Gaming Club

Nintendo

What can we expect from the first Nintendo Direct of 2024? Games we could and would like to see

With just a few hours to go before the Nintendo Partner Showcase kicks off in February 2024, we’re taking a look at the possible titles that could be featured (and others we’d like to see).

A new Nintendo Direct is just around the corner, and as always, fans are asking the same question, “What will we see in this Direct?” Announced earlier this week, the February Nintendo Direct has been a constant since 2012 (except for 2018) to show a preview of a specific upcoming game or to give the upcoming releases of the season.

This time, we have something called a Partner Showcase, which focuses on presenting titles from developers and publishers outside of Nintendo for the first half of this year. What does that mean? It means that if you’re thinking this is going to be a chance to see something from Metroid Prime 4, a new Mario or Zelda title, or something related to Kirby, you might want to lower your expectations. What it will be is a presentation that aims to showcase developments from studios of all sizes that have something in the works for Nintendo Switch. Also, don’t expect to see anything about the successor to Nintendo’s hybrid console, as it’s still a long way off and Nintendo would surely have announced it.

What will we see during the Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase in February 2024?

One of the first details we need to look at is what we’ve seen before. While we would love to have a crystal ball to learn about titles yet to be announced, what we can do is review past Direct Showcases to learn about the titles we were introduced to once and never heard about again. Typically, these Directs feature titles that will be released in a few months to games that will be available the same day, so we do not have such a long list, but some titles immediately catch our attention because of their names and proposals:

  • Spy x Anya: Operation Memories (Release date: 2024, already available at Japan)
  • SaGA Emerald Beyond (Release date: 2024)
  • Unicorn Overlord (Release date: March 8)
  • Penny’s Big Breakaway (Release date: 2024)
  • Deca Police (Release date: 2024)
  • Fantasy Life: The Girl That Steals Time (Release date: Summer 2024)

This time, we leave out Professor Layton and the New World of Steam, as it is scheduled until 2025. There are also rumors about a rumored Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance that appeared on the Korean game rating site this morning.

Games we could see, but we are not so sure

Let’s talk about one of the elephants in the (gaming) room: Xbox’s recent announcement to bring 4 exclusive titles to other consoles. While Phil Spencer didn’t announce any of the games that will make the jump at the time, it doesn’t sound crazy at all that the announcement of one of these games could be made at this Partner Direct. Which one could it be? Well, among the rumored games are Sea of Thieves, Pentiment, Grounded, and Hi-Fi Rush.

This is not out of the realm of possibility. Considering that we’ve had Mojang titles at previous Partner Showcases, nothing is stopping us from seeing another Xbox Studios member at the presentation. However, if we had to put our money on one title, we have two choices: Sea of Thieves from Rare, a studio that was once one of Nintendo’s great partners, or Hi-Fi Rush, whose aesthetic might be the easiest to port to Nintendo’s hybrid.

What games would you like to see during tomorrow’s Nintendo Direct? Let us know in the comments, and don’t miss the live stream from Meristation USA.