In what may come as a surprise to nobody, Nintendo has announced its much anticipated Nintendo Direct screening live at midnight tonight and they have made one thing very clear, there will be no talk about the Switch Successor. Instead, the direct will run for 40 minutes and will focus on games releasing in the latter half of this year. Now, as you may know, I stopped reporting on rumours and leaks as YouTube is flooded with videos and misinformation and I don’t want to contribute to that, but instead, I did want to share my thoughts on what we may see, what I would love to see, and what we won’t be seeing in this Nintendo Direct. Don’t be shy either, let me know what you would like to see when it goes live at midnight tonight.
Also, just to add to the timing here. I think this direct was originally going to announce the Switch 2, but supply shortages meant a delay in the console shipping dates, meaning Nintendo most likely made a strategic decision to announce the console toward the end of the year for a March release. Hence, why we are seeing a few more ports and remasters on the release schedule. Fingers crossed we see something like the Wii U version of Wind Waker slated in August to tide Switch owners over.
What we will see:
Luigis Mansion 2 will definitely be on show. I predict it will be a quick overview and won’t show anything new as it’s been covered already in previous trailers. Just there as a reminder that it’s coming out and I’m all for it.
Ace Combat 7 was announced for a July release and has been quiet ever since. I’m certain we will see updated game footage and a story overview trailer from Namco.
Tales of the Shire, despite being announced only a month ago, I think it’s safe to say we will see some Switch footage of this game showcased in the new Direct
Dungeons 4? Kalypso has remained tight-lipped on this one since its announcement despite it releasing on the other consoles. I’m hoping to see an update on this series that’s a spiritual successor to the Dungeon Keeper games.
Fantasian (Former IoS Game) There have been persistent rumours about this one and a Switch port was recently confirmed. Seems like a great time to announce a date for this former IoS Exclusive RPG
Ace Attourney rumours have been persistent today with notable leaker “Pyoro” seemingly hinting at a new entry into the series. After the dramas around leaker Midori, leaks haven’t been hinted at as much around this direct. Maybe Pyoro is taking a measured approach to this direct.
What I hope to see:
Wind Waker Port – Makes sense to see the Wii U version of Wind Waker ported to the Switch as Nintendo has a 6 month window to fill. While I know porting a game isn’t just the wave of a wand, the Wii U Version of Wind Waker would in theory be up to scratch with minimal improvements needed.
F-zero GX – Again, there’s speculation that the F-Zero GX remaster is done and Nintendo are sitting on it, waiting for a good moment to release it. If that’s the case, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was shadow-dropped like they did with the Metroid Prime remaster.
Xenoblade Chronicles X – Makes sense seeing it is the only entry in the series not on the Nintendo Switch. There have been persistent rumours of it coming to the Switch, and this might be the last chance we have to play it before the Switch successor.
What we might not see:
I hope I’m wrong, but I don’t think we will see Metroid Prime 4 in this Direct. There’s a possibility of seeing Prime 2 & 3 remasters announced though, and if that’s the case, it would strongly indicate that Prime 4 could be a Switch 2 launch title. The other title is the new Pokemon Z spin-off. It’s slated for a 2025 release and since Nintendo is adamant that this Direct is aimed at titles releasing this year, it doesn’t make much sense to bring it up at all.
So there are my thoughts on the Direct. Join the discussion and let me know what you would love to see and your predictions on what Nintendo has in store for the next 6 months. I’ll be staying up past my bedtime tonight to catch it all live, and if you want to watch it live too, you can watch it here live via this link – Nintendo Direct 6.18.2024 – Nintendo Switch – YouTube
