In years past, this would have been the week for the big annual Nintendo Direct in June, but in 2022 the Mario manufacturer is nowhere to be seen so far. However, according to a Sony Santa Monica writer, the company could still plan to end the month with some kind of showcase.
“I think there’s a Nintendo Direct coming out on the 29th,” former IGN producer and current writer at the God of War Studio, Alanah Pearce, told a viewer during a Twitch live stream yesterday. “I don’t know if that was announced. You heard it here first.” She double-checked her calendar on stream and confirmed the date. She added that she didn’t consider it a leak as the information didn’t come from Nintendo or give any indication of what might be at the apparent event.
VGC confirmed the date, and reported that Pearce’s comments matched what the site had been told. There used to be Speculations that an event could take place this week, but that was based on a leaked release date for a game that was revealed at Summer Game Fest instead. Nintendo did not respond to a request for comment.
The Nintendo Direct format laid the groundwork for many of the recorded showcases that gaming companies regularly show throughout the year, but particularly during the week that E3 typically takes place. And while Nintendo hasn’t held a live press conference at the annual industry event in years, Nintendo has held an Art Direct presentation every June except for 2016. That was the year before the Switch launched and during the Wii U version of breath of the wild
For Nintendo to be absent in June would then be unusual, and while we live in strange times, the company has plenty of them big new games are coming to show off. Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes, Xenoblade Chronicles 3and turn 3 all coming out in the next few months. Many question marks also remain with Nintendo’s release plans for the second half of the year.
G/O Media may receive a commission
That Progress Wars 1+2 Reissue was delayed because of the Russian war against Ukraine, and does not yet have a new release date. bayonet 3 also needs a release date, and until then Pokemon scarlet and violet out in November, there’s still room for another first-party game or two. A refresh of the Switch hardware isn’t out of the question either, although the ongoing parts shortage makes that a tenuous possibility.
Nintendo has reportedly been too Keep almost finished games on demand Plugging holes in its release calendar, and a June 29 direct could potentially be an opportunity to reveal more of that. Fans are also hungry for updates Breath of the Wild 2 and Metroid Prime 4. the latter was originally teased five years ago at, you guessed it, an E3 2017 Nintendo Direct.
