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Predictions Now that the Switch 2 is (apparently) delayed, let's predict Nintendo's 2024 lineup!

April - nothing
May - Luigi's Mansion 2 HD (NLG)
June - Nintendo Direct Maker (EPD 10)
July - Paper Mario Please Stop Asking For This Edition (Intelligent Systems)
August - nothing
September - DOOMposting (EPD 5 x idSoftware cross-platform game with Xbox)
October - Metroid Prime Fore (Camelot Software Planning)
November - Pokemon Scarlet 2 and Pokemon Violet 2 (Game Freak)
December - nothing
 
May - Paper Mario
June - Luigi's Mansion 2 HD
July - Legend of Zelda WW + TP
August - Pokémon Mystery Dungeon + Fire Emblem
September - Rhythm Heaven + Prime 2/3
October - Donkey Kong
November - Pokémon Legends 2
December - Nothing

This makes sense to me but might be too much, but i'm choosing to be optimistic. Maybe swap Rhythm Heaven with a Tomodachi game but I think the main things missing from Nintendo's 2024 rn are a smaller title like WarioWare, a bigger title like Wonder and the Pokémons.
 
Okay...

April - nothing
May- Paper Mario
June - Metroid P2-3 shadowdrop
july - Luigi's Mansion 2
August - Nothing
September - Fire Emblem 4
October - New JRPG IP from an associate studio (or Mother 3 remake. I'm feeling it, it's coming!)
November - BW remakes and Metroid Prime 4
December - StarFox Assault remake

February for extra - Zelda classics collection (OoT and MM 3DS versions in HD)

Also:
Switch XL with golden Zelda, Pikachu, BW, Metroid special editions. Switch Lite gets transparent Pokémon versions that coincide with Pokémon Red & Blue Remastered editions. No NSO release, Red and Blue gets native wide screen versions with online.
 
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This year seems like a disappointment already but I guess is the best time to drop that Kid Icarus Uprising remaster and who knows? Maybe even Golden Sun remakes.
 
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Otherwise I will go along with Fire Emblem 4 Remake, a Pokémon game, Metroid Prime 2/3 HD, maybe a Kirby game, next to the games we already know.

Best case scenario would be Remakes of the Oracle Zelda games in one package.
Wind waker and Twilight princess next year, since we just had TotK as a 3D Zelda.
Personally I think TP and WW make more sense on the successor, because on Switch it would be just about the same as the Wii U versions.

Rhythm Heaven would be a dream. Doubt it though.
 
I think we get 1-2 more remasters and ports, a lot of NSO gap filling, and a couple more roster gaps filled.

At this point I just don't see Nintendo doing HD remasters of any more Zelda games; they'll wait to be able to market them as even higher-res than the HD versions.

Ports/remasters
  • Metroid Prime 2+3
  • Pokémon Black/White

NSO
  • Banjo-Tooie
  • Donkey Kong 64
  • Diddy Kong Racing
  • Super Smash Bros.
  • Snowboard Kids
  • Castlevania 64
  • Bomberman 64
  • Bomberman Heroes
  • StarCraft 64
  • Pokémon RBY
  • Pokémon GSC
  • Wario Land 1,2,4

New titles
  • 2D Zelda
  • Rhythm Heaven
  • Nintendo Warriors spin-off
 
I think we’ll still be getting smaller Switch games and cross-gen stuff in 2025-2026, for the same reason we were still getting 3DS stuff in 2018-2019 like Sushi Striker, Kirby’s Epic Yarn, Bowser’s Inside Story and Samus Returns (on top of a shedload of late third party games). I don’t think we need to look at it like Nintendo spacing out the last few items this year- they’ll want to still serve that 140m+ user base while Switch 2 finds its feet.
 
I really do not think BW remakes are as safe a guess as people think. The person who's been leaking lots of Pokemon stuff for years has given almost 0 hints to a remake of any kind, outside of a cryptic "authentic soup authentic taste" Tweet that may or may not have been a troll given other comments he made around the time. Plus, with GF caring so little about gen 4 remakes that they outsourced it at the last minute and the resulting shitshow, I imagine the devs want to wash their hands of remakes in general.
 
Quoted by: Leo
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A lot of people believe in the Genealogy of the Holy War remake but is that a good idea on the Switch hardware? Unless it uses 2D sprites I can't imagine it performing at an acceptable framerate. Three Houses and Engage both have very apparent issues and the latter has small maps.
 
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I do expect we will get Metroid Prime remaster 2 and 3 this year because i think Metroid Prime 4 will happen next year by now. I also expect a port of WW / TP HD this year.
 
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One thing I do wonder, given how we had the possible leak of a GameCube controller for Switch coming, whether Nintendo plan to do a kind of 'year of the GameCube' type deal where they drop a bunch of classics from that console at a reduced price, kinda like what they did with Pikmin 1-2. They could even tie in with other games. We have the Luigi's Mansion 2 remaster coming, why not release the first game as well? We have that rumoured Fire Emblem 4 remake coming, why not drop Path of Radiance while they're at it? If they drop a trailer for Metroid prime 4, they reveal a Prime 2 release at the same time. Release them in the $30-$40 range, and Nintendo fans have something to play while they wait for the new games, while Nintendo make a quick buck. It's not too disimilar from what they did when the Wii U was in it's very long twilight years.

Another idea, could this be the opportunity for that long awaited Xenoblade Chronicles X port to really consign the Wii U to history?
 
It's interesting to think about Nintendo having a release where Bowser's Fury is totally separate from 3D World... I like that thinking honestly HAHA
Same, one of the games I really want to play before moving to switch 2, but not at 60/40 euros after finishing the original three times. Same problem with splatoon 3 singleplayer.
 
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I had already predicted the schedule was "booked" until September, seemingly due to the Switch 2:

January: Another Code
February: Mario vs DK
March: Princess Peach Showtime
April/May: One unannounced remaster/remake (Probably FE4)
June/July: Luigi's Mansion 2 HD
August: Paper Mario TTYD

The question then was where you go from there with the Switch 2 and its lineup. Before the delay, my predictions were:

September: 3D Mario and Causal Title (Switch 2), (maybe with a cross-gen shadow-drop of Metroid Prime 2 and 3 Remastered before Prime 4)
October: Metroid Prime 4 (Cross-Gen)
November: Pokémon (Cross-Gen)

Obviously, 3D Mario and the casual launch title will get delayed alongside Switch 2. I think Nintendo would save Prime 4 for after the Switch 2 launch as well, even if it was cross-generation. The only one I don't see getting delayed is the next Pokémon title. That then leaves us with a two-month window of nothing in September/October. I think we can most realistically expect quick ports and remasters to fill that slot, ones that Nintendo have likely been sitting on in case of situations like this. I think they could also move things around from April-August. With all that in mind, here is my complete 2024 first-party roster, starting from March:


March: Princess Peach: Showtime!
April/May: Wind Waker/Twilight Princess HD (I think they've been sitting on these for a rainy day and will take the FE4 remake's original slot)
June/July: Fire Emblem 4 Remake (Taking LM2HD's original slot for reasons I'll explain later)
August: Paper Mario TTYD
September: Super Mario Galaxy 2 HD (Another one I think they might have been sitting on since 3D All-Stars. I could see them using this to have a 3D Mario in the September slot as originally planned.)
October: Luigi's Mansion 2 HD (Moved to October to position it as a major Halloween release instead of the late-stage port they were originally growing it out as)
November: Pokémon (positioned now as the main holiday release)
 
I feel as if many are falling into the same logical fallacy of the 3DS, where many assumed the system was dead once the Switch came out. I think the year won't be nearly as dry as some think/hope. I obviously on that note think this is the year we see Prime 4 and I think it'll release in October, and I could see one other first party game we don't know about release this year as well. Likewise every single Wii U port has gotten new content of some kind IIRC so if we get TP+WW it'll have some new element to sell it on. Ideally if I am allowed to day dream, it would be a new dungeon themed around the Zonai for both games, like the Spirit Temple in OOT but instead of Kid and Adult it's TP and WW, but that's just wild speculation/fanfiction on my end.
That all depends on how Nintendo planning for the year originally looked like. If the original plan for Nintendo was to fill out the first half of the year with Switch titles and then release Switch 2 in the fall with new launch titles then yes a delay of the Switch 2 will probably lead to a drought for Nintendo, especially during the second half of the year. But that doesn't mean we won't get ports like WW / TP HD and their like, but new titles will be far and between this year.
 
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Haven't brought this one out for a while

YakumanScreenshotGameBoy.png


Time for this classic franchise to return as a standalone game....

I saw Phos play mahjong in Yakuza and she got a sanbaiman!! That's what prompted this
 
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March: Princess Peach Showtime
April: Paper Mario TTYD
May: Metroid Prime 2/3
June: Luigi’s Mansion 2
July: Fire Emblem 4
August: Zelda WW/TP
September: Mario Party Superstars 2
October: Metroid Prime 4
November: Pokemon Unova remakes/ Kid Icarus Uprising
December: Donkey Kong Decemeber is real
Idk more of wishlist if anything lmao
 
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I really do not think BW remakes are as safe a guess as people think. The person who's been leaking lots of Pokemon stuff for years has given almost 0 hints to a remake of any kind, outside of a cryptic "authentic soup authentic taste" Tweet that may or may not have been a troll given other comments he made around the time. Plus, with GF caring so little about gen 4 remakes that they outsourced it at the last minute and the resulting shitshow, I imagine the devs want to wash their hands of remakes in general.

I think it's safe to say they're not coming.

Whenever a Pokémon remake gets out, everyone defaults into expecting the next imminently, but in reality they take long breaks between each remake gen.

Pokémon's 2024 game (if any) won't be Unova remakes.
 
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April - nothing
May - HAL drops a random Kirby spinoff on the eshop
June - Paper Mario The Thousand Year Door
July - Luigi's Mansion 2 HD
August - nothing
September - F-Zero GX shadowdrop
October - Nintendo panics from no Switch 2 and finally makes the N64 Mini
November - Pokémon Black & White Remakes
December - nothing
 
If they had a 2D DK game, Prime 4, Fire Emblem, Zelda remakes etc... for Switch 1 they would have just had a general direct - it's simply not happening.

They can easily be announced on Twitter then a Direct in June. They only need a couple months marketing on them
 
Going for the optimism (as much as you can be at this point, lol) route to contrast some of the doom and gloom responses. Pretty apparent at this point the remaining stretch until Switch 2 is going to primarily be made up of remasters and remakes, but if they can get some fan-favourties on the platform alongside just a couple more original titles, I think they can get through the wait for March 2025. All of this is assuming the recent rumors are accurate; we're working on multiple layers of hypothetical here after all. Of course, i'll throw in all of the ridiculous fan titles I can muster, for extra flavor.

January and February are clearly already 100% sorted, so I can skip Another Code, Mario vs. Donkey Kong and Side Order to jump straight into:

March 2024:
  • Pokémon Rumble Adventure - Starting with a surprise selection i've seen on few lists anywhere, but I can justify it! Creatures are known to have had another game in development alongside Detective Pikachu Returns (via Linkedin listing); they absorbed Ambrella's staff in 2020, yet very few were credited on DPR; and comparing DPR's credits to a detailed staff breakdown there are enough unaccounted staff for said other project to have been in the works for awhile. I'd love if they returned to the Pikachu digital pet games (hugely biased towards Pokémon Channel), but Rumble became Ambrella's bread and butter, so it's the most likely choice. I imagine this as a digital-only title revealed in the inevitable Pokémon Presents later this month; i'd say cross-platform between Switch and Mobile like Quest / Cafe Mix / Unite if it weren't for Rumble Rush being what killed Ambrella in the first place.
  • Princess Peach: Showtime! - Now that we've seen all 10 transformations I can't imagine there's a ton left for them to say about this, beyond the inevitable overview trailer. Remain confident in Good-Feel's Tokyo studio being the lead developer, but not too long until we find out (possibly before launch if we see a demo release).
April 2024:
  • Nothing. It's normal for Nintendo to have some months with no game releases; and given they didn't feel the need to host a general Direct in February, I doubt there's anything notable urgently releasing in April for them to reveal.
May 2024:
  • Donkey Kong Country Returns - Current rumors circulating around are that Donkey Kong Country at USJ is opening fairly late into Spring, early June at the latest. 3D World + Bowser's Fury released in close proxmity to the opening of Super Mario Land (themed heavily after 3D World) in Japan, so repeating this for the land most influenced by DKCR feels like a no-brainer. Not sure what type of rerelease this would be, or who would be making it; another Hagi port ala Pikmin 1+2 (a job for the Porting Technology Development Team), or maybe a more in-depth remaster with the 3DS version's content and more (could be handled by any external studio). Either way, I really believe this one shows up soon, possibly announced alongside the opening date for the theme park.
June 2024:
  • Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door - Really wrestled with putting this one in May; we have good reason to believe they've been sitting on it for awhile given it had already received age ratings in multiple regions before the reveal; but it feels right to leave some space for DK. I think we'll see it again around Mar10, likely a shadowdropped trailer since I doubt we see a general Direct anytime before June at this point.
  • Metroid Prime 2: Echoes + Metroid Prime 3: Corruption - Not going to bother speculating the developer or the scale of the remaster effort, but in whatever form they've decided on I expect them to drop alongside our first real look at Prime 4 (spoiler alert, I think they'll do more than just show Prime 4 this year). We'll just say these shadowdrop on the eShop following a mysterious June presentation of some sort.
July 2024:
  • Fire Emblem Ashes: Genealogy of the Holy War - Long rumored, with a pile of evidence to back up speculation of a long development cycle (IntSys staff unaccounted for since 2017, a potential datamined reference in Engage, etc), I think we'll finally see the awaited FE4 remake this year. In my hypothetical this is probably the last game here that would need a shadowdrop announcement in H1 ahead of a Direct; would be cutting it even closer than Echoes if it were revealed in June for July release. Have a small twist in store for this one later too, so stay tuned...
August 2024:
  • Luigi's Mansion - Much like Pikmin last year, and what people also expect for Metroid Prime this year, I think they want to bring the complete Luigi's Mansion series to a single platform. Unlike DKCR I more clearly imagine this being a digital-only (possibly a physical later in October, for the spooky season) rerelease of the GameCube version (preferably the PAL version for the superior Hidden Mansion), with no features added in the 3DS version.
  • Luigi's Mansion 2 HD - To accomplish that goal of having all three Luigi's Mansion titles on one platform they still need to release this one too. Feel like some have forgotten that LM2HD is dated for Summer 2024 (northern hemisphere) specifically, so likely not an April or May release. I can't really see there being any major surprise new features at this point, but given how the marketing for MvDK ended up it isn't totally impossible yet. Still think Grezzo are behind this one like LM1 on 3DS, rather than Next Level handling this themselves, but i'm far less confident in that compared to Showtime.
September 2024:
  • Rhythm Heaven Forever - Better late than never. The Forever in the title wouldn't just be for show either; I think Nintendo are well aware of the fan Remix trend on the internet, and for the first time in the series will offer tools to create your own and share them with other players; a Rhythm Heaven you could play forever (eventual server shutdown notwithstanding). Development-wise I think the series will be moving over from EPD 7 to EPD 4, and co-developed with indieszero for reasons gone over plenty of times in the speculation cycle by now. I just want the wait to be over...
  • Kirby's New Dream Course - Speaking of a long wait, I think this is the year we finally see another older Kirby spin-off recieve a sequel. Air Ride was the other option to come to mind, but since i'm confident this year's Kirby will be the series' last eShop-exclusive title on Switch 1, and Air Ride 2 has potential to be sold at retail, i'll have to pass on it in favor of one that could feasibly be made at a much smaller scale. Maybe we'll see Air Ride again some other time...
October 2024:
  • Dr. Mario: Team Up - Been a few years since the last game Arika developed for Nintendo, and Dr. Mario is one of the few remaining Mario sub-series to have no new title on Switch. Just like 2020 I expect some eShop titles to help fill up the lineup, and this is pretty high on the list (also fills in the seemingly obligatory October Mario game every year has had this gen). Co-Op has been a feature in the series before, but I think they'd really push it given the Switch's hardware features; playing with other players or CPU assistants. Also a good excuse to reuse assets made for Dr. Mario World by including many playable characters beyond Dr. Mario and Dr. Luigi.
  • Metroid Prime 4: Vendetta - If Switch 2 really does end up releasing in March 2025, then I believe we'll see Prime 4 finally release before it. The tight schedule before the previously speculated September 2024 hardware launch was the only reason I considered otherwise before now. I could see it being moved back to December if it absolutely needs the extra time for polish, but with some recent depatures from Retro possibly implying development is close to wrapping up, I think it'll make it.
November 2024:
  • Pokémon Black 3 / Pokémon White 0 - Assuming Game Freak stick to their current 3-year development cycle for at least the end of this generation, we are due a mainline game from the staff behind Let's Go and Legends Arceus this year. I think it's apparent they're no longer interested in making faithful remakes internally anymore; the prior two were more reimaginings than anything; so I expect Unova to be something new too. My wacky idea is making both a sequel to B2W2 and prequel to BW, depending on the version. Having a sequel game remains a unique attribute of Unova, and they have the opportunity to build on that concept again now. Helps that Gen 9 already has strong nature vs technology theming that Unova can easily fit into (there's even a picture of Black City and White Forest in the Indigo Disk DLC, they totally know).
December 2024:
  • Nothing again. December releases have been fairly uncommon for Nintendo this generation, let alone major ones. With Xenoblade 2 and Smash Ultimate specifically, they only released in this period because they needed all of the development time they could get while still making it within the desired calendar year (hence why I suggest the same for Prime 4 above, if it needs it).
January 2025:
  • Fire Emblem Ashes: Thracia 776 - There's the twist I was talking about; FE5 remade as DLC for FE4. I don't think think Thracia really has strong market potential for it's own individual remake years down the road, and DLC feels like quite the fitting fate considering the original was initially distributed through the Nintendo Power flash cart service. With Genealogy expected to have been completed quite awhile ago, the time since could perhaps have gone towards recreating Thracia too; much like how Engage's DLC was worked on while the base game was sat on, and close to completion (if not totally done) by the time the game launched.
  • Kid Icarus: Uprising HD - One last fan favourite game rereleased on Switch ahead of Switch 2. I feel this one may even be a bit controversial if it releases so late, a "waste" to remaster it when the visuals are about to be made obsolete by the new hardware. In my predictions this would be the 3D Action Game from the Bandai Namco job listings; mostly my own personal hope than based on any strong evidence in this case.
February 2025:
  • One more month of nothing as all eyes are placed on the incoming launch of Nintendo Switch 2.



Honorable Mentions: really did sit down and consider these, but for one reason or another I passed on each:
  • Pokémon Mystery Dungeon - You may think it's weird for me to be going against the grain on expecting Mystery Dungeon, but there's a very good reason for that: the newest Mystery Dungeon game, Shiren 6, just released! Given Tomie in particular works closely on writing both Shiren and PMD, i'm not confident they've had the time and resources to crack out both for this year. Would love to be proven wrong though, definitely more exciting than Rumble.
  • Pokkén Tournament 2 - One other spin-off I tossed around; it's been awhile since New Snap, most of the leads from both games don’t seem to have had major roles on Tekken 8, so the possibility of another game being in development is plausible. I just think it's too soon; this one will probably be a Switch 2 game.
  • Tomodachi Collection 3 - This one is in a weird spot for me; simultaneously feels overdue for Switch, yet this year is possibly too late for a title with such massive sales potential. Just felt out of place in a lineup filled with smaller-scale titles; but on the other hand maybe Nintendo need one more hit like that to last before Switch 2? Just have to wait and see what they do I suppose.
  • Donkey Kong Country (EPD Tokyo) - Similar to the above, pretty lost on what the right time for this one should be. We're in 2024; over three years removed from the job listing, and we've set to see any sign of 2D Action from EPD Tokyo; they didn't work on Wonder, or Mario vs. Donkey Kong, and even if they end up being the team behind Showtime there seems to be an even split in 2D and 3D sequences so I don't think it'd be labelled a 2D Action Game either.
  • Mario Party - Feel like i'm making a mistake by excluding this one but I just have a strong gut feeling Ndcube are waiting on Switch 2 for the next Mario Party. Wouldn't be opposed to a continuation of Superstars with GameCube boards, or even a gimmick-filled game like Star Rush; maybe they could make something other than Mario Party, like a second attempt at Animal Crossing. History tells me this is the spot i'm most likely to end up proven wrong on, we'll see!
  • Other ports and remasters - The Wind Waker / Twilight Princess and F-Zero GX are what come to mind for me. Just too many GC / Wii games in my lineup already, but they could easily just take the place of some of my picks if you really want them. I say they'd be wise to hold onto a few more of these types of releases for the actual cross-gen period in 2025 and beyond.
  • Pokémon Gold / Pokémon Silver - I know some really believe we'll see a Johto game this year rather than Unova, or even some sort of combination of both, but for now i'm sticking to there just being a single new pair of mainline games, and it being Unova. I could maybe see ILCA remastering HGSS in the same style as BDSP, but I don't feel strongly enough about the posibility to fit that into the lineup. Only about a week until we find out the situation with Pokémon, both mainline and spin-off, so I can't wait for this post to immediately become outdated and irrelevant!
 
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January- Another Code remake collection
February- Mario Vs DK remake and Splatoon Side Order. We also get a partner showcase this month
March- Peach Showtime, small tease for switch 2 launching 2025
April- Luigi’s Mansion 2 remaster
May- Metroid Prime 2/3 remasters
June- Paper Mario TTYD remake
July- Nothing
August- Tomadachi life 2
September- Nothing
October- Mario Party Superstars 2
November- Pokémon Shinning White and Endless Black
December- Nothing
 
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Shrug. As for actual lineup too has to say. I always assumed Nintendo would support it through next March, just that it’ll be port and smaller experimental project heavy, with maybe one or two of the spinoff staples popping up
 
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Experimental projects? I look forward to Nintendo Labo 2, Super Game Builder Garage, Ring Fit Open World Adventure, and Everybody and their Grandma 1, 2, 3 Switch! saving this year's lineup.
 
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Beyond what is already announced for this year :

-A Pokémon spin off
-Pokémon Black & White remake, or something related to that (Legends-like, maybe not a Legends game, but you get what I mean. A new main game set in Unys)
-Fire Emblem Genealogy remake
-Metroid Prime 4 (I never expected it to be cross gen)
-Mario Party (feels like it's time ? Unless they're waiting for the Switch 2, but I kinda doubt it)
-Zelda Wind Waker and/or Twilight Princess
-Your yearly Kirby game (probably an eshop spin off)

And hopefully some cool, long awaited casual game like Tomodachi or Nintendogs for the end of the year to go along Pokémon.

I don't think the year will be as bad as what people expect.
 
January and February are out of the way:

March: Princess Peach Showtime
April: Metroid Prime 2 (late April)
May: Paper Mario TTYD
June: Luigi's Mansion 2 HD
July: FE 4 Remake/Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Explores of Time/Space
August: Todamachi Life/ Metroid Prime 3
September: Wind Waker/Twilight Princess
October: Metroid Prime 4: Legion
November: Pokemon BW remakes (Cant think of clever names)
December: Nothing
January: Golden Sun reboot
February: Ever Oasis 2
 
January - Another Code Recollection
February - Mario v Donkey Kong / Splatoon 3: Side Order
March - Princess Peach Showtime
April - Nada
May - Luigi's Mansion 2 HD
June - Metroid Prime 2 and 3 / Kirby Planet Robobot
July - Fire Emblem Genealogy of the Holy War
August - Paper Mario The Thousand-Year Door
September - The Legend of Zelda - Wind Waker HD
October - Yoshi's Woolly World
November - Pokemon B&W remakes
December- Nada
 
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I had already predicted the schedule was "booked" until September, seemingly due to the Switch 2:

January: Another Code
February: Mario vs DK
March: Princess Peach Showtime
April/May: One unannounced remaster/remake (Probably FE4)
June/July: Luigi's Mansion 2 HD
August: Paper Mario TTYD

The question then was where you go from there with the Switch 2 and its lineup. Before the delay, my predictions were:

September: 3D Mario and Causal Title (Switch 2), (maybe with a cross-gen shadow-drop of Metroid Prime 2 and 3 Remastered before Prime 4)
October: Metroid Prime 4 (Cross-Gen)
November: Pokémon (Cross-Gen)

Obviously, 3D Mario and the casual launch title will get delayed alongside Switch 2. I think Nintendo would save Prime 4 for after the Switch 2 launch as well, even if it was cross-generation. The only one I don't see getting delayed is the next Pokémon title. That then leaves us with a two-month window of nothing in September/October. I think we can most realistically expect quick ports and remasters to fill that slot, ones that Nintendo have likely been sitting on in case of situations like this. I think they could also move things around from April-August. With all that in mind, here is my complete 2024 first-party roster, starting from March:


March: Princess Peach: Showtime!
April/May: Wind Waker/Twilight Princess HD (I think they've been sitting on these for a rainy day and will take the FE4 remake's original slot)
June/July: Fire Emblem 4 Remake (Taking LM2HD's original slot for reasons I'll explain later)
August: Paper Mario TTYD
September: Super Mario Galaxy 2 HD (Another one I think they might have been sitting on since 3D All-Stars. I could see them using this to have a 3D Mario in the September slot as originally planned.)
October: Luigi's Mansion 2 HD (Moved to October to position it as a major Halloween release instead of the late-stage port they were originally growing it out as)
November: Pokémon (positioned now as the main holiday release)
My predictions assuming a Switch release were the same, and I also completely agree with what you're suggesting here. Moving LM2HD to October if we need to keep Prime 4 warm actually makes a ton of sense, indeed. I hadn't thought at all about Galaxy 2 replacing the next 3D Mario in the calendar, but it would be a good idea too. Personally, though, if there was to be a surprise fast port, I'd put my money more on Donkey Kong Country Returns than Galaxy 2.

The idea I had would be to release Returns HD to celebrate the theme park expansion and release Arlo HD later to have something Mario at the end of the year. However, if this hypothetical Returns HD is a recent decision due to the delay, then I could see a release late in the year to give it time to get ready. I also think, especially since the Mario Movie, that Returns, even if it's a remaster, could sell quite well at the end of the year. Not a huge hit, but reasonably well.

Personally I think TP and WW make more sense on the successor, because on Switch it would be just about the same as the Wii U versions.
I absolutely agree with that. They'll both allow us to wait for the next 3D Zelda and show off the new hardware on a 4K/60FPS basis that the Wii U remasters didn't have. If they really don't have anything, I can see them releasing WW on Switch 1 this year, then TP crossgen around 2026, but ideally I'd prefer them to use something else to complete the 2024 pipeline. Something we're not necessarily thinking of, maybe a Pokémon spin off or maybe an unexpected remaster, or maybe the Bamco thing.
 
Alright I know we're being pessimistic here, and I truly get it with Mario sports spinoffs on Switch, but that amount of characters is so absurdly low for baseball, people's teams would have 8 characters overlap between each other's teams. I think we'd at least get a bunch of filler picks like Toad and Shy Guy recolours like all the previous games. Even Sports Superstars on 3DS did this, and that game blows.

Unless you're talking Captains which would only be a slight downgrade from the previous usual 12.
Never doubt an HD Mario Sports game's ability to take something barebones and make it even more anemic.

To make up for the inevitably truncated roster, I see them introducing an ill-begotten "customization" mechanic where you make copies of Mario, Luigi, et al and give them different palettes, costumes, and stats. CPU players would be randomly assorted configurations, essentially making the roster a bunch of user-made Pink Gold Peaches.

They could even force the story mode around this; Bowser uses some magic machine to clone various Mushroom Kingdom characters so he can have the strongest baseball team ever, and Mario has to stop him. Then there'll be 2 hours of playing against pre-set recolors of Luigi, Yoshi, and the rest until you challenge a team of 8 multi-colored Bowsers for the "final boss".

It'll be hilariously lazy and disappointing.
 
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Never doubt an HD Mario Sports game's ability to take something barebones and make it even more anemic.

To make up for the inevitably truncated roster, I see them introducing an ill-begotten "customization" mechanic where you make copies of Mario, Luigi, et al and give them different palettes, costumes, and stats. CPU players would be randomly assorted configurations, essentially making the roster a bunch of user-made Pink Gold Peaches.

They could even force the story mode around this; Bowser uses some magic machine to clone various Mushroom Kingdom characters so he can have the strongest baseball team ever, and Mario has to stop him. Then there'll be 2 hours of playing against pre-set recolors of Luigi, Yoshi, and the rest until you challenge a team of 8 multi-colored Bowsers for the "final boss".

It'll be hilariously lazy and disappointing.
Yup. Most likely. And I would still be super hyped for a Mario Baseball game.

The real question for most of this is when it gets announced. I don’t think 2024 will be barren, but when will we hear about it? June seems kind of late.

I can see WW and TP getting split. A double pack always seemed unlikely to me anyway.
 
The Big Games:

Princess Peach Showtime
Paper Mario TTYD Remake
Fire Emblem Echoes 2
Metroid Prime 4
Pokémon Blinding White and Pokémon Darkest Black OR Pokémon Legends: Keldeo OR Pokémon Let's Go Natu

Add in remakes and remasters such as Mario Vs Donkey Kong, at least one if not two Metroid Prime Remasters, and hopefully a Zelda remaster. F-Zero GX another possibility.

Edit: I forgot Donkey Kong! Why not. Good summer major release.
 
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April: Nothing
May: TTYD HD
June: Mario Sluggers Switch
July: Luigi's Mansion 2
August: Kirby's Epic Yarn remaster
September: OoT 3DS remaster
October: Mario Party Next
November: Pokemon spinoff (on the level of Let's Go or Legends) that takes a lot of stuff from both Gen 5 and Gen 2.
December: Nothing

Mario Party is the one I struggle with most here... I could see Nintendo holding it for cross-gen with Switch 2.

I could also see DKC6/Yoshi's Island 2/Some other 2D platformer from EPD Tokyo releasing this year though I lean towards thinking they would prefer that be cross-gen (it's also probably too close to Mario Wonder for comfort if they release it this year too)
 
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January, nothing
February, nothing
March and April, nothing
May and June
A lot more nothing
July, nothing
 
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Here's my take on this
February: Pokémon Presents reveals BW remakes coming in November and a Legends Arceus sequel coming in next year
March: Official confirmation of Switch 2 coming in March 2025, release date reveals of Paper Mario TTYD and LM2, and Princess Peach Showtime releases
April:
Nintendo direct April 2024 game reveals
1. FE4 remake (September)
2. NDCube title (October)
3. TPHD (Shadowdrop)
4. Mario Warriors (November)
5. Kid Icarus Uprising HD (October)
6. Metroid Prime 4 (October)
May: Endless Ocean releases
June: LM2 releases and the Switch 2 is fully revealed with Legends Arceus sequel confirmed to be a cross-platform launch title
July: Paper Mario TTYD releases
August: Pokémon Presents happens with no new game reveals
September: FE4 remake is released and the September direct features a shadowdrop release of Metroid Prime 2
October: Metroid Prime 4, and NDcube title, and Kid Icarus Uprising HD are released
November: Mario Warriors and BW remakes are released, and a Switch 2 live presentation happens in Toyko
December: There will be a new game reveal from Nintendo at TGA coming in next year
February: Pokémon Presents reveals BW remakes coming in November and a Legends Arceus sequel coming in next year
March: Official confirmation of Switch 2 coming in Q1 2025, release date reveals of Paper Mario TTYD and LM2
April: Shadowdrop reveal of Mario & Sonic 2024 coming in this June
May: LM2 releases
June: Mario & Sonic 2024 releases
Nintendo direct June 2024 game reveals
1. FE4 remake (August)
2. NDCube title (August)
3. TPHD (Shadowdrop)
4. Mario Warriors (September)
5. Kid Icarus Uprising HD (October)
6. Metroid Prime 4 (October)
7. KT+Nintendo New IP (November)
8. New 2D Donkey Kong title (November)
July: Paper Mario TTYD releases
August: FE4 remake and NDcube title are released, Pokémon Presents happens with no new game reveals
September: Mario Warriors is released and the September direct features a shadowdrop release of Metroid Prime 2, and the Switch 2 is fully revealed with a February 2025 release date with Legends Arceus sequel confirmed to be a cross-platform launch title,
October: Metroid Prime 4 and Kid Icarus Uprising HD are released
November: New 2D Donkey Kong title, KT+Nintendo New IP, and BW remakes all get released
December: There will be a new game reveal from Nintendo at TGA coming in next year
EDIT: Updated it again.
 
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each month from now until the switch 2 will alternate releases between farming sims and boggle or boggle DLC
please look forward to expansions such as metroid prime: boggle force and fire emblem: three words
 
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I think Prime 4 will be the big holiday game and a Switch 1 only release. The game will SERIOUSLY impress even on the current system. Once the Switch 2 releases it will be positioned as one of those enhanced titles that gets a next gen patch of some sort. Nintendo is very proud of this series and will push it hard 😊

I'm also expecting to see the longtime (really long lol) and oft-rumored Wind Waker and Twilight Princess HD sometime this year as well as Prime 2 and 3. Pokemon is whatever to me but I'm sure we will see something release.

If one goes beyond what is currently announced I see a couple more surprises to round out the year. We will see some new stuff from 3rd parties, one or two additional 3ds/Wii/GC ports, and at least one thing no one saw coming (eternal darkness HD please lol).
 
Remakes and Remasters sort of year:

Atlus:
  • SHIN MEGAMI TENSEI IV HD Collection (SMTIV and IV Apocalypse)
Capcom:
  • MEGAMAN Star Force Legacy Collection
  • MEGAMAN Legends Legacy Collection
  • MEGAMAN Legends Remake
  • We'll get either one of the three, but not at the same time

Square Enix:
  • FINAL FANTASY Tactics HD Remastered

Retro:
  • Metroid Prime 2 Remastered
  • Metroid Prime 2 & 3 Collection
  • We're getting one or the other
 
I think Prime 4 will be the big holiday game and a Switch 1 only release. The game will SERIOUSLY impress even on the current system. Once the Switch 2 releases it will be positioned as one of those enhanced titles that gets a next gen patch of some sort. Nintendo is very proud of this series and will push it hard 😊
personally, I think if the switch 2 is properly announced beforehand any major new games not named Pokemon or Mario will be hurt badly released this fall/winter
 
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i think it will be mostly the same as if switch2 would have come out, minus 1 or 2 bigger cross gen titles. (MP4)
FE remake is a lock for me. More remasters and low key remakes and GC/Wii ports.

I think they will go by, with enough people still being "hyped" enough about those remakes and remasters,
that it will help them over the year.
I also expect 1 suprise game next to FE, a new kirby 3D game, or something like that.

Whats more interesting: how will they communicate in the holidays?
By then, it will be clear, that switch is ending, and the sales expectations cant be that high.
Maybe they will announce switch 2 in fall, and announce a "if you buy a switch between x and y, we will have an exchange program running ti'll the end of 2025 to get a switch 2 at a steep discount".
Or they really aggressively bundle it with multiple games...
 
I don't really have that many predictions anymore, but I guess:

Fire Emblem 4 Remake - July 2024. If it's revealed in March or even April, I think July is the best slot for it. I was really hoping for May, since that would be the anniversary month of the original game and a great way to celebrate the start of summer in America, but July feels like it would be the best timeframe now.

Pokemon - November 2024. I honestly don't know if it'll be another Legends game or a game featuring Unova, and that's okay. So long as it's NOT like BDSP, I'll be okay.

Metroid Prime 2 & 3 - August/September 2024. I think these will be later in the year. Originally, I thought they may be download Shadow-drops with a physical release later in the year as a way to hype fans up for Metroid Prime 4 in Q4 2024, but if no major Direct is happening soon and if the Switch 2 is apparently delayed, I don't see the reason to continue that strategy. Granted, it could still happen, but I'm not as sold on it as I once was.

Something Zelda -Sometime 2024. It's going to happen. I imagine it'll be something like that recent remake that was small and cutesy looking. (As you can see I'm not a Zelda fan.) Although at this rate, I don't think we'll see WW/TP on the Switch. I think they'll save that for Switch 2 as a Launch Title. That way we can have 4 solid years of development for the Switch 2's first official Zelda game to carry them into the Switch's second year.

Monolith Soft - December 2024. Monolith is a workhorse of a company, and I wouldn't be surprised if they had something out in December this year and another thing out by July-September 2025.

Of course we've still got TTYD and Luigi's Mansion, but I have no idea when those will come out, so I'm not going to guess.

Donkey Kong is anyone's guess at this point IMO. I could be next gen and thus come out next year, it could be this gen.
 
In every year of the Switch's life we've had at the very least one game no one saw coming, nobody leaked and nobody speculated because it either felt too late, too niche or just something nobody thought about.

To name a few:

  • 2019: Ring Fit Adventure;
  • 2020: Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore, Super Mario Bros 35(RIP), Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity;
  • 2021: Mario Party Superstars(nobody leaked and SMP felt like something that could stay for longer);
  • 2022: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Boosters Course Pass(everyone thought that DLC for MK8D was a dead possiblity for at least 3 years), Nintendo Switch Sports(come on NOBODY saw that coming), Fire Emblem Warriors Three Hopes, Mario Strikers Battle League, Live a Live, Splatoon 3 (which was kind of a shocking announcement at the February 2021 Direct as everyone thought it would be saved for the next gen);
  • 2023: F-Zero 99 and Super Mario RPG - had pyoro not leaked them anybody would be called crazy to expect that.

So, with that, I think it's safe to say at least one game that nobody thought Nintendo cared about, one game that everyone thought was being saved for Switch 2 and wouldn't make sense on the twilight year of the Switch and stuff that absolutely nobody saw coming will happen.

I think this year will be more like 2021, which leaned heavily in Pokémon, major remaster(3D World + Bowser's Fury), major 3rd party exclusives(Monster Hunter Rise, Shin Megami Tensei V), Mario Party and a core oriented game(Metroid Dread).

So, for my actual prediction list:
  • March: Princess Peach Showtime
  • April: nothing, without a general Direct the quicker turn around would be a May release unless either LM or PM release that month;
  • May: Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, Donkey Kong Country + King K Roll's Fury;
  • June: Metroid Prime 2+3 Remastered, Super Mario Bros. Wonder DLC, Shin Megami Tensei IV/Apocalypse Remastered;
  • July: Fire Emblem Echoes: Genealogy of the Holy War, unexpected 2D-HD game ala Live a Live;
  • August: Luigi's Mansion 2 HD, Kid Icarus Uprising Remastered;
  • September: Donkey Kong by EPD Tokyo, Dragon Quest III REMAKE;
  • October: Mario Party, new 2D Zelda;
  • November: Pokémon Legends 2 or the more boring Black/White remakes
  • December: Tomodachi Life or Nintendogs or Ring Fit Adventure 2
 
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If they had a 2D DK game, Prime 4, Fire Emblem, Zelda remakes etc... for Switch 1 they would have just had a general direct - it's simply not happening.
General could still happen next week. I'll probably be a partner unless the change of plans. But we'll see
 
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2022: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Boosters Course Pass(everyone thought that DLC for MK8D was a dead possiblity for at least 3 years)
Just a minor note, one person did leak MK8D dlc shortly before it was announced



They even had a follow-up tweet along the lines of "hope you like Tour tracks"

besides that though, I generally agree with your guesses. New 2D Zelda in particular is a good shout if they still don't want to pull the trigger on Windwaker/Twilight Princess
 
jan: remaster
feb: remaster
mar: remaster
apr: remaster
may: remaster
jun: remaster
jul: remaster
aug: remaster
sep: remaster
oct: remaster
nov: remaster
dec: nothing
 
Just a minor note, one person did leak MK8D dlc shortly before it was announced



They even had a follow-up tweet along the lines of "hope you like Tour tracks"

besides that though, I generally agree with your guesses. New 2D Zelda in particular is a good shout if they still don't want to pull the trigger on Windwaker/Twilight Princess

Oh, I didn't recall Sylux Hunter leaking MK8D DLC!!

And yeah please let the new 2D Zelda happen!! Link's Awakening was 2019 so it's definitely time. I think some games they were saving for early 2025 as cross gen games will be pushed forward to better suit this fall. 2D Zelda might be one of them, so they swap it with TP/WWHD.
 
Oh, I didn't recall Sylux Hunter leaking MK8D DLC!!

And yeah please let the new 2D Zelda happen!! Link's Awakening was 2019 so it's definitely time. I think some games they were saving for early 2025 as cross gen games will be pushed forward to better suit this fall. 2D Zelda might be one of them, so they swap it with TP/WWHD.
If Nintendo did delay the Switch 2 for a stronger launch window lineup, I imagine that 2D Zelda would get saved for it. A new Zelda game would help sell the system. It's probably one of the very few games I can see them holding onto.
 


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