The House of Mario is due to air a new Nintendo Direct this week. It’s been confirmed that the company’s latest gaming showcase will take place this Wednesday at 6AM PT/9AM ET/2PM GMT. Well, technically it's a "partner showcase" and not a full Direct. But there's still plenty to get excited about.
The official Nintendo North American account on X confirmed the timings, with the 25-minute presentation set to feature both first-party and third-party Nintendo Switch games (thanks, The Verge), which you'll be able to view on official Nintendo YouTube accounts.
Nintendo is unsurprisingly keeping quiet on the details. The Kyoto-based firm is tight-lipped at the best of times, and it’s probably keen to keep in near total control of the narrative in light of credible rumors from last week that point to Nintendo Switch 2 not launching in 2024. Instead, it looks like the potential successor to its hugely successful handheld hybrid will launch in Q1 2025.
The main reasoning behind the delay (not that there was ever an official release date), seems to stem from a desire to have as many Nintendo Switch 2 launch games as possible. That’s probably a wise strategy, especially considering the Switch 1 really only had The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild to shout about when it hit shelves — not that being “burdened” with one of the greatest games of all time is something to cry over.
Is Nintendo Switch 2 about to be announced?
While you can never quite say “never” with these things, don’t go betting the house on Switch 2 showing up at the new Nintendo Direct (famous last words). There’s a chance Nintendo could confirm the name of the console, but I’d be surprised if it reveals any final hardware designs. These words definitely aren’t going to haunt me, right?
Taking Nintendo at its Twitt… sorry “X” word, the focus of the Direct will be placed on Switch 1 games. It seems likely that titles such as Princess Peach Showtime (due out March 22), Tales of Kenzera: Zau (slated for April 23), Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD and Hollow Knight: Silksong will have trailers/gameplay walkthroughs.
If your cup is overflowing onto your lap, you might be inclined to suggest Metroid Prime 4 will resurface at the latest Nintendo Direct. That would obviously be amazing, but the chances of Samus’ long-awaited sequel popping up out of the blue don’t seem great. At this point, Metroid Prime 4 could well be a cross-gen game that appears on both Switch 1 and Switch 2 (ala BotW launching on Wii U and Switch simultaneously at launch). Fingers crossed, though.
If nothing else, expect a whole lot of actual Nintendo Switch gameplay, rather than pre-made cinematics. The company has a strong history of celebrating in-engine footage, and I’d expect no less from its latest showcase.
