Another holiday season has passed and with it brings the rumblings of the early spring Nintendo Direct. While Nintendo has given fans a taste of upcoming content with Pokemon and Smash updates, the community at large has its sights on a full-fledged Direct. Fans might not have to wait much longer as multiple sources indicate that Nintendo is targeting early February. Most notably, Nate Janc, former editor-in-chief at Zelda Informer, is hearing the following:
Confirmed Titles
Nintendo’s release schedule for 2020 is anemic at best. While Animal Crossing promises to be a blockbuster hit in March, the only confirmed release dates are as follows:
- Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore – January 17th
- Snack World The Dungeon Crawl – February 14th
- Darksiders Genesis – February 14th
- Devil May Cry SE – February 20th
- Pokemon Mystery Dungeon DX – March 6th
- Animal Crossing New Horizons – March 20th
- Trials of Mana – April 24th
- SpongeBob Battle for Bikini Bottom – May 24th
- Pokemon Sword/Shield DLC – June 2020 / Autumn 2020
By no means does this mean that Nintendo does not have more games planned for 2020. Since the Smash Direct, Nintendo revealed the following games for 2020:
- The Outer Worlds – Early 2020
- Panzer Dragoon – Winter
- Minecraft Dungeons – April 2020
- Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles – Summer 2020
- Doom Eternal
- No More Heroes III
- Bravely Default II
- Xenoblade Chronicles DE
- Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
- Hollow Knight Silksong
- Super Smash Bros Ultimate: Fighter Pass 2
- Deadly Premonition 2
Nintendo Direct Expectations
While fan speculation is running wild, we can reasonably expect Nintendo to provide release dates for a few of the major titles above as well as updates on games currently in development. In particular, we are hoping for updates on a few of the following topics:
- Bayonetta 3 Update – All we have seen so far is a teaser trailer from the game awards that is now two years old.
- Metroid Prime 4 Update – One year ago Nintendo revealed that Retro Studios took over the development of Prime 4. We have not heard an update since.
- Breath of the Wild 2 – We could see more info as to the next Zelda installment. Fans are hoping for a quick Majora’s Mask-like turn on the next game.
- Paper Mario Reboot – Rumors have been floating around about a possible Paper Mario game, and it would make sense given the last installment was over four years ago.
- Metroid Prime Trilogy Port – Tide fans over until Prime 4. Common Nintendo. You can do it.
- Wii U Ports – Two remaining titles stand out that need to be ported: Super Mario 3D World and Xenoblade Chronicles X.
- Pikmin 4 – We all know that Shiguro Miyamoto wants to make another Pikmin game.
Conclusion
But we want to know what you think? Are you excited about the Nintendo’s current release schedule for 2020? Which games do you think that Nintendo will reveal in the next Nintendo Direct? Let us know in the comments below or the social media links on the right. In addition, subscribe to our website to stay on top of all the latest video game news items. If you love Nintendo, check out our articles on Pokemon, Fire Emblem, Nindies, and more. Until next time, cheers!