Nintendohad a busy February in terms of presentations. Early in the month,Nintendotreated fans to a Direct focusing on a variety of games releasing in early 2022, includingKirby and the Forgotten Landand the newly announcedNintendo Switch Sports.As significant as that Direct was, aPokemon-centric presentation in late February was equally explosive. Fans now know thatPokemon ScarletandVioletwill release in late 2022, making this a major year for thePokemonfranchise. With those presentations out of the way, fans once again have little sign of when another Direct will come.
WhileNintendo Directs come and goat various times, Nintendo can be a creature of habit. Directs may not all land on the same dates, but they do share a pattern. It stands to reason that Nintendo would want to update its fans at regular intervals throughout the year so they know what to expect. Nintendo may not have announced another presentation yet, but past precedent could at least offer some clues on when the next Nintendo Direct will take place. As March winds down, the next presentation could be drawing near.
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Possible Times for the Next Nintendo Direct
As a general rule, Nintendo doesn’t skip several months in a row between Directs. Nintendo’s presentations were scarce in late 2021, but a handful of events in October and December kept the company’s schedule from remaining completely blank. After two major presentations in February, it wouldn’t be surprising if Nintendo wants to take a break in March. Its only major release remaining this month isKirby and the Forgotten Land, which is getting extensive advertising. If there aren’t any presentations coming this month, it seems likely that the company will speak up again in April.
A mid-April Nintendo Direct would make sense in the context of early 2022 Switch releases; it could discuss possible updates forKirby and the Forgotten Landwhile advertisingNintendo Switch SportsandFire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes. Fans should be prepared for the chance that April will lack a Nintendo Direct, however. Directs have been more scarce than usual in the last few months, meaning there’s a chance Nintendo waits for May or June. Overall though, there will almost certainly be at least one more Direct between now and June, since Nintendo’s June Direct should coincide with E3 2022. It will probably want to release a Direct in April or May to cover its early 2022 titles and tease content for E3.
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Potential Nintendo Direct Content
Fans should remain optimistic that Nintendo will release more than one 2022 Direct before E3 because of the variety of content it could discuss. The aforementioned games warrant another core Nintendo Direct, as do upcoming titles likeMario Strikers: Battle League, which will likely release before E3. Aside from Nintendo’s own content, there’s a good chance that Nintendo releases an Indie World Showcase between now and June. As a general rule, Nintendo releases an Indie World Showcase every four-to-six months. The last Indie World presentation happened in December 2021, so an April or May Direct makes perfect sense.
Overall, Nintendo has a very busy year planned, andleaks aboutFire Emblemsuggest Nintendo may have even more plans than fans know. That means large Directs will probably be more regular this year than they were in 2020 and 2021. It’s good to see that Nintendo is on the mend, and it’s also great to see the Switch is getting so much compelling content so late into its life. The Switch has done well so far, but withNintendo’s support, 2022 could be a particularly successful year.
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