It’s right before Memorial Day weekend, which means the same thing it does every year — it’s almost E3 time! Or it would be, if E3 wasn’t cancelled. First, let’s spare some Fs for the fallen conference, gone but not forgotten… we will treasure the cringe compilations in our heart forevermore. But summer game news is still gonna happen no matter what thanks to Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest and a host of publishers hosting their own little private events, like Microsoft (and their now-subsidiary Bethesda) on June 12th at 10 a.m. But for our own intents and purposes we obviously have one company in mind.
Nintendo. Ninty. The Big N (the N stands for “neglecting to treat their contract workers properly”). In a year already gangbusters for Nintendo, chances are they’ll release a big Direct around the weekend of the 12th, just like they’ve done for almost a decade straight, E3 or no E3. The question is, what exactly will they discuss? Here’s just a brief list of ideas:
- • Xenoblade 3 and Splatoon 3 news: This one is the most obvious, to the point where I could actually see Nintendo passing one or both of these over for their own Direct(s) since their releases are relatively soon. But I don’t think seeing either squid kids or anime catgirls during the Direct would be a shock to anyone.
- • Some sort of word on Breath of the Wild 2, maybe a title: After the smash success of this year’s Elden Ring, the mantle of “open world game the entire planet is holding its breath for” has moved to the Zelda sequel. Hopefully we end up with a more proper title than “Breath of the Wild 2,” if nothing else. I’m skeptical about there being too much shown off there, but hey, stranger things have happened.
- • A peek at games we know almost nothing about: Bayonetta 3. Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope. Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. All of them are supposedly releasing this year, but we barely know a morsel of info about them beyond an initial reveal. I’m expecting at least one to get delayed, but we’ll have to see which.
- • Something out of left field: There’s always a wild card in each Direct. Whether it’s something as delightful as the Live A Live remake or something as forgettable as Metroid Prime: Federation Force is up in the air. Discounting obvious pipe dreams like Mother 3 or a F-Zero sequel, I’d love to see a new Star Fox or Kid Icarus. Maybe Pikmin 4? Whatever happened to Pikmin 4?
- • Switch successor? The Switch is over five years old at this point. While it has no signs of slowing down, it won’t be long before something else comes to take its place. I doubt we’ll get a full console reveal here — if anything, it might just be Nintendo saying “we’re working on it.” But we’ll see.
Nintendo usually announces June Directs at least a little ahead of when they usually take place (because every dang game company is announcing news around the time) so we’ll know soon for sure if it’s even happening or not. Until then, we can only do what Nintendo news sites are built to do during such lulls — speculate.
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Written by Amelia Fruzzetti
A writer and Nintendo fan based in Seattle, Washington. When not working for NinWire, she can be found eating pasta, writing stories, and wondering about when Mother 3 is finally going to get an official localization.
