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It’s a fool’s errand to try and predict Nintendo’s plans but come with us as we don our red noses and white facepaint because we’re about to do just that.
It’s September, and that usually means there’s a Direct in the works. Sure, Nintendo has been known to mix things up when it comes to showcases (just look at last month’s back-to-back Indie World and Partner Direct), but a September appearance has been the safest of bets throughout the Switch lifecycle. In fact, as long as the Switch has been around, Nintendo has had something to show in September, as you can see in our Nintendo Direct broadcast history guide, and as Andy Robinson of VGC pointed out on Twitter yesterday.
Of course, this doesn’t mean a Direct is guaranteed for the coming days or weeks, but there’s no doubt that the Big N has a track record.
Naturally, all eyes are on the ‘Switch 2’ and when in the “fiscal year” we are going to hear about it. “Industry whispers” a few weeks back suggested that September could be the month that the console is revealed, and the rumour mill has been working overtime ever since with speculation about backwards compatibility once again popping to the forefront of discussions.
There’s every chance that Nintendo could reveal the ‘next big thing’ this month — off the back of Sony’s $700 PS5 Pro announcement sure would be a baller move — but we’re still not convinced. There’s the holiday of potential Switch sales down the line, with a new Mario Wonder OLED bundle and a Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom Switch Lite still to come. Would Nintendo really want to reveal its hottest piece of news now and inevitably cannibalise Switch sales in the process? Conventional wisdom would suggest not, but hey, it’s Nintendo we’re talking about here.
Either way, that doesn’t rule out a standard, software-focused Direct, does it? The final quarter of 2024 looks pretty stacked for Nintendo, with a new Zelda, Mario Party Jamboree, and Mario & Luigi: Brothership lined up before we hit ’25. That said, there’s always room for more.
Throw us Metroid Prime 2 Remastered, some spicy third-party titles and another 2025 release (Donkey Kong Country Returns HD and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond are already sitting there, let’s not forget) and you easily have enough to fill a 20-minute showcase packed with holiday surprises. Slim pickings, perhaps, smaller first-party nuggets could bolster some larger third-party announcements. Let’s face it, if — dare we even think it — that Hollow Knight sequel were to surface, that’s your Direct right there!
Besides, as @BoiseBoi2007 pointed out in response to Robinson’s above tweet, we must be due a new Kirby at some point soon:
Last month’s one-two-punch of the Indie World and Partner Direct might suggest that the Big N’s showcase schedule isn’t quite as predictable this year as it has been previously. But the facts don’t lie, and as Tokyo Games Show looms (it kicks off on 26th September this year), Nintendo has time and time again had something to show us in September.
But what do you think? Do you reckon we’ll get a September Direct this year? What form do you think it’ll take? Share your answer in the following poll and then take to the comments to let us know what you’d like to see.