After over a year of anxious anticipation a new Nintendo Direct is finally just a few hours away. And what a presentation it appears to be, with over 50 minutes of news about current and upcoming Nintendo Switch games, including Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. But with more than a year between this and the last official all-encompassing Direct fans may be a bit out of practice. So let’s dive into all the big questions, including where to watch the Nintendo Direct and what to expect.
When is the Nintendo Direct
The first Nintendo Direct of 2021 will begin at 2pm Pacific Time on Wednesday, February 17th, 2021. It is a live presentation so you need to modify that for your individual time zone if you want to catch everything as it is announced. This translates to 5pm Eastern Time in the Americas, 10pm in the UK and similar European countries, and 9am in parts of Australia. Once you figure out the time keep reading to find out where to watch the show.
Where to Watch the Nintendo Direct (February 17th)
This is the easy part since the show will be broadcast on almost all platforms you can imagine. This includes YouTube which we’ve conveniently placed right here. So when the time comes just head back right here to see the whole thing just below.
Nintendo Direct – February 17th, 2021
But if you’re here early you may wonder what we expect to be announced and revealed so check out our predictions below.
What to Expect from the Nintendo Direct
This is the tough part. To be honest no one truly know what’s coming from this Nintendo Direct. With so much time between it and the last, and with the COVID-19 pandemic having caused havoc in the game development sector we could be in for some huge surprises. Have Nintendo’s teams been working behind the scenes on some massive games that no one has even heard about? Possibly, but here’s a few we think are likely.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC Character Reveal
The one game we know will be a part of the Nintendo Direct is Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. With three of the six fighters revealed for the second DLC pack we still have a lot of announcements ahead for the massive fighter hit. Could we get a DLC character reveal today? It’s extremely likely. Of course you want to know who that will be and frankly we have no idea.
Minecraft’s Steve & Alex and Sephiroth came out of nowhere, and there’s so many characters already in the game it’s tough to even imagine what Sakurai and company could have left to pull from. Perhaps they’ll return to their first party lineup and give us someone from Animal Crossing, Pokémon, or F-Zero. Could it be a character from a game being announced during the show? That’s very likely. Or they’ll draw from recent third party partnerships such as Microsoft and give us someone from Doom, Halo, or a Bethesda property. Could the Dragonborne appear in some fashion? Truly anything is possible here.
Pokémon Sword and Shield and/or Animal Crossing: New Horizons DLC
Lots of people are expecting more there to be some new content for two of the Switch’s biggest hits. Pokémon Sword and Shield already had two expansions that were decently received. There’s still more that can be done there though so perhaps that’s what’s coming. Or something even more exciting with a new Pokémon adventure on Switch either later this year or next.
And of course the biggest elephant in the room since COVID hit has been Animal Crossing: New Horizons. The mega hit has sold more than almost any game in existence already, so DLC makes a ton of sense. Hopefully tradition holds though and this is more of a large scale expansion at no additional cost. Could we finally see Brewster? Could tool durability be removed, crafting be expanded/improved, and other quality of life enhancements added? The game is due for a refresh for those who’ve had it almost a full year now so expect something here.
Metroid Prime 4, F-Zero, Star Fox, Etc.
Metroid Prime 4 has been quiet since its initial reveal and eventual total redo when development wasn’t going well. Might we see something on it or the fan requested Metroid Prime Trilogy Switch release? The odds are pretty good, but Metroid fans know not to get their hopes up too high. But what about other popular Nintendo franchises? F-Zero and Star Fox are due for a Switch game, so we could get something, but again, getting your hopes up before a Nintendo Direct often leads to disappointment. It’s best to go in without a set list of what you want since Nintendo often delights in unexpected ways.
So that’s what we’re expecting from the Nintendo Direct for February 17th, 2021, but what about you? And be sure to watch the show above when the time comes.
