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!
No comments:
Post a Comment