It's been a while since Nintendo held a proper Direct, or even a Mini one - so when might the next broadcast take place?
According to a post over the Gaming Leaks and Rumours subreddit, there might be one on the horizon. With the assistance of Visio Spark - a website that's able to monitor when other websites were last updated, it's been discovered the Nintendo Direct archives was modified on multiple occasions last week.
In saying this, it could just as easily be a "false flag" as another post in the same thread points out the "page seems to be regularly updated". Who even knows anymore?
While Nintendo has revealed some of its line-up for 2021, obviously fans are eager to find out what else it has planned for the year. Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury is also out next month, and there's still things to learn about it.
The last Direct Nintendo held was for its theme park Super Nintendo World towards the end of last year. Before then, it held a series of Mini Directs showcasing its partner games.
What do you think? Could this minor webpage update to Nintendo's Direct archive be a sign of things to come? What do you want from the next Nintendo broadcast? Share your thoughts down below.
[source reddit.com, via comicbook.com]
Comments 75
It is a sign! A sign that we are all so desperate for a direct, we will jump on any little snippet of 'news'. I am pretty pessimistic about all this but it would be great to have a direct of any kind.
Well let’s hope so. After a very quiet 2020, in terms of Nintendo first-party releases, let’s hope they bring out some big guns this year.
Nintendo has forgotten what general Directs are
I suspect they will have some things to show us soon. Even with the pandemic slowing things down. Last year was understandably light in terms of communication, and there's nothing post-Monster Hunter
@tanaka2687 "It is a sign! A sign that we are all so desperate for a direct, we will jump on any little snippet of 'news'."
What else is new?😆
Switch Pro confirmed with Grand Theft Auto 6: New Donk City as a launch title and it’ll shadow drop March 31st
I’d love a Super Mario Galaxy 2 announcement & more information on Bowser’s Fury too.
I mean 1 out of 2 isn’t bad eh?
I can see a Mini Direct full of Cat Mario and Bowser this week.
I’m not expecting a lot right now though with it being early 2021, and The Legend of Zelda series turning 35 this year with that Direct probably not being too far off.
switch pro & Mario Kart 9 pls
It wouldn't surprise me to see a Partner Showcase but I'm not really expecting any major first party announcements quite yet as they'll probably just ride the Monster Hunter wave for a while.
It’s happening
Maybe
Meh, it's probably just a Partner Showcase coming. They do need more first party announcements, but I don't see them coming yet. Maybe March.
Jokes aside I Really Really Really hope we get a Direct, and its just the start of 2021 the Best start for gamer's.
I really hope nothing comes from this, watching people lose their minds brings me so much joy
A proper one would be nice, but the cynic in me thinks the next one will probably be a short one focused on Super Mario 3D World.
I’m just hoping Bowser’s Fury is a lot more substantial than the ‘deluxe’ content of Pikmin 4. They need to put the effort in when relaunching these games for top dollar.
@NinChocolate They don't need to if a lot of people are still going to buy it anyway.
The Direct starts
"There will be no new games in 2021"
"Please understand"
The direct ends.
Nintendo Directs seem to have died since COVID came about. I'll be happy to see it being revived though.
Maybe this is a strategy though? The revival of Nintendo Directs, introducing the revival of several dead franchises. F-Zero! Golden Sun! Kid Icarus! Nintendo Wars! Wario Land! Mario Strikers, Baseball, Golf, Sports Mix, etc! Come on Nintendo, you have a golden opportunity.
.... no I'm not expecting any of this, but imagine the hype if this came to be.
btw the comments right now are only 20 but my my what is it going to be when I wake up.
I'd only expect a Direct mini. I can see a full Direct later on this year, but right now Nintendo only needs to detail about 3D world.
I'll believe it when I see it.
Though I would love a general direct though. I'm tired of all these mediocre mini ones.
They seem to just shadow drop game announcements randomly lately (eg, Paper Mario TOK and Pikmin 3 deluxe) so I'm doubtful that they're still going to do proper Nintendo Directs anymore.
I think Shuntaro Furukawa is to blame and doesn't care for them. He said they may do things differently in future (referring to Directs) and I noticed that he hasn't appeared in any like Iwata and Koisumi despite being fluent in English and a relatively young guy. Ever since he became president the interaction with fans and social media side of things has gone downhill. We don't even get a good supply of screenshots and information between releases anymore.
Everything they do is kind of bare minimum now (including the Switch userface) but it seems to be working for them. 🤷🏻♂️ Nintendo should be careful though. They always become arrogant and then fall off... Seems to be the Nintendo cycle. They'd do well to remember it's us "internet geeks" and hardcore fans who largely kept them afloat during their GameCube and Wii U wilderness days!
@TheBigK I thought it was just me!
Yep general direct with new switch, breath of wild 2,mario kart 9 and all new games is coming. I believe and sign my signature. I know it is difficult, but when it happens you may remember this message.
@Yosher I don't think it's Covid related as they've had indie and third party Directs in that time. They can easily be made remotely. I think they stopped before then too or definitely became way more infrequent.
One update to a website archive is pretty average, but you're telling me one LATE update to a site means so much more? I don't know about you, but I see this as regular housekeeping from Nintendo of America, who has recently developed a BAD TRACK RECORD of uploading stuff on time.
First, it was the last-minute of opening of the Sephiroth livestream, opened only 30 minutes prior to the stream whereas all other Nintendo departments opened theirs a few days early. They usually do it at the same time as others, but for some reason they decided to wait or they were running late. Secondly was the Monster Hunter Rise Digital Event, which was uploaded AN ENTIRE DAY AFTER it was showcased in Europe (and presumably, Japan).
This is nothing new. Nintendo of America has some issues with management and scheduling, so this archive update virtually means nothing.
considering february is the 35th anniversary of Legend of Zelda franchise, maybe Nintendo is gonna do a Legend of Zelda 35 anniversary Direct to show how they gonna celebrate this milestone?
I´m expecting a new Direct this thursday, to reveal Bowser´s Fury and talk a little bit about the games coming out in the next few months. Am I the only one?
I think we will have a mini. Details on Mario, Age of Calamity DLC, and an Animal Crossing update. Plus a few small things for other games.
I've come to the conclusion that big games like Mario and Zelda don't need directs to be successful, but you can gain awareness for smaller titles by putting them in a direct with a big Mario or Zelda game.
Of course if you only need an advert if you've got something to sell- here's hoping there's some stuff we want to buy to make up a direct.
Either a partner showcase for 3rd party or a Mini assuming there is anything at all. I've given up on getting a general direct from Nintendo; they clearly feel the need to become the next Valve.
Send me a sign -
For too long you kept me waiting
Send me a sign - From the eternal skies
Someone needs to summon a Nintendo Direct with a pentagram and a Chibi robo figurine again.
Wouldnt it be fun if the fake direct that is scheduled for today turn out to be true 😅
I can't wait for the next dissapointment 😀
And in other obvious news Nintendo will have a direct rumor every single month, the rumor merchants are bound to be right at some point.
@BenAV I was going to write another sentence about the fact that yes, the Mario brand always commands high sales regardless. But once in awhile Nintendo will pull together some real added value that goes that full distance. I’m just saying they should put that hat on for these rereleases, because they aren’t cheating themselves by doing so, even if they’ll get their money either way
Que sera, sera.
If It happens...yay. If not...pretty much the same ol same ol. Rise is coming in March so I’m set either way.
My predictions, Gameboy Switch Online, Bowser's fury news, Hollow Knight Silksong news, Hitman 3 noncloud version with the first two games. Bayonetta 3 release summer 2021, Pokemon Anniversary with Gold Silver remake. End with a next zelda game tease coming holiday 2021
@Gaming365247 Predictions? Or wishlist? Either way that does sound good. I also really want a Layton collection on switch but it's very unlikely
@Zeldinion
Predictions but i feel the next zelda game might not make it til 2022....
@Clyde_Radcliffe Not saying COVID is the clear cut reason but the timing seems to be roughly there, at least for when the regular Directs stopped altogether.
@NinChocolate They seem to want to use these Wii U ports as a way to pad out the release schedule and make a quick buck with minimum effort which has proven to be pretty effective so far. They could go the extra mile but the number of extra sales that they get from doing so probably wouldn't be enough to justify the extra development time, cost and resources. The number of players who owned the game on Wii U is very small compared to Switch player base and a good portion of those players will likely double dip even without much added content.
Yeah, tell us more about that wiiu port you Nintendo!
If then it's just going to focus on the Mario world port.
Remember the "leak" that a Nintendo Direct would be today? Yeah... nope
We will get it when we get it. Hopefully the wait is worth it. Would be nice for the next direct to reveal the next switch iteration.
Snap! Its coming!
@NathanTheAsian It was probably an entire day after at the request of Capcom, who wanted to get the views via their channel.
Where's the Uncle Who Works At Nintendo Guys?!
@link3710
But Nintendo UK uploaded their's on the same day as Capcom. I don't believe there's any valid reason for Nintendo of America to delay their upload by an entire day if people in North America could just watch the UK presentation.
bring more wii u ports and I will be happy.
there is no mario kart 9, people. Nintendo doesn't need to make a mario kart 9.
In Feburary, there will be a zelda direct detailing zelda's 35th anniversary
I wouldn't mind a Direct. Possible Smash announcement could happen.
@the_beaver
Maybe not this Thursday but this would be the logical thing for them to do in the next 3 weeks. Fingers crossed it it Thursday though!
In the immortal words of some gta game "Aww s***, here we go again."
Its gonna be a nintendo direct thats just Todd Howard talking about how he will keep you hostage if you dont buy Skyrim for the 20th time then announces Skyrim super special edition.
I really don't get the whole "General vs. Mini" debacle. Fans act like Mini Directs aren't exciting game announcements, or that they don't exist.
"It's been over a year since our last Direct!"
Actually, we had one back in March.
"That was a Mini Direct, it doesn't count!"
It was half an hour long and featured around two dozen game announcements, including Smash DLC and classic Star Wars games. The only reason it was a Mini is because they chose to call it that.
Nintendo has been consistent for multiple generations.
1- Mario Kart (done - sadly)
Zelda (from the previous generation - done)
1- Zelda (from the current generation - that often simultaneously launches with the next gen - TP & BoTW)
Metroid - maybe if they feel like it
F-Zero (don't make me laugh)
1- 3D Mario (done)
1- New peripheral project (Ring Fit - done)
1- Animal Crossing (done)
Mostly Nintendo slows down w/time every system release - Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart were in the first year of the 3DS, and they stood for a long tiem.
This time around we had Zelda + Mario + MK in the first year - it leads to a LOT of WAITING b/c there won't be another MK on the Switch. It's unlikely there is another 3D Mario (just remakes).
We have to wait for the next gen...
It'll be a wait...
There will be a Switch specific Zelda (unless it also is launched simultaneously on Switch 2 --- just wait, it'll happen!)
The thing is, Nintendo makes "EVERYGREEN" games, and they can't have MK9 hurting sales of MK8...so...be prepared to wait...
@JohnnyC In which about ten seconds right at the end will be devoted to Bowser's Fury, with 8 of those seconds being a cutscene.
I've got way too many games to play so couldn't really care one way or the other, but, it seems pretty ovbious that they're going to have a big direct to announce for what's happening in April, and they can have a direct for that that will also feature 3D World Bowser's and talk about the next multiplayer battle royale to replace Mario 35, and they can talk about all the games to look forward to in 2021. I'd think we'd get something like that within the month or so.
@BenAV I hear you on the easy please these rereleases are. As a die hard Wii U fan and not an investor, I’d just like to see these games get the royal treatment, whatever pattern of business is the clear and likely outcome
I don't see an opening, did they remove it??
My guess is that it's another partner showcase since they implied that they're coming back in the last showcase. I don't mind the partner showcase model since third party stuff kinda gets forgotten if there's a big first party announcement to steal the show in a normal direct (unless it was a big third party game people have been asking for). There should be a version of it for first-party games as well and just alternate between them each month (so one month we get a direct for third party games and the next month we get a direct for first party games.)
I'm a lifelong Nintendo fan, and always will be. That being said, I've reached the point of "I'll believe it when I see it" when it comes to potential news/announcements.
Leaks are great when they turn out to be true, but Nintendo is notoriously secretive with this stuff... and ever since Iwata passed and Reggie retired, they've decided to stop talking to us via Directs on even a semi-regular basis.
They're still Nintendo, so I still love 'em... but it's terribly frustrating.
They usually announce a direct on a Wednesday, for early Friday morning show in my time zone. Guess we’ll see tomorrow then.
I hope Bowser’s Fury is worth the ridiculous tease it’s received. At any rate, they’ll have to tell us about it sooner than later.
@HaNks I've noticed mario kart 8 is £36 in UK now, so maybe MK9 could be a thing
@DonkeyKongBigBoy MK9 was heavily rumoured for last year. would make sense to have it be a Switch Pro exclusive as to not eat into sales of MK8.
@HaNks a switch pro will just be a revision of the current hardware. Possibly with 4K resolution and a faster GPU. The newer games will all still run on a current switch
@Bolt_Strike Partner showcases are over. The last one I think was in October but correct me if I'm wrong
@hassantaleb345 I think they said they were going to continue Partner Showcases this year.
@Bolt_Strike
From what I have heard they were only for 2020
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