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StarTopic Nintendo Direct Speculation |ST5| Uncharted Territory: Drake's Deception

When is the next general full-length Direct?

  • June

    Votes: 130 38.0%

  • July

    Votes: 40 11.7%

  • August

    Votes: 15 4.4%

  • September

    Votes: 129 37.7%

  • October

    Votes: 1 0.3%

  • November

    Votes: 1 0.3%

  • December

    Votes: 1 0.3%

  • January

    Votes: 13 3.8%

  • February

    Votes: 1 0.3%

  • Never

    Votes: 11 3.2%
  • Total voters
    342
  • Poll closed .
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One thing that could be happening is we're coming off an 18 month period with mostly new software, with multiple 'adult-facing' titles, dormant series returning, and with ambitious changes to several franchises, and that what's next seems low key by way of comparison. After Zelda and Pikmin 4, short of launching new hardware with 3D Mario and new IP and the like, it's going to be difficult for Nintendo to maintain the level of excitement that I think really kicked off when Metroid Dread and then Pokemon Legends launched.

In that time you've had Pokemon and Kirby do ambitious new things; a lot of 'adult' software in the shape of two Bayonetta titles, two Fire Emblem titles, and two (highly acclaimed) Metroid titles, and Xenoblade, with a very positively received expansion; increasingly good waves of new Mario Kart content; the return of Mario Strikers (eh), Switch Sports (ok), and Advance Wars (HOLY SHIT); and it's going to be topped off with what may well be the most ambitious single game Nintendo have ever made and the emergence of Pikmin 4 (finally!).

Not everything came off flawlessly in that period, but it's a lengthy streak of critically acclaimed and commercially successful games across a wide array of genres and series. It would almost be odd if things didn't settle down at least a little (and Switch's lifespan bears that out, at least as far as I'm concerned).
 
MisterSpo said:
One thing that could be happening is we're coming off an 18 month period with mostly new software, with multiple 'adult-facing' titles, dormant series returning, and with ambitious changes to several franchises, and that what's next seems low key by way of comparison. After Zelda and Pikmin 4, short of launching new hardware with 3D Mario and new IP and the like, it's going to be difficult for Nintendo to maintain the level of excitement that I think really kicked off when Metroid Dread and then Pokemon Legends launched.

In that time you've had Pokemon and Kirby do ambitious new things; a lot of 'adult' software in the shape of two Bayonetta titles, two Fire Emblem titles, and two (highly acclaimed) Metroid titles, and Xenoblade, with a very positively received expansion; increasingly good waves of new Mario Kart content; the return of Mario Strikers (eh), Switch Sports (ok), and Advance Wars (HOLY SHIT); and it's going to be topped off with what may well be the most ambitious single game Nintendo have ever made and the emergence of Pikmin 4 (finally!).

Not everything came off flawlessly in that period, but it's a lengthy streak of critically acclaimed and commercially successful games across a wide array of genres and series. It would almost be odd if things didn't settle down at least a little (and Switch's lifespan bears that out, at least as far as I'm concerned).
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we also still have an F-ZERO project coming sometime this year; I would be surprised if that was not a summer Direct announcement personally. Gotta have a lot of eyes on that one
 
Chaotic Neutral said:
To follow up on my previous post, there is no way there aren't any notable releases in H2. Nintendo absolutely would not have shadow-dropped Metroid Prime Remastered in a month that already had a Kirby and Octopath 2 and two weeks after Fire Emblem Engage if they needed to space out this year's schedule.
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Yep, you also don't need Pikmin 4 in July the same month as Terf Legacy (will likely be big with the Switch only audience), or having both the Engage and Xeno 3 story DLC launch in the same month as Advance Wars 1+2. We speculated they'd pad out the year with dlc because of things like the Xeno 3 and Engage story dlc, and Nintendo dropped them haphazardly which comes off to me like they know they don't need story dlc to pad out the year.
 
Bonejack said:
My stance is, rather no Castlevania, than a shitty GoW/DMC ripoff, because let's be honest, Sony wouldn't be interested in a 2D/2.5D game.
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Ok. At this juncture, I'd rather have the outcome where there's a new Castlevania game. Maybe if I knew it was gonna be bad, but I don't. I would at least need to hear the dev or see the thing before I began jumping to conclusions.

And yeah it probably won't be 2D. 🤷‍♂️
Being 3D doesn't inherently make a game bad.

Again, the alternative is not "Nintendo funds a Castlevania just as you want". The alternative is nothing. I'm reserving my judgment.

Bonejack said:
On top of Castlevania being a multiplatform IP, which means it's yet another case of Sony not paying to have a game developed but paying to keep a game off other platforms.
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What? Most Castlevania games were exclusives when they released. Later on they would get ported, but the series was full of exclusives.

And yeah moneyhatting is a bummer. If it's paying to appropriate a game that would've happened anyway like SFV, it sucks, even if it does expedite the release. But... when it's the only way a game gets made, that's a compromise I can live with. Without moneyhatting, Bayonetta would've died a long time ago.
 
BassForever said:
We speculated they'd pad out the year with dlc because of things like the Xeno 3 and Engage story dlc, and Nintendo dropped them haphazardly which comes off to me like they know they don't need story dlc to pad out the year.
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That's the main thing for me, XC3's Wave 4 DLC could've easily been an August thing to fill out the month or something, but the fact that (apart from Booster Course Pass wave 5 and 6, and Splatoon 3 DLC) they're putting this DLC out now instead of padding out a supposedly smaller year makes me think something else is being cooked
 
MisterSpo said:
Not everything came off flawlessly in that period, but it's a lengthy streak of critically acclaimed and commercially successful games across a wide array of genres and series. It would almost be odd if things didn't settle down at least a little (and Switch's lifespan bears that out, at least as far as I'm concerned).
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The thing is, a lot of titles didn't need to be packed together like this (specifically in H1 '23). Like, Metroid being shadowdropped is unheard of and Future Redeemed had 8 more months of leeway. It's really hard to see Nintendo firing their full salvo for the year so early if that's really all they have
 
Bonejack said:
My stance is, rather no Castlevania, than a shitty GoW/DMC ripoff, because let's be honest, Sony wouldn't be interested in a 2D/2.5D game.
On top of Castlevania being a multiplatform IP, which means it's yet another case of Sony not paying to have a game developed but paying to keep a game off other platforms.
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I mean, that's certainly a possibility.

On the other hand, I could foresee a scenario not unlike how Sony paid for the development of both Nioh games and the upcoming Rise of the Ronin from Team Ninja: third party exclusive that's treated like a first party marquee. Which would be great if that's what it took to get a strong vision for a Castlevania game.

Again, though, it's all going to matter what kind of game it stand to be. I'd lean more towards Soulslike than GoW/DMC, nowadays, though. Team Ninja making a Nioh-like out of it would be the stuff my dreams are made of! LOL
 
SirShorse said:
That's the main thing for me, XC3's Wave 4 DLC could've easily been an August thing to fill out the month or something, but the fact that (apart from Booster Course Pass wave 5 and 6, and Splatoon 3 DLC) they're putting this DLC out now instead of padding out a supposedly smaller year makes me think something else is being cooked
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The only two things that make sense to me are

1) Nintendo has a more stacked 2H then people are expecting

2) Nintendo is either launching the Switch successor this holiday, or having it's big reveal this holiday, and Nintendo is worried it'll kneecap sales of these smaller titles/dlc
 
SirShorse said:
That's the main thing for me, XC3's Wave 4 DLC could've easily been an August thing to fill out the month or something, but the fact that (apart from Booster Course Pass wave 5 and 6, and Splatoon 3 DLC) they're putting this DLC out now instead of padding out a supposedly smaller year makes me think something else is being cooked
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IIRC Xenoblade 3 soundtrack was announced to be coming in July as soon as early April and it also includes Volume 4 DLC music so it would likely release in June at the latest.
 
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I can easily see Nintendo mostly* (edit: changed it from "only") release DLC and smaller titles in H2 but I absolutely do not believe they're leaving the holidays empty on purpose. And the most likely candidate is a Mario game. Imagine not releasing a new Mario game in the same year the Mario movie releases lol.
 
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I just don’t see a company known for sitting on finished products to have a consistent schedule pumping out so much notable stuff in such a short amount of time if there was nothing happening for a while afterwards. In my mind, of course the presentation of the schedule may end up being something different than a single full-length Direct (I’m leaning towards a Mini but Twitter direct or similar could happen like 2020 if there’s something unusual happening behind the scenes), but it doesn’t make sense that the schedule is slow from Pikmin 4 to games that are sufficient to be announced in September.

Except if the Switch successor was suddenly super imminent, but 2023 is slipping further away as a possible release year every hour nothing is heard from the manufacturing chain. If it is 2024 and they’re saving the big guns for that, they would pad out 2023 much, much better.
 
I can actually see Nintendo bringing Tezuka to Gamescom in August to show of 2D Mario for the first time in action (it would be announced in June). The same way how they brought Koizumi to Gamescom in 2017 just to show off the Luncheon Kingdom for Odyssey.
 
Rooster said:
Ok. At this juncture, I'd rather have the outcome where there's a new Castlevania game. Maybe if I knew it was gonna be bad, but I don't. I would at least need to hear the dev or see the thing before I began jumping to conclusions.

And yeah it probably won't be 2D. 🤷‍♂️
Being 3D doesn't inherently make a game bad.

Again, the alternative is not "Nintendo funds a Castlevania just as you want". The alternative is nothing. I'm reserving my judgment.


What? Most Castlevania games were exclusives when they released. Later on they would get ported, but the series was full of exclusives.

And yeah moneyhatting is a bummer. If it's paying to appropriate a game that would've happened anyway like SFV, it sucks, even if it does expedite the release. But... when it's the only way a game gets made, that's a compromise I can live with. Without moneyhatting, Bayonetta would've died a long time ago.
Click to expand...

TreIII said:
I mean, that's certainly a possibility.

On the other hand, I could foresee a scenario not unlike how Sony paid for the development of both Nioh games and the upcoming Rise of the Ronin from Team Ninja: third party exclusive that's treated like a first party marquee. Which would be great if that's what it took to get a strong vision for a Castlevania game.

Again, though, it's all going to matter what kind of game it stand to be. I'd lean more towards Soulslike than GoW/DMC, nowadays, though. Team Ninja making a Nioh-like out of it would be the stuff my dreams are made of! LOL
Click to expand...

Pretty sure there have been reports about Konami itself being interested in "reviving" their classic IPs, so imo we can safely put that "Sony paid for it's development" to rest. Another hint is the onslaught of Silent Hill projects, they're initiated by Konami too.

And i know that the alternative isn't "Nintendo funds it". I don't want that either. What i would want was "Konami funds it / devs it" or something like "Konami licenses it to IGA and the team(s) that did Bloodstained", and both times in combination with "Multiplatform".

As for 3D bad or not, thats up to your opinion, but having played every of the 3D entries i can safely say: If it's not done by FROM, keep it 2D/2.5D and don't bother with yet another dreadful experience.
 
Bonejack said:
Pretty sure there have been reports about Konami itself being interested in "reviving" their classic IPs, so imo we can safely put that "Sony paid for it's development" to rest. Another hint is the onslaught of Silent Hill projects, they're initiated by Konami too.

And i know that the alternative isn't "Nintendo funds it". I don't want that either. What i would want was "Konami funds it / devs it" or something like "Konami licenses it to IGA and the team(s) that did Bloodstained", and both times in combination with "Multiplatform".

As for 3D bad or not, thats up to your opinion, but having played every of the 3D entries i can safely say: If it's not done by FROM, keep it 2D/2.5D and don't bother with yet another dreadful experience.
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Konami is basically doing the same shit they were doing a decade ago, outsourcing all their popular ip to anyone who wants to make something. I'm really not sure why Konami thinks now this plan will work when it failed so spectacularly a decade ago.
 
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I fully expect the H2 line up to consist of Pikmin 4, a couple of remasters, DLC and maybe 1 new title (DK)

Switch 2 to launch March 2024
 
I mean, Grubb isn’t saying no announcements. Seems he’s more speculating there may not be a more grand general direct.

Announcements are sure to happen this summer one way or another.
 
SirShorse said:
we also still have an F-ZERO project coming sometime this year; I would be surprised if that was not a summer Direct announcement personally. Gotta have a lot of eyes on that one
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With remasters like that it wouldn't surprise me if the release jumps around depending on what suits Nintendo. I could see something like that potentially slipping into early 2024, depending on what else Nintendo have.
Paxie said:
The thing is, a lot of titles didn't need to be packed together like this (specifically in H1 '23). Like, Metroid being shadowdropped is unheard of and Future Redeemed had 8 more months of leeway. It's really hard to see Nintendo firing their full salvo for the year so early if that's really all they have
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Let's be very clear: I'm not saying for one second that Nintendo don't have anything. But some of the most packed periods of Switch's release schedule - like the first halves of 2018 and 2021 - were packed full of spin offs, re-releases, and titles which didn't necessarily excite critics. I'm saying we're coming off one of Switch's strongest and best sustained periods of first party support, and that, even if the line up is still consistent and varied (which I expect), it still might be perceived as a step down, especially in media circles.

My expectations for 2023 have been set for a while: that we'd see new mainline Super Mario; that the total number and variety of Switch releases would be comparable to previous years; that there'd be more re-releases and spin-offs than 2022. That's how I felt last November, and I'd say the year so far fits with what I expected.
 
I’ve kind of gotten use to the idea of no more big summer directs. The last paper mario was announced in a tweet like a month before it came out haha, so i can see them doing something similar with a remaster
 
SirShorse said:
That's the main thing for me, XC3's Wave 4 DLC could've easily been an August thing to fill out the month or something, but the fact that (apart from Booster Course Pass wave 5 and 6, and Splatoon 3 DLC) they're putting this DLC out now instead of padding out a supposedly smaller year makes me think something else is being cooked
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The other end is just the second half of this year is gonna be chock with DLC releases. Mario Kart x2, Splatoon, Zelda, Pokemon, potentially Pikmin all coming out from July onwards would mean they're looking at a new DLC release for a major title every few three weeks or so, so they burnt through Xenoblade and Fire Emblem's in the first half of the year. Gives Pokemon & Zelda time to breathe.
 
Beanstar40 said:
I’ve kind of gotten use to the idea of no more big summer directs. The last paper mario was announced in a tweet like a month before it came out haha, so i can see them doing something similar with a remaster
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Paper Mario's situation was very, very different. Nintendo was supposed to have a big Mario themed E3 Direct that summer, with Paper Mario, the 3D Collection and Super Mario 3D World if I'm not mistaken but due to COVID of course, and understandably so, their plans fell apart and they had to pivot.
 
ammonite said:
The other end is just the second half of this year is gonna be chock with DLC releases. Mario Kart x2, Splatoon, Zelda, Pokemon, potentially Pikmin all coming out from July onwards would mean they're looking at a new DLC release for a major title every few three weeks or so, so they burnt through Xenoblade and Fire Emblem's in the first half of the year. Gives Pokemon & Zelda time to breathe.
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I'm not really getting my hopes up for TOTK DLC to be honest. AFAIK every DLC they've done for their releases in the past few years was announced before the game released, and since we're 4 days away from TOTK's I don't think there's going to be DLC at this point. They might just've finished the game and started preliminary work on the next 3D Zelda.
 
Gut feeling, there will be TotK DLC, but it won't be out in 2023 (at least the bigger part, expecting another wave-based one).
 
I mean we literally will have less dated games after TotK than Wii U ever had.

This is from October 2016:

image.png


RIP Project Giant Robot though.


There is no way they go into late June into shareholders meeting with - Pikmin 4 - July 21st and Metroid Prime 4 - TBD and at the same time dodging shareholders questions about hardware when they would show them 2 titles coming out, with one month from that point and other as TBD.
 
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LukasManak22 said:
I mean we literally will have less dated games after TotK than Wii U ever had.

This is from October 2016:

image.png


RIP Project Giant Robot though.


There is no way they go into late June into shareholders meeting with - Pikmin 4 - July 21st and Metroid Prime 4 - TBD and at the same time dodging questions about hardware.
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Yeah it’s not happening. Nintendo won’t wait after Pikmin 4. I’ll put $100 on it
 
Another gut feeling, Nintendo will be in "push everything TotK" mode in May, but starting June, it's free for all.
 
SirShorse said:
Doesn't mean for anything Direct-wise, but thought I should post it regardless:
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The leeway given for tickets might be something of note. Maybe they expect a lot more people to get tickets after they announce a bunch of games in early-mid june?
 
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Bonejack said:
Pretty sure there have been reports about Konami itself being interested in "reviving" their classic IPs, so imo we can safely put that "Sony paid for it's development" to rest. Another hint is the onslaught of Silent Hill projects, they're initiated by Konami too.
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Well great, that's not going to hurt chances of it eventually showing up on other stuff then.

Bonejack said:
And i know that the alternative isn't "Nintendo funds it". I don't want that either. What i would want was "Konami funds it / devs it" or something like "Konami licenses it to IGA and the team(s) that did Bloodstained", and both times in combination with "Multiplatform".
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And failing that unlikely vision, you'd rather the IP just atrophy?

I'd like to see Inti Creates or WayForward make a new Mega Man, but as long as the IP went to someone who appeared capable of doing it justice, I'd take that Mega Man over no Mega Man.

Bonejack said:
As for 3D bad or not, thats up to your opinion, but having played every of the 3D entries i can safely say: If it's not done by FROM, keep it 2D/2.5D and don't bother with yet another dreadful experience.
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You can't safely say it'll be dreadful if you don't even know who the dev is yet. Especially if you believe with a certain dev, the IP isn't unworkable in 3D.
 
Obviously more Switch stuff will be announced. But it we're not getting anything more than, at most, a mini, and at least some twitter drops, gonna have to assume that means the H2 Switch schedule is pretty light.

Which either means the approaching reveal of the next hardware, or simply waiting through a scant holiday for the reveal of the next hardware. But I don't see 2023 going without either that hardware reveal or a proper Switch Direct. This isn't the pandemic. But then the implications of the 2024 Switch schedule if we got a fall Switch Direct would be hard to reconcile against the implications of the H2 slate if we don't get any major events before the fall, considering it getting heavier closer to the successor and not during the holiday would be counterintuitive.

Plus if they're gonna be at Gamescom, you'd think they'd have at least a handful of things to show. Though maybe there's just a single earlier reveal of the big holiday title and they revolve their presence around that.

Or perhaps the hardware reveal is looming not so distantly.

LukasManak22 said:
RIP Project Giant Robot though.
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Didn't that turn into the Labo robot thing like that other Project turned into Star Fox Guard?
 
Glad to see we've finally hit the first insider doomposting speedbump of the thread, we're already making good progress.

Don't really buy what Robinson and Grubb are saying, though. I dunno why Nintendo would pivot back to Twitter announcements out of nowhere. Works for follow-up trailers, but for full reveals? Consider me skeptical.
 
SirShorse said:
I'm not really getting my hopes up for TOTK DLC to be honest. AFAIK every DLC they've done for their releases in the past few years was announced before the game released, and since we're 4 days away from TOTK's I don't think there's going to be DLC at this point. They might just've finished the game and started preliminary work on the next 3D Zelda.
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Pokémon S/V? Yeah, I know TPC marches to the beat of its own drum, but still.

Plus the marketing campaign for TotK has been quite peculiar. I wouldn't judge any future plans for this game based on how things were for others. I'd be very surprised if there isn't any DLC, perhaps next year around (hypothetically) the launch of the Succ.
 
Robinson and Dring thought they had Nintendo clocked. Nothing major after Zelda! Pikmin ain't it, that's only a couple million seller at best. But they didn't count on the surprise holiday hit that would provide salvation from tedious third-party JRPGs: the Monolith Soft action game!
 
Well I can’t trust Grubb’s word on things and then choose not to just fit my own narrative of “wants”. But I hope he’s wrong in this instance but imagine he’d be much more cautious after the last time he mentioned Nintendo stuff with Metroid Prime and Zelda. So at this point, I’ll just assume there won’t be one then which honestly I’m surprised about given we still don’t know anything post Pikmin 4.
 
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ITSMILNER said:
Let’s not forget we never got a General Direct in June last year either, just the partner showcase at the end of the month.
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Last year already had Live Alive, Xenoblade Chronicles 3, Splatoon 3, Mario + Rabbids 2, Bayonetta 3, and Pokemon Scarlet/Violet parked in the second half of the year as exclusives/Nintendo-published software (depending on region).

This year has... Pikmin 4. And I'm stoked for that to be sure, but there's a much greater need this year for first party announcements than there was this time last year.
 
They should present Nintendo Directs live at shareholder meetings (along with the rest of us). That way, they'll see all that's coming on the horizon, and gamers can be hyped at the same time! Plus they can answer questions regarding the direct afterwards.

Also, reset the clocks! (never too early for me)
 
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