What Will be in Nintendo's Next Direct?

It has now been nearly a month since Nintendo gave fans a Direct presentation. With the Big N setting up the 2017 trend of one Direct type presentation a month, it has to be believed that an announcement is coming very soon. However, with a Direct being imminent, it has to be wondered what will be included in Nintendo’s next digital presentation. Given the time of year, Nintendo’s upcoming schedule of games, and the holiday season being just around the corner, we can make a few educated guesses as to what may be discussed during the next event. Not only can we have guesses as to what WILL be in the Direct, but we can also gather a pretty good idea of what the next Direct will NOT focus on.

What won’t be in the Direct

As Nintendo fans, we have learned that, with this company, nothing is impossible. Despite that, there are still some pretty strong assumptions that can be made as to what will most likely not be in Nintendo’s next Direct. First of all, there will be no word of games releasing later than December 2017. Nintendo Directs have become presentations focused primarily on the immediate future, rather than eventualities. This means no mention of Yoshi, Kirby, or any other potential 2018 titles. It can also be safely assumed that there will be no mention of Pokémon. Not only does this include the promised Pokémon Switch RPG, but also any Pokémon news whatsoever. With the multiple Pokémon releases coming in September and Ultra Sun/Moon hitting shelves in November, it is very likely that the Pokémon Company will receive their own Direct, just as they have in the past.

What might be in the Direct

Now it is time to get a little more hopeful. Once again, Nintendo is a bit of a wild card company, so it’s always hard to tell what is coming next with them. While we are all clueless as to what will actually be in the Direct, here are a few of my hopes. It is very likely that there are still a few tricks up the sleeves of Nintendo for the remainder of the year. While the 2017 lineup already looks stellar, Nintendo likely has more releases planned. It is likely that these releases will include both first and third party games. Nintendo really needs to bring out news of at least 1 major third party game making its way to the Switch, in order to appease fans and critics alike. Skyrim is already making its 2017 Nintendo debut, but with this being an older game, there needs to be more. It’s no secret that the Switch is underpowered, so it cannot properly run most current AAA games, but there is one I have in mind that could work. The Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy recently released on the PS4, and is currently being rumored for release on Xbox One. If the trilogy can make its way on to Xbox, then why not the Switch? This is admittedly a shot in the dark, but serves as an example as a major third party announcement that would get so many fans excited.

In terms of first party support, there is not much hope left that Nintendo has anything big to announce for 2017. However, as unlikely as it may be, there is one game that still has a sliver of hope of making it into the next Direct. Animal Crossing Switch. Animal Crossing is one of Nintendo’s most beloved franchises and fans have been clamoring for another console entry in the series. With the series being a beloved console game, but its ability to work so well on handheld, a Switch entry is a no brainer. This new entry in the series will most likely be announced sometime in 2018, but there is still some hope for 2017. This is especially possible when considering that the Animal Crossing mobile game is still slated for this year. Perhaps a dual Animal Crossing announcement is coming for the next Direct?

What will be in the Direct

Honestly, barring any big surprises, there are very few possibilities as to what could be in Nintendo’s next Direct. Let’s now focus on those guarantees. There will no doubt be several release date announcements coming to the next Direct. With 2017 still filled with games that have unspecified release dates, Nintendo will definitely want to fill those in as soon as possible. We will likely get dates for games such as Xenoblade Chronicles 2, NBA 2K18, SteamWorld Dig 2, and a few more games. All of these games are slated for a 2017 launch, some even announced for late summer or fall, but lack an official release date. Nintendo will need to fix that for many of these games, and they certainly will in the next Direct.

With so little information, that is honestly all that can be guaranteed for the next Direct. With Nintendo, their next stream could be 3DS focused, or Pokémon focused. The specificity or broadness can never be guessed until Nintendo gives further information. So, until then, we are left with our speculations and hopes. However, this article should serve as a pretty good guide as to what we should and shouldn’t expect. Until the time comes, let’s all keep an ear out for an announcement of Nintendo bringing news “directly” to us!