Predictions and guesses for today’s Nintendo Direct

We’re mere hours away from our first, post-Switch launch Nintendo Direct, and that means it’s time for some speculation! All we know going forward is that Splatoon 2 and ARMS will be getting the most attention, while both the Switch and 3DS will get some screen time. But with a look to some past announcements and a little thinking we can guess at what might be talked about. Just know this is all in good fun for the most part, and we won’t know anything for sure until the Direct kicks off at 5pm CT.

For Splatoon 2, I feel we’ll get a rundown on how the recent Global Testfire went and an announcement of a second round. The original Splatoon had multiple demos after all, so with its sequel due in summer some more hands on time wouldn’t hurt. If another is scheduled I’d guess we’ll see it some time in the middle of May, both for general timing reasons and to be available in a world that’s caught multiplayer Mario Kart fever all over again. A new ink-filled trailer is highly likely as well, and while more gameplay would be nice I’d love to see some more on the story and expanded world. But mostly I want to see Callie, just so I can know she’s back and safe after losing that last Splatfest.

We can almost guarantee Splatoon 2 amiibo. This is backed by the sheer popularity of the game, the existence of multiple waves for the first game, and, perhaps most tellingly, a large, pink amiibo-like statue of the Inkling Squid seen during the pre-release Switch hands on events. A reveal now would be a great way to keep amiibo interest going, considering the only others on the horizon are Fire Emblem’s Alm and Celica (more on those in a bit), the remaining Smash figures, and a few mysterious CPSIA numbers that’ve come up. If not today, then I’d go so far as to assume we’ll see a Splatoon 2 Direct announced in the near future that’d bring light to any amiibo features and figures heading to the game.

ARMS is a bit trickier to pin down, but one thing that’s come up quite often during our own Nintendo Wire team talks about it has been the game’s roster. Billing itself as a fighting game, you’d think that’d mean a robust cast of varied characters with unique personalities and abilities. We’ve seen some of that from ARMS so far, but the cast sits at a mere five faces. Sure the customizable nature of their punches adds variety, but I’d love to see more of this game’s style come to life with some new characters. No clues as to who or what they’d be, but if the only requirement is “long distance punchin’” then let’s get creative!

A new trailer is sure to come, but I think an announcement of some kind of ARMS tournament series would be really exciting. With E3, EVO, and more events all coming up this summer I think it’d be the perfect way to get all eyes and many hands on ARMS. This’d also warrant an official release date to be revealed, as all we know right now is “spring”. It’d be a shame to see it pushed back to lose out on the potential wordplay there, so I really think this one’s going to sooner rather than later. In line with those event thoughts, having it out by late May seems the most likely. I’d also like to say that seeing some ARMS amiibo announced with moveable arms á la the Breath of the Wild Guardian would be an interesting sight to say the least. Here’s hoping, because the vibrant colors of ARMS need and deserve to be put in plastic. Can you tell I really want to play this one yet?

Moving on and stepping back, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia are the two, big Nintendo releases coming soon that we know about. Mario Kart launches in just two weeks, and with it being a tune up of the existing model that’s already been previewed heavily, I don’t think there’ll be much to announce content wise. That said, we have seen a little something leaked: a potential Switch Mario Kart bundle. If the plan is for it to go up for order today, this’ll likely be the Direct’s closer. Fire Emblem on the other hand will probably go over its amiibo content. This has been detailed via Japanese sources as it’s already out in the region, but nothing concrete has come from American sources. The game is released in just a month and some change in the west, so this would be prime time to show them off. Expect the upcoming Fire Emblem Heroes characters to get a shoutout as well.

Speaking of Fire Emblem, that “3DS” mention has me thinking that Fire Emblem Warriors will see some screen time. The game is confirmed for both platforms this fall and is the perfect title to keep the increased popularity the series has had going strong. I also just really, really want to see more of this game. If it comes up we’ll likely see a few more characters other than Chrom, with mainstays like Marth and Roy or more recent 3DS characters that have already been hinted at being probable. If the Alm and Celica amiibo receive some attention before this potentially comes up, then I’d imagine they and the existing Fire Emblem amiibo might have some features revealed for the upcoming game, and maybe we’ll finally know when Corrin’ll finally be released.

For other 3DS centric guesses, a few titles have come up in the past without getting much attention lately. The likes of Pikmin 3DS, Ever Oasis, and more haven’t been discussed since their reveals last year. There are also some games that have been announced for Japanese releases, like Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology, that could use the localization treatment. Culdcept Revolt and RPG Maker FES are also both due to launch this summer and could use a little light shined their way. On the eShop front, we’re still waiting for a US release of Bye-Bye BoxBoy!. If anything’s going to be “available after this Direct”, it’ll be this one. Hopefully we see the physical trilogy set and amiibo bundle that Japan got in the near future as well.

Lastly, it’s time for a more wild and personal guess than any of these more practical and informed ones. With me that can only mean one thing: Kirby. His 25th Anniversary is this year, and just around the corner in Japan. The celebration’s in full force with symphony concerts and plenty of merch, but what about games? The pink puffball needs to make his way to the Switch and while I’m sure we’ll see an original release in due time, I have a feeling another compilation is more likely in the immediate future. Granted there was already one released on the Wii, but this could be the chance to offer a really comprehensive collection of the entire franchise to celebrate the milestone. Newer titles and spinoffs that weren’t included during the 20th Anniversary could make it to this party instead, offering fans and first timers plenty of Dream Land days to come.

That’s it for my predictions and wishes for today’s Direct, but do remember that none of this is official or leaked in any way. Just my own musings, but I do feel confident in a handful of them. I’m sure there’ll be some surprises in the mix as well that I’m not even thinking of, and more than anything that’s what I can’t wait for. I also just really love Fire Emblem and Kirby. And there’s a certain other much-wanted game whose anniversary is in a week that I’m deliberately not mentioning, just in case I jinx it. Wouldn’t that be something?

So let us know what you think of mine and share your own predictions. Make sure to come back after the Direct to see just how right I was, or tell me it was all wrong. Looking forward to it!

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