E3 2019 is right around the corner. This is always one of the most exciting times of the year for me, because this is where we’ll get to see all the new games that will be coming from all the major companies and developers! One of the biggest companies to announce a bunch of new games every year is Nintendo. So here, as I like to do every year, I will be predicting what will Nintendo games will be shown in their annual E3 Direct.
Let’s start with previously announced Nintendo game release dates. First, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening will likely see a release of September 2019. The game will likely be no more than a port of the GameBoy game, but Nintendo never fails to surprise us.
Luigi’s Mansion 3 is a rather obvious prediction. It will likely be released in October, just in time for Halloween. I also think, having not gotten a single update about this game since its announcement in January, it will likely see some graphical improvements. It won’t be as detailed as the first Luigi’s Mansion, since they seem keen on going with a more bright, cartoony style, but a mid-point between the first two Luigi’s Mansion games’ art styles is not out of the question. I also think they will get rid of the mission-based structure of Dark Moon and go back to the focus on exploration the first game had.
Animal Crossing Switch is where things get a little tricky. All we’ve seen of the game is a mere logo, which is not even the final logo for the game, revealed all the way back in December! It will definitely get a full announcement at E3, but it’ll likely see a release date of either December 2019, or it will be delayed until April 2020. I think Nintendo is going to delay the game, especially since releasing an Animal Crossing game in the winter will not be ideal, given how the games work in real time. And to launch the game while it’s winter in-game is just weird, and will leave players unable to see how the game really looks graphically until Spring. The optimist in me thinks it could see a September release date, but that is very unlikely.
Pokemon Sword and Shield have already been given a release date of November 15th during a very recent Pokemon Direct. I think we will see more of the games at E3, likely some more Pokemon, features, and perhaps even a look at some other new legendaries.
Super Mario Maker 2 was already given a release date of June 28th, 2019 in an earlier Mario Maker 2 Direct. There will likely be more revealed at E3, including a new level theme, which will probably be released as DLC post-launch. What will the theme be? Well, there will likely be a few DLC themes released post-launch. Personally, I would like to see a Yoshi’s Island, Paper Mario, or Super Mario Odyssey theme. Knowing Nintendo, though, the theme revealed at E3 this year will probably just be Super Mario Bros. 2… The E3 Direct will also likely go deeper into the online modes and will hopefully confirm amiibo support. Especially given the rumours that it will not be making a return.
Next is the big game everyone looks forward to getting updates to, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. There will definitely be a DLC character reveal, but given that the remaining 4 DLC characters are supposed to be released from now until February 2020, it is likely we will get 2 character reveals. What will they be? Well, there are strong rumours claiming Banjo and Kazooie will be a joint character in the game, which wouldn’t surprise me and seems very likely. As for the 2nd character announcement, I haven’t the slightest clue. I’m hoping for Sora from Kingdom Hearts but I’m not sure what the likelihood of that happening will be. Given how unpredictable these character reveals are, I am admitting defeat and will leave this at what are perhaps the worst words to hear when you’re really hyped: we will have to wait and see.
And, to finish off the predictions for previously announced games, Metroid Prime 4 will be nowhere to be found. No footage, no estimated release date, nothing.
Now let’s move on to the part of this predictions blog that is based only on educated guesses that I can only hope to be true with no evidence to back them up, new game announcements that I think we can see from Nintendo at E3 this year.
First, it’s worth mentioning that there’s typically a new E3 announcement from Nintendo of a game that no one will really care about. Just a mere filler game. Last year, that was Super Mario Party, which sold alright, but was there really any hype there? No… For this year, I’m going to go out on a limb (as I will with all these other predictions) and say that it will be yet another Mario Golf game which will likely see an early 2020 release.
Another game which I think could be revealed is a new instalment in the Paper Mario series. Whether or not Nintendo has learned their lesson from the backlash of Paper Mario Sticker Star and Paper Mario Color Splash and finally release a true Paper Mario RPG, I don’t know. But this is usually around the time they would announce a new game in this franchise.
Back in the Wii U days, the near 2 year mark of the console was also around the time a new 3D Zelda game was announced. Seeing as how the Switch is over 2 years old, it is overdo for a new 3D Zelda announcement. What will it be? I don’t know. But the next 3D Zelda game will very likely also be open world like Breath of the Wild.
I’ve seen a lot of people hoping for a sequel to Super Mario Odyssey. Given this current gaming landscape, I’d say that DLC to the game is more likely than a sequel. And there is definitely a possibility that we can see some sort of DLC expansion to it.
In terms of ports, I think we will see a Zelda HD collection, containing Wind Waker HD and Twilight Princess HD, possibly even Skyward Sword HD, along with Super Mario 3D World. Also, given those rumours we keep hearing about an HD port of the Metroid Prime Trilogy, I’d say that is pretty likely as well.
Something else that has been heavily rumoured for some time is the addition of SNES games for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers. A recent datamining incident has revealed that this will be happening so I think it will finally be confirmed during the E3 Direct, probably along with some other Nintendo Switch Online updates.
To finish off these predictions, I think it is very possible that we will also get an announcement for Pikmin 4 and a new Nintendo IP. Miyamoto has mentioned Pikmin 4 in the past, I think this could be when it’s announced. And a new IP is definitely also likely. What it will be? I don’t know, but Nintendo does seem to also want to focus on new, original games. So a new IP would not surprise me.
That concludes my E3 predictions for this year. I hope these will all come true, but I’m sure only some of them will end up being revealed. I would also like to follow up after the E3 Direct, so please stay tuned for that. Can’t wait for E3!!!
Pixel Perfect 