The September Nintendo Direct had a ton of promise, but that promise was largely unmet. It’s always a good time when Nintendo fans and gamers alike get together for about 50 minutes to uncover some new gaming information, but sometimes, those 50 minutes go by and leave everyone a little bit disappointed.
That happens from time to time, but lately, it’s happening more and more often with the livestreams. Nintendo has been atop the gaming industry for a long time, and that’s not really changing now, but they haven’t exactly done their best to earn it as of late.
One misfire is fine, but multiple is concerning. And with multiple misfires in the Nintendo Switch 2 era, it’s beginning to look like the company hasn’t quite figured it out.
The Latest Nintendo Direct is Another Surprising Miss
Today’s Nintendo Direct had such promise. With the Zelda 40th anniversary Direct the day before (more on that below), there wasn’t going to be any time dedicated to the stunning Ocarina of Time remake or the upcoming The Legend of Zelda movie. That left all sorts of time for possibilities.
3D Mario? 2D Mario, even? Super Smash Bros.? New Animal Crossing? New Mario Sports title? Another Donkey Kong game? It was all on the table. Leaks suggested that a new Super Smash Bros. game was going to be announced. While not the optimal reveal, that would have been a really good one.
Instead, none of that was revealed. The two big first-party reveals, excluding some interesting ports (like the Resident Evil remakes), were Metroid Ravenous, a new 2D Metroid title, and Kirby and the World Beyond, a 3D open-world Kirby title. Those both look good, particularly The World Beyond.
But they’re not what everyone was looking for or expecting. The Nintendo Switch 2 came out over a year ago, and by the time the console turns 18 months old (since we have some games releasing in early 2027 but not much beyond that), there is going to be a shocking lack of first-party titles.
Nintendo has spent way too much time creating Switch 2 versions of existing games and showcasing them in Nintendo Direct streams. We don’t need to see dedicated reveals for a Switch 2 edition of Pikmin 4 or Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. Those could, as they say, have been an email.
That is a huge chunk of what these Nintendo Directs have been, though. There have been a ton of ports and Switch 2 editions, and very little else. How is it that the console has been out for more than a year and all we have is Mario Kart World, Donkey Kong Bananza (both very good games), and the soon-coming Ocarina of Time remake?
It’s a huge missed opportunity. The Switch 2 has sold very well despite this, but imagine if Nintendo had actually come up with a strong plan for the first year or so of its life cycle. Imagine if they’d launched with a new Zelda or Mario title. Imagine if they’d announced anything from their biggest IPs in the first year of the new console.
Given the fact that the new Kirby game is coming out in early 2027, it’s almost impossible to think there will be a 3D Mario anytime soon. That game is going to take up the 3D Mario slot, so it could be three years into the Switch 2’s shelf life before it gets a 3D Mario title, which is honestly shameful.
And while we’re at it, the Zelda Direct wasn’t good, either. The company showed off the game we knew was coming and revealed the plain title of the movie and virtually nothing else. No ports, no trailer, nothing. Nintendo has done really well, but sometimes they can’t get out of their own way. The latest few Nintendo Direct streams are direct evidence of that failing.
