I really like these! Here's my thoughts:
time for weirder predictions!
- Everybody's 1-2 Switch is primarily developed by NDCube (and/or their partner that led Clubhouse). It sounds sort of like Wii Party Online to me, NDCube is due, and EPD 4 kind of isn't.
I could see this happening. My suspicion is similar, in that I do think NDCube have a non-Mario game coming in 2023, and that whatever it is might be an EPD idea farmed out to NDCube; but I'm still going to bank on it being Animal Crossing of some sort.
- I said it in that other thread, but I think Miiverse is coming back any day now. Okay, maybe more like April. You can post drawings, discussions, and game captures with the NSO Expansion Pass, but reading (or accessing in games like Splatoon) will be included in standard NSO.
This I'm unsure on, but it sounds fun, so it's allowed.
- If the Direct is in February, I think it'll include a big trailer for the next Splatoon season. I think it'll have more maps, weapons, gear, and extras than the other seasons and will accordingly get a lot pf fanfare.
I'd like this to be true. Apart from the odd Salmon Run splurge, I've dropped off Splatoon 3 a little. I also think it's a little too soon for paid content to be confirmed and that might wait for E3.
- No matter how far away it is, Pikmin won't disappear like Animal Crossing did after its announcement. Hell, I half expect Miyamoto to show up in every Direct until the game is out.
I'm not sure on this. If it's a second half 2023 title - and I expect it is - I don't think we're going to see it again until June. But on its reappearance, I expect it'll get a really solid showing, as befits a new EPD title.
- I think we'll get the Direct announcement in a Direct trick for Zelda. The presentation will end with Zelda and announce a dedicated Direct at a later date. If the first show is in January I expect Zelda in early February, if in February Zelda might be early March.
Completely agree on this.
even weirder but longer-term predictions
- I think the first Splatoon is going to get some sort of port, just to have the original trilogy on switch. I'm not entirely sure what it would look like in terms of what features return, but having the single player carried over would be nice. Maybe they could even add a Bowser's Fury like extra mode.
Splatoon's single player campaign could ostensibly return as DLC for the current game; I think we wouldn't necessarily see a straightforward port of the original game in its entirety. There's definitely unused content back there that's easily portable, given Nintendo deliberately made it easy to bring Wii U content to Switch.
- Someday we'll get a major OS update. I used to think it would be tied to Switch Pro, but maybe Switch 1 will see some changes alongside Switch 2. Version 15.0.0 had some serious refactoring, and with the new application metadata I suspect that the next Switch will, in some fashion, share the system software with Switch 1. We'll finally get some real themes, music for certain menu applications (the eShop and Mii Maker come to mind), and maybe some interface improvements.
I've thought this for a while. I love Switch but its features and ecosystem have felt largely static to me since late 2019, with the one exception of the Expansion Pack addition. Whatever OS and eShop overhaul comes, it'll be timed for new hardware but available universally. This is, after all, what Nintendo wanted to achieve with NX.
- In a similar vein, I think once Switch 2 is out Switch 1 will become port city. The old game initiative that Emily talked about? That's going to be the cross-gen experience for a few years. This will service the massive Switch 1 userbase while allowing Switch 2 to become a compelling upgrade with exclusive software. With backwards compatibility, the first few years of Switch 2 could feel very rich with first-party software.
Given the smattering of re-releases in the final 2 years of 3DS - Fire Emblem, Metroid, Luigi's Mansion, Superstar Saga & Bowser's Inside Story, Captain Toad, Yoshi's Woolly World - I'm agreed on this. It's one reason why I suspect there are plenty of rumours circulating around certain titles, but I've suspected for a while that Nintendo saw 3DS as a practise run for moving on from Switch. I'd expect this run of games to be more successful and to potentially include the 'missing' Zelda ports, as well as leftover Wii U games like NES Remix and Yoshi's Woolly World. I expect we'll see this kick off this year.
Hopefully we see some unrumoured but 'missing' games come back - DKC Returns; Pikmin 1 and 2; Last Story; Ever Oasis would be among my picks.
- With a prototype box art featuring golf, I suspect that Nintendo Switch Sports will get no further support. Golf was cut for time, and long-term support was never planned. Hopefully this means that EPD 4 has moved on to a fresh new experience.
This is sad but perhaps true. Hopefully EPD expanding means they get the hang of long term support a little better.
- We'll have a way to play an older Animal Crossing on new hardware in the west before the next game in the series is out.
I'd really like this to be true and for it to be Animal Forest, one way or another.
