner. I'm back to being more confident about it being a 2026 release.

@SplatRay001 well yes, but the 5 mentioned series, including Pikmin, are typically in their advertising, and usually the 5 main series they’ve been choosing for certain things recently (like Nintendo Today!’s 5 themed series, and their Nintendo artwork for their store locations)

@Dev-N I think it wasn’t ready to be shown in the Direct, still looks like they’re working on it (I’m going to make a wild guess and say this has Camelot involved in development).

Animal Crossing could be 2026, but I think it’d have to be announced soon if so. It seems like the AC/Splatoon team has been pretty busy, so I do have my doubts.

I’m feeling Animal Crossing for summer 2026 and Splatoon for summer 2027. That might be unrealistic but I definitely feel like Nintendo will want to get these out as soon as possible. Considering New Horizons and Splatoon 3 were only two years apart it’s not impossible, especially since both games are probably a good way through development by now. Six years between ACNH and AC for switch 2 seems perfectly reasonable, and it would single-handedly sell so many consoles (especially if there is a bundle)

Also calling it now, animal crossing will be $80 (they’ll do the same bundle tactic as with Mario kart). Splatoon will probably be $70

I honestly think them skipping a June Direct would be a bad choice. I think having a direct follow up the Switch 2 release would be perfect, also to show more of what’s in store for the console besides what else they’ve announced, to kind of convince more people to make the swap since I know there are a few that plan on sticking to their OG Switches for a few more years. Though, Nintendo is known for being sometimes unpredictable, especially with their strange Direct schedule last year and them completely skipping September and a February Direct this year, so I sort of wouldn’t be surprised if they skipped June entirely. I did come across some rumors and discussion from a credible source last week that said a June Direct either would likely occur on Switch 2 launch week (which didn’t happen) or sometime this week, but apparently the source now doubtful of it happening, though of course that should be taken with a grain of salt.

@SplatRay001 I just hope if they make Animal Crossing 80, they don't do what they did with New Horizons and release an unfinished game that needs free updates to finish.

I'm kinda wondering if we're seeing Nintendo Directs die a slow death and Nintendo shift to Nintendo Today for their announcements. We've just seen a major new title drop in Nintendo Today at a time when we'd expect a June Direct, I'm wondering if they're trying to test if this is a better way for them to announce new games. I doubt we won't see a Nintendo Direct again ever, we'll surely see more Partner Showcases and I'd bet on at least one more mainline Direct, but I'm feeling like Nintendo Directs might become less and less of a factor now.

I'm wondering if Good Feel is sick of working on Yoshi. We've seen this happen before (Retro wanted to shift to DK games in the early 2010s because they didn't want to be known as "the Metroid Prime guys"), maybe Good Feel doesn't want to work on Yoshi anymore and has different projects they'd prefer instead. Additionally, Yoshi does feel like it could use the DK Bananza treatment, it's gotten kinda stale (I personally think it's showing potential to evolve with Crafted World but it's not quite there yet and still mostly just same old Yoshi) and sales haven't been super great, so I suspect Yoshi might be suffering a drought and might need a different team to pick it up. Maybe like DK they also look to another in-house team to reinvent Yoshi.

Yeah Smash is a pretty glaring omission from this major IP list (I also don't think you can call Mario checked off without a platformer game of some type because Mario spinoffs have each become their own thing at this point, both in gameplay and sales). At this point, I'm calling it, SSBU Switch 2 Edition for 2026. I don't see any other scenario being feasible at this point. Sakurai is working on Air Riders and is nearing retirement, I don't think he's working on Smash 6, and I don't think the younger Smash devs are rushing out Smash 6 anytime soon (I wouldn't expect it before 2030). I suspect they give Ultimate the MK8D treatment to get used to developing Smash on their own and to give Smash fans something to hold them over while they take their time figuring out what direction they want to take Smash 6.

@Bolt_Strike I don't think they'll kill directs for Nintendo Today. A lot less eyes are on that app, and a lot of people don't really use it. I hardly check it and get my news through accounts that repost the contents of the app- which I'm sure most do.

@VoidofLight Well like I said it might be a slow death. It wouldn't make a lot of sense for them to quit cold turkey now because Nintendo Today is still new and doesn't have a lot of users, but over the course of a few years? I could see it. Nintendo likes to have control of the messaging and they might think that even waiting to put a Nintendo Direct together is too long in the social media age where it's far too easy for things to get leaked. They might think Nintendo Today might help them get the jump on leakers and just get the news out when it's ready instead of needing a giant event.

@Bolt_Strike Ehhh. I just doubt they're going to do this. They'll always get more eyes on their stuff by hosting big events instead of just doing small drops here and there. I didn't even know there was a splatoon game revealed until I saw someone on social media talking about it.

Donkey Kong is one of the bigger franchises also. Let's expand out what you have with all the big franchises in approximate order of sales. I'll include all announced games, GC NSO, and free updates which were big enough for Nintendo to highlight them on their free update list.

Switch 2 or announced appearances:

• Pokémon - New game + NSO + free update
• Super Mario - NSO + free updates
• Mario Kart - New game
• Zelda - New game + S2 versions + NSO +free updates
• Sports - ??
• Animal Crossing - ??
• Super Smash Bros - ??
• Mario Party - S2 version
• Donkey Kong - New Game
• Mario Sports games - NSO
• Kirby - New Game + S2 version
• Fit games - ??
• Brain Age - ??
• Mario RPGs - ?? (though we just drowned in them)
• Yoshi - ??
• Splatoon - New Game + free update
• Nintendogs - ??
• Duck Hunt - ??
• Luigi's Mansion - NSO
• Wario - ??
• Metroid - New Game
• Fire Emblem - NSO
• Tomodachi - New Game
• Star Fox - ??
• Big Brain Academy - free update
• Pikmin - ??
• Xenoblade Chronicles - ??
• Clubhouse Games - free update
• Excite - ??
• Style Savvy - ??
• F-Zero - NSO
• Nintendo Land - ??
• Rhythm Heaven - New game

Impressive percentage of that long list are bringing at least something.

What's the general opinion here, direct or no direct? I haven't been keeping track - can someone please fill me in?

The lack of many third party Switch 2 announcements during last week's summer game fest activities plus assuming a parallel schedule to 2017/Switch 1 made a lot of us assume there would be a June direct. However, the fact that Nintendo just dropped an announcement for a major first party game in the Nintendo Today app is making some of us question whether there will be a direct.

Sooo... maybe? Or maybe a partner direct? Or maybe nothing but random drops until September? Hard to know.

Well yeah, that's the thing. They know they have a legion of Youtubers and fanboys salivating to post any shred of Nintendo news they can get their hands on so I don't think they feel the need to do big events to get everyone's eyeballs. They feel like they're so big now that they can dictate when and where the news is and everyone will follow, and having multiple tidbits of news here and there helps keep them continuously relevant. Might be a bit of an arrogant strategy, but with the Switch's success we're seeing arrogant Nintendo again, so I think this fits their MO.

@FishyS Thank you for filling me in

@Bolt_Strike It would just suck to have a random reveal and nothing to look forwards to before it though. At least with directs we know when we're getting big news. With this, it's just random on if you'll wake up and have a series you like get an announcement- or if it takes 7 years to see if it does.

Yeah there's definitely a direct later in the month. So much stuff still needs release dates. I'm guessing they revealed Raiders now for two reasons. Firstly, they needed to announce the update anyway so why not, and second: to avoid the confusion of people thinking it's Splatoon 4. If they just cold opened to this in a direct, most would've assumed it was Splatoon 4 until the title reveal.

The Prime 1-3 book delay makes me wonder if Prime 4 will be delayed to 2026.

To me what this list highlights is the need for something for Switch Sports, Animal Crossing and Smash in the medium term. Even if it's just a free update that improves resolution/framerate or just an announcement of something else. They quietly dropped a Splatoon 3 free update on us, I could see them doing something similar for Animal Crossing

Smash Bros I'm a bit less confident about because its not clear if or when they'll be another one. Or development effort into the current version. Switch Sports, less exciting maybe, but I think it could do with a Switch 2 Edition that adds additional sports, GameShare. Possibly even adding some of the Wii Sports Club GamePad stuff as options. I mean it did prominently feature in their promotions for GameChat

@Grumblevolcano

Wondering the same thing. Maybe Prime 2 & 3 Remastered sometime in the fall, and Prime 4 is the Holiday game? There's a part of me that thinks Nintendo would never make Prime 4 the big game of the year, but it'd be pretty awesome if they did.

@VoidofLight I mean I didn't necessarily say it's a good thing (but it's also not necessarily a bad thing either, means we don't have to wait for February, June, or September to get news), just that I think they're going to do it.