As you know, a new Nintendo Direct is happening tomorrow. In that Direct, we’ll see 40 minutes of new footage and info about Nintendo Switch games, including Pikmin 4.
But with that as the only confirmed game, that made us wonder… what else could we see there? What other interesting games and content could they show at tomorrow’s event?
Well, we’ve got a few ideas, and we thought we’d use this time to share them with you. Time to predict the future!
Our Predictions
Pikmin 4
Starting with the obvious. We know Pikmin 4 will be in the Direct, since Nintendo said it’s going to be in the Direct. Moving on.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe DLC (Wave 5)
Onto the DLC that’s got like, a 99.9% chance of being in the Direct instead. That being, the next wave of DLC for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
And we know roughly at least some of the tracks are going to appear in it too. GBA Sunset Wilds is a lock, since its music is in the files and it’s positioned in the track list at the place wave 5 tracks are likely to be. Los Angeles Laps is, since its a city track included in the datamines that just happens to fit in this wave.
This track has already been datamined for 8 Deluxe, so it’s likely to appear in wave 5
Plus a fair few other Wii and GameCube era favourites are likely too, including Koopa Cape and Daisy Cruiser.
As for characters? Good question. Assuming they tie into the Nitro track choices, we’d say either Petey Piranha for Piranha Plant Cove, or Diddy Kong + Funky Kong for a possible DK themed track.
But the rest is up in the air, especially given there’s a chance we’ll get a new feature added too.
The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom DLC
Speaking of DLC, we just know Tears of the Kingdom will be getting it too. After all, Breath of the Wild and Age of Calamity both had DLC packs released in the exact same format, and it seems almost certain Tears of the Kingdom will follow suit. We’ve got a whole article planned for our videos for how that could work, so we’ll save any detailed ideas for then.
Personally we’re predicting we’ll learn more about what happened to the Sheikah tech, like the Guardians here
New 2D Mario Game
Onto the less sure stuff now, like this one from the leaks. Put simply, insiders are saying there’s going to be a new 2D Mario game, and that it won’t be part of the New Super Mario Bros series, with a brand new art style and mechanics not seen in past titles.
And we agree that this seems pretty likely now. After all, we don’t have a new Mario game planned for this year, and a 2D one has been absent for a long time too. Add how tired and worn out NSMB is as a series, and we could definitely see a more unique game released on Switch instead, especially after the likes of Mario Maker 2 did everything it could with the familiar formula.
Mario Baseball Game
And it seems likely the 2D platformer won’t be the only Mario release this year. Nope, Mario Baseball seems plausible too, especially since every other Mario sport you can think of is already on Switch. Tennis? Yep, we’ve got Mario Tennis Aces. Golf? Mario Golf Super Rush. Football/soccer? Mario Strikers Battle League.
So what’s left here? Well, baseball of course, and the stars seem to be aligning for it this year too. After all, there’s an ad showing Mario holding a baseball bat in this recent Seattle Mariners game, and it’s a popular series that did well on GameCube and Wii too.
Either way, it’s probable that Mario fans are going to be sitting pretty by the end of this year!
Mario Party
Even more so if Mario Party gets another instalment. After all, it’s been 2 years since Mario Party Superstars was released, and up to Super Mario Party, the series basically got a new game every single year.
Hence a new game seems pretty plausible here. There’s certainly been enough time for ND Cube to develop it, and it’d easily fill in the party game void this year (no, Everybody 1-2 Switch! is not good enough in the slightest!) Plus with the company learning from past era board game design with Superstars, it feels like they’re gearing up for a brand new title with original content instead, hopefully with stuff on par with the originals.
We can only hope!
Splatoon 3 DLC
There’s also a good chance we’ll get info on the next wave of DLC for Splatoon 3 too. After all, we know that at least two waves are coming, and one wave (the one which literally adds Splatoon 1’s hub as an extra area) was already released earlier this year.
So it makes sense for this to be shown off in the Direct too, with a bit of info about how the story works for this particular expansion.
Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door Remake
Could this classic see a revival on Switch?
Another game we’ve heard a lot about is Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, or at least a Switch remake/remaster of the same. It’s been rumoured for years now, every leaker under the sun has hinted it’s in development, and it’s the kind of game you’d expect in a Direct too.
So we can definitely see this one make an appearance as well. It just seems like the right time for it, especially given that the Switch isn’t going to around that many years more.
Kid Icarus Uprising HD
As for a non Mario game, how about a port or remake of Kid Icarus Uprising to the Switch? The original game was very well received after all (controls aside), and Sakurai himself has hinted at the possibility a few times too.
Seems like a great choice if you ask us!
Metroid Prime 4
Finally, there’s the wildcard, the one we’re not sure about in the slightest. That being, Metroid Prime 4, the game that’s been in development hell for 6 years.
Logically speaking, we should see this game tomorrow. They’ve almost certainly got content to show now, and the game can’t just be left in limbo for another 6 without people freaking out over the game’s status or potential cancellation.
But we’re not sure if it’ll a proper trailer. On the one hand, sure, that’d get a lot of hype. And it’d end the Direct off in style at least.
Yet we can’t help but worry that there won’t be anything ready to show. That the only thing we’ll get will be another “sorry, we have nothing to show right now”, update and maybe a reveal that Prime 2 or 3 will be rereleased on Switch. That wouldn’t be the end of the world, but it would be disappointing nonetheless, especially given the possibility that Prime 4 won’t make back its development budget upon release.
Still, those are our predictions for this one. They’re a bit safer than usual for a Nintendo Direct, and there’s nothing complete out of left field here, like F-Zero GX 2 or Star Fox.
But they’re what we foresee happening nonetheless, along with a couple of reveals we have absolutely no way of even beginning to guess.
So what do you think? Are there any other games you expect to see in the Direct tomorrow? What crazy ideas do you have games that Nintendo could release for Switch?
Leave your thoughts in the comments below, on social media, or on our Discord server today!