Expect More Nintendo Direct Mini: Partner Showcases Throughout 2020

This makes it sound like Nintendo have nothing first party coming out this year. Almost like they're trying to keep themselves somewhat relevant by chucking out these tiny third party Directs.

one each month!

Where are the First party directs though? Anyways, still waiting for axiom verge 2 and Hollow knight: Silksong so i hope those get mentioned in another partner showcase soon

@FragRed I am sure we will get more 1st Party stuff. They probably aren't willing to fully commit yet cause of COVID-19

I don't even need a direct. I just want the stupid release dates and to know if Mario Collection is coming or not.

@FragRed Nintendo has done major directs after indie showcases before. So, I disagree.

I'm sure there will be first party titles. They may be shadow dropped, though. Like paper Mario. I could even see them do a Mario Direct late august or early september (after the summer break).

I wouls much rather have one direct in september/october than all these small announcements that are a little underwhelming

One has to wonder....has Covid 19 hurt Nintendo more than other companies? As in, their work force hasn't been able to adjust to working from home or the company hasn't got enough infrastructure in place for offsite work? Something is clearly up. Why won't they tell us anything first party related?

I'd be ok with the big holiday title this year being a third party, but I don't see that happening. Still more than enough time to announce new nintendo stuff tho, must be p a t i e n t

I would suggest having a bit more beef to the selection for the next one because this one had a very limited reach.

Cadence of Hyrule- To either physical collectors or those who havent picked up the game yet, though DLC is welcomed too.

Whatever that second game was- ehh.

WWE Battlegrounds- WWE fans (And assuming it runs better than 2K18)

STM3+5- To really STM fans, though I myself might try STM 3 as I've never touched the series.

Just feels that Nintendo thinks this will appeal to every single one its Switch owners but frankly they'll be lucky if it even appeals to 50%....

So I guess RIP Nintendo Direct as we knew them?
But what about first party games, when are they going to announce those?

I wouldn’t mind if the second half contains a lot less. I think we all just want something to look forward too (and I wouldn’t mind footage without a release). Definitelly because this is the most unpredictable time because they released most of the “logic” franchises on the switch. I am so curious that this waiting game is tough. I also hope that they can maintain the momentum they currently have with the switch.

I am starting to think that de release scedule would still be lacking even if this was a “normal” year. The transition from 2 devices to 1 looks harder than most assumed for their output of games.

People need to stop panicking about a lack of first party titles, they will come.

We have just seen Nintendo can announce a fully fledged first party title out of the blue in Paper Mario and release it two months later.

I have no doubt there will be 3 or 4 first party titles released before the end of the year.

@TheFullAndy True, but they released 12 first party titles in second half of 2019, even if we get 3 or 4 that's a significant cut in variety. There's going to be people with nothing to look forward to.

As much as I loved the announcements for SMTIII Nocturne and SMTV, I would be lying if I said I still was not disappointed that the rest of 2020 seems empty when to be perfectly honest, the first half of 2020 seemed barren to me.

I do feel a little bit better now that I know something good is coming in 2021 at least.

"those eight minutes flew by, huh?"
Aside from the WWE cringefest. That felt like days.

@link3710

Then those people need to broaden their horizons and try games not made by Nintendo!

Give us something interesting and I might be excited, but the last one and the Treehouse, was just crap

@mariomaster96 Well, we're still living in a pandemic and Japan was one of the last countries having to shut down. They're probably trying to figure out how to record these presentations, whether remotely (Smash direct) or piece together footage (Mini direct). I don't think people have returned to the Kyoto office yet either and that's where their studio is located.

@Nintendofan83 I think you raise a good point. Given what we know about Nintendo's rather old-school approach, it's not unthinkable that they didn't have the remote working capabilities in place to adjust to stay-at-home orders. I wonder if the recent Tokyo office consolidation has also impacted their timetables at all.

These droughts make me wish Nintendo was 3rd party.

yeah i'm not getting my hopes up anymore . . .

this year in general is such a bummer.

Kinda feels like Nintendo are floundering at the moment. The variety of games they seem to be releasing this year definitely feels like it's nosedived, which is Strange considering they're no longer supporting the 3DS. Paper Mario and Animal Crossing, can't have been the only games they pencilled in for 2020 surely

"breadth of games and the variety of experiences".... Ooookaay

Some of the exclusions from the non-Japan versions (Atelier Ryza 2) were very confusing...

Mooooore please

@FragRed or maybe they want to surprise us in the next few months so i wouldnt mind that but hopefully we get some info on botw 2 maybe in august.

@Wargoose you also need to considered that the covid 19 has put a damper on everthing including game developers/gamecompanis so give nintendo some time.

I think the English version of this direct mini was a little rushed, the Japanese one seemed to be more complete. we will have to wait for more "surprise" releases like Paper Mario. If you remember, Nintendo used to close the "main" E3 conferences, and Microsoft's games conference is on July 23 I think... so maybe we will see some first-party games after everyone's show is over

@exodomori if nintendo is stating theres more directs coming for the rest of 2020 then well definitely see more info on suppose mario remaster games and maybe botw 2.

If you notice the branding on the last 2 presentations, it may be a monthly occurrence. Nintendo Treehouse Live July 2020 and Nintendo Direct Mini July 2020. Maybe they'll tie the first party games into a Treehouse Live segment? Either way, we know there are more in the future and stating July 2020 for each makes it seem like a monthly or every other month schedule instead of something quarterly like Summer 2020.

Hmmm don't think that they should do these small directs in this format. It was not bad, but their were only two things that made me go yes that's nice

Underwhelming for me, the game selection was ok and it was good for managing expectations, but this format cant exist without some real Nintendo Directs. Clearly smt5 saved the day

I’m pretty sure Nintendo’s strategy is to let PS5 and Xbox Series X events play out before going all in on a major direct. If they announced anything major today, it would be forgotten mid week when the Xbox event takes place.

We need a real direct

@INKT that is one explanation i can live with

Ehm... Ok, but where are the games for this year?? I mean, we know Covid has done damage, but come on... No more games for this year? Really?

@Slowdive either way e3 was scheduled for early June. That means Nintendo at the very least needed 2 extra months to get their house in order.

What we really need to know is when we can expect a REAL, first-party Direct.

@Slowdive Exactly!

Does that mean we won’t have a regular Direct this year?

@FragRed Or they do and they're going to strategically announce/drop first party titles mingled with whatever drops or announcements come from these Minis.

@Nintendofan83 I also think they're still kinda recovering from having to restart Metroid Prime 4. I have no more first hand knowledge of how it really affected them than the next guy. But you have to think it was supposed to be a linchpin title for this year (if my memory is correct in the timeline of it's development) and having restarted it, they probably had to shuffle or accelerate the development of many other projects to make up for it.

@TheFullAndy most likely get new games that arent on a nintendo platform hate to say it but if that was supposed to show 3rd party titles that was still awefull.... Nothing was really shown

@INKT there is no strategy we keep saying maybe they will do this and when they dont we say maybe it will do that bur it never happens....

Thats not good

All I want to know is when can we expect more first party announcements. We’ve had a whopping 1 first party game announced in just under a year (2 if you count New Pokémon Snap). That’s insane. When are you going to say what you’re working on and not just your partners?

@Lady_rosalina

Nothing interested me personally but I know some people will be over the moon at the SMT games in particular.

Nintendo has confirmed there will be more of these showcases throughout the year so more to look forward to and I expect a big Nintendo first party Direct around end of August/early September.

I see several posts here posing questions such as when (or if) Nintendo will do a full, first-party Direct this year and whether the gap since the last big one (well over half a year now) might be the result of COVID-19.

While COVID has obviously affected the entire gaming industry (and everything else), I don't think it is solely to blame. Looking back at first-party releases for the Switch, there has been a steady decline in their number since that incredible launch. SSBU was essentially the only AAA first-party title for the holiday season two years ago, and ACNH's delay into this March left Luigi's Mansion 3 in a similar position last year.

Looking back beyond that to the Switch's predecessors, the Wii U and the Wii before it had similar months-long gaps between major first-party releases, and there's no question that the aforementioned great launch window of the Switch was heavily influenced by fans' concern and frustration from the absolute dearth of new games over the Wii U's final year. It was never realistic to expect Nintendo to maintain that pace of outstanding first and third-party games during the Switch's inaugural year, but what's happened since then feels all too familiar. The gaps have grown longer, and as we enter the second half of 2020 there are literally no major first-party titles announced as definitely coming this year (a year in which both Microsoft and Sony are launching new, even more powerful consoles, which you would think should prompt a serious response from Nintendo).

This is a pattern we've all seen before, and while I'm not predicting gloom and doom for Nintendo as has been done countless times, it doesn't bode well for the future of the Switch, at the very least. Nintendo's silence in 2020 may well indicate that, like BotW, Skyward Sword, and Twilight Princess before them, the new Zelda and Metroid titles will end up as either "hybrids" or exclusive launch games for its successor.

What about your own stuff Nintendo? What do you say, you don't have any?

What a sad state of affairs. I really do hope they have something for the holiday at least. Something that interests me.

@exodomori Nothing until September if you're right. There's the Xbox event on Thursday then apparently there's a PS5 State of Play in August and we know Microsoft are on the partner list for digital Gamescom 2020 so there's likely another Xbox event in late August.

@FragRed ummm Paper Mario is first party, Braverly Default 2 and ohh yea Animal Crossing. There is a chance Bayonetta 3 could happen as well. Doubt it but possible.

@Bolt_Strike animal crossing, paper Mario,, Bayonetta 3, BoTW2, New Metroid. that's to just name. Few first parties they have announced their working on

Yeah ok Partner Showcases are fine, but like, we need some full Nintendo Direct or even a Mini with Nintendo Announcements.

@AtlanteanMan
Pokemon Sword/Shield was the big holiday title of 2019, and the Mario 3D Collection looks to be the big holiday title of 2020 barring some big surprise.

I really would rather one 30 minute direct over 10 8 minute ones with 5 games each, of which one in every mini is WWE 2K Battlegrounds. That was underwhelming. WWE looks like garbage, they showed the players more than the game, which is never good

For this year if Nintendo say those Mario remastered are coming I will be very happy. I won’t need any other games I think , I just want them to give us some good news! Xxx

@TheFullAndy Usually I'd be right there with you, but uh... this is also the most barren 3rd party release schedule we've had on the system since launch.

I mean, people should look back on what they missed but like, we still don't have any major dated third party titles between September and December either, save WWE Battlegrounds, RPG Maker MV and XIII. And the first two there are rather niche in terms of who'd enjoy them.

When we die, we should all have people from Nintendo lower us into our graves so they can let us down one last time.

@Tandy255 Ok that one was good

I feel like people think that Ninetndo is saying, "We've halted production on Metroid Prime 4 and all of our Mario Games so that we can release Cadence of Hyrule expansions."

The cool stuff is still being worked on. They're just not ready to talk about it yet. When the time comes, they'll share. They'd be crazy not to. Just one generation ago, we'd be shocked to find out that there's any third party support for a Nintendo system at all.

@Entrr_username 😀 I can’t take credit for it. It was a yearbook quote online about being let down by people you’ve worked with on group projects.

Nintendo, I come to you for first party titles. Where are they?

Crazy that they opted to show a game that will release in 2021 and we, the players, don't even know what's going to be released next month and through out the rest of the current year.

You know that feeling when you are hoping for the new Nintendo Christmas release in your stocking and you open it Christmas morning and it's a Super Hero DVD you have already seen. That the Direct mini. And we don't want more, we want the real thing.

I thought today's Mini was pretty good, given the short notice, clarity that it wouldn't contain any major announcements and the overall vibe of it. WWE looks silly and fun as hell XD

This is definitely convenient. You know, for every previous direct, there were at least one or two announcements that didn't excite as much as the others, and felt like they belonged to a separate announcement. With this format now present, the big Directs will be mainly focused on the premieres and surprises, while these "Partner Showcases" will help on small updates on previously announced games, with probably some surprises like SMT III)
And remember when Directs aired once per month in 2013? I hope this brings back that feeling

On a related note, a main Direct happens either this month, or September, period. In fact, it needs to happen this month as that's the only way we will have the "big exclusive game for every month" schedule they promised since the beginning for the next of the year!

Makes me wonder if they’re using this to cover up the fact they’ve got nothing planned to release themselves! Hope not!

@FragRed,

Don't agree with you there, it's simply not possible Nintendo have nothing else coming out this year, and I feel we will just get shadow drops as these games get nearer release.

The Paper Mario reveal makes this look like a possibility, of course Nintendo could also be waiting for Microsoft to have their event like Sony so they are not overshadowed, and we may get a full on direct.

@Dirty0814 I said "announced", not released. All of those except Paper Mario were announced before 2020.

This reminds me a lot of the Wii U's more barren years, but it had the 3DS leeching development studios away from it. What's the Switch's excuse?

Are they trying to ruin the reputation of the Nintendo Direct??

So actual Nintendo directs are dead, got it

@INKT In the later article asking about people's thoughts on the mini direct I said something similar that this is a possibility. I wouldn't blame Nintendo for doing this strategy, it's nice to see someone who is also looking at the whole picture.

I don't know why they don't just show the whole thing in one go, it's obvious that it's all already filmed as during the direct the narration said " We'll have more on this later today" but that never actually happened/got shown.