In years gone by, this would have been the week of the big annual Nintendo Direct in June, but in 2022, the maker of Mario is nowhere to be seen. But the company may still be planning to close the month with a showcase of some sort, according to a Sony Santa Monica writer.
“I think there will be a Nintendo Direct on the 29th,” former IGN producer and current God of War studio writer Alanah Pearce told a viewer during a live Twitch broadcast yesterday. “I don’t know if this was announced. You heard it here first.” He reviewed his live schedule and confirmed the date, adding that he did not consider it a leak because the information did not come from Nintendo or include any clues as to what might be in the apparent event.
VGC corroborated the date, reporting that Pearce’s comments match what was said on the site. Earlier, it was speculated that an event could be held this week, but this was based on a leaked release date for a game that ended up being revealed at the Summer Game Fest. Nintendo did not respond to a request for comment.
The Nintendo Direct format laid the groundwork for many of the pre-recorded showcases that gaming companies regularly show throughout the year, but especially during the week that E3 would normally take place. And while it hasn’t held a live press conference at the industry’s annual event in years, Nintendo has made a live presentation of some sort every June with the exception of 2016. It was the previous year at the launch of The Switch, and while the Wii U version of Breath of the Wild was widely shown in the E3 auditorium as part of Tree House Live, there was no larger showcase.
Then Nintendo loses June would be unusual, and even though we live in weird times, the company has a lot of new games to show. Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 and Splatoon 3 will be released in the coming months. There are also many questions about Nintendo’s launch plans for the second half of the year.
The remake of Advance Wars 1 + 2 was delayed due to the Russian war against Ukraine and does not yet have a new release date. Bayonetta 3 still needs a release date, and while Pokémon Scarlet and Violet will be out in November, there’s still room for another first-half game or two. An upgrade of the Switch hardware is also beyond doubt, although the continued shortage of parts makes it a more faint possibility.
Nintendo has also reportedly kept games almost finished to plug holes in its release schedule, and a June 29 live show could be an opportunity to reveal more. Fans are also eager for updates on Breath of the Wild 2 and Metroid Prime 4. The latter was originally teased five years ago on, you guessed it, a Nintendo Direct at E3 2017.