Since the release of the Nintendo Switch 2, we have not gotten a legitimate Nintendo Direct. There’s been a Partner Showcase for third-party titles and an Indie World stream for indie games coming to the platform(s), but we have yet to get any information on first-party titles, presumably those who have been announced already as well as surprised. While it’s not been confirmed by Nintendo yet, the next Direct could well be on September 12 based on a new leak/rumor.
The Next Nintendo Direct Might’ve Leaked
Switch Force, a prominent leaker for Nintendo games, posted an extremely cryptic message in which the leaker referred to “912” and “missing games,” two things that certainly seem to indicate that a new Nintendo Direct is coming on September 12. The missing games, presumably, mean games that are not currently available, which would mean Metroid Prime 4 Beyond and unannounced titles.
“912” would indicate September 12, which makes a lot of sense for a Nintendo Direct. It’s been a while, and there probably needs to be one sooner rather than later. Nintendo undoubtedly has a lot planned for the holiday season aside from Pokémon Legends: Z-A, and most other big games that have been announced have no firm release date. The upcoming slate is pretty thin, but that is probably just because the company hasn’t revealed most of it.
What Could the Next Nintendo Direct Reveal?
Assuming the next Nintendo stream is before October, we can expect to get one final look at Pokémon Legends: Z-A. We can also expect to get another look as well as a confirmed release date for Metroid Prime 4 Beyond. For now, all anyone knows is that it’s supposed to launch in 2025, but the clock is ticking on that video game.
Other than that, Nintendo has kept most of its first-party plans close to the chest. Everything else is purely speculative. What is highly unlikely to be revealed is a 3D Mario game. With the success of Donkey Kong Bananza, Nintendo will want to ride that out before revealing anything, and since that effectively took the place of a 3D Mario, it’s unlikely that there will be one for at least a couple more years.
A 2D Mario platformer, however, is very realistic. It will have been three years since the last one once a new one is out, and Super Mario Bros. Wonder is legitimately incredible. A sequel is highly probable, and since Mario currently doesn’t have any mainline games on the current Nintendo console, you can expect something like that.
A new The Legend of Zelda is a bit of a long shot, but it’s possible. It did take six years for Tears of the Kingdom to follow up Breath of the Wild (with a pandemic in the middle), but Echoes of Wisdom dropped a year later. So while the next big game might be a while off, another game might not be so implausible. If not a new game, then there’s almost certainly going to be a remake announced (probably Twilight Princess or The Wind Waker).
A new Animal Crossing is highly likely. It’s been five years since New Horizons, which was a massive hit for Nintendo. They stopped doing major updates for that one years ago, so it stands to reason that a new one will be launched not too long into the life cycle of the Switch 2, which is precisely where we’re at now.
We also might be blessed enough to hear about a new Super Smash Bros. If Mario Kart World can exist after Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, then there’s no reason Super Smash Bros. Ultimate should be the final entry. We’re going to get a new fighting game at some point, and why not sooner rather than later? It shouldn’t be that hard, especially since Nintendo has had several years since even the last DLC fighter for the previous game was added.
Additionally, DLC for Mario Kart World is possible. The game launched with plenty of content, but as an $80 game, it is more than reasonable to think there’s more content, whether characters, outfits, or tracks. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe had tons of everything, so it’s fair to think the newest game will at least have a round or two of content.
Conclusion
Please note that no Nintendo Direct has been confirmed. If the 9/12 date is accurate, then Nintendo probably won’t announce anything until the first week of September. Until then, this is speculative, as is most of the expectations. We don’t know for sure that any of that is going to happen, but it’s fun to think about it since most of them are going to come out at some point.
