The latest Nintendo Direct was another disappointment but that’s no surprise

Is Nintendo asleep on the job? (YouTube)

Friday’s bumper-sized Direct didn’t live up to expectations but it wasn’t a disaster either, as Nintendo struggles with the realities of modern video game development.

Nintendo is so inscrutable it’s hard to know whether they announced this week’s 60 minute long Nintendo Direct knowing that everyone would imagine a motherlode of big announcements or if they’re genuinely unaware of how it would immediately create expectations that could never be fulfilled.

The modern concept of the online showcase was invented and perfected by Nintendo but although they’ve had a lot this year, thanks to the launch of the Switch 2, none of them have been especially thrilling. None of them have been terrible either – except the entirely unnecessary Partner Showcase in July – and it’s sad to say that’s probably just a sign of the times.

As Sony and Microsoft have made clear this generation, video games now take a lot longer to make than they used to and even on the modestly powered Switch 2 that’s going to mean less games, less often than on the Switch 1. But even knowing that, some of Nintendo’s priorities remain baffling.

Friday’s Direct started off well enough, with reveals of four new Super Mario games. Well, two new ones (Mario Tennis Fever and Yoshi And The Mysterious Book) and two re-releases (a Switch 2 Edition of Super Mario Bros. Wonder and a compilation of Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2).

There was no mention of a new 3D Mario though and Shigeru Miyamoto himself made it clear the new movie was the centrepiece of the Super Mario Bros. 40th anniversary celebrations, despite the fact that it has nothing specifically to do with the sub-series. Mind you, neither did any of the new games, with Wonder being the only tenuous link to the original NES titles.

Since this is almost certainly the last general Direct of the year, there’s now very little chance that there will be any mention of a 3D Mario before 2026. Or, for that matter, mainline entries for Zelda, Super Smash Bros., Animal Crossing, Splatoon (spin-off Splatoon Raiders wasn’t featured either), Pikmin, Pokèmon, Kirby or any number of others.

At the reveal for the Switch 1 you at least got a few seconds glimpse of the then unannounced Super Mario Odyssey, but the mic drop at the end of this Direct was Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave, a follow-up to Three Houses that also looks frustratingly low budget.

We enjoy a good Fire Emblem as much as anyone, but it’s always felt more like a mid-career franchise for any new Nintendo console, something you get around to only after the bigger series have made at least one appearance. But for whatever reason it has been the priority, alongside even less desirable sequels like Kirby Air Riders and Hyrule Warriors: The Age Of Imprisonment.

The explanation seems fairly obvious, in that because Fire Emblem is low budget, it can be produced more quickly than something like a mainline Zelda. The other two games are the same and have the added benefit that they’re made by third party studios.

Nintendo is trying to hide the fact that its own internally developed games are taking longer to make than you’d normally expect and, except for some of the stranger choices, they’ve been relatively successful at that.

Although Nintendo is being too conservative, in terms of teasing upcoming games and not talking about their most beloved franchises, the likely truth is that Nintendo Directs are going to be like this from now on. Just like PlayStation State of Plays will continue to disappoint, because video game development is only going to take longer and longer in the future.

How much of this is the fault of publishers is open to debate, as while they can’t magically make development faster they knew this problem was coming and did absolutely nothing to avoid it – such as make an effort to lower budgets across the board. Or at least Sony and Microsoft didn’t, it’s hard to tell what Nintendo does behind its iron curtain.

The end result has been sadly predictable: another competently presented but slightly hollow Nintendo Direct. The majority of the games looked good but, as has been the case ever since the Switch 2 was announced, there was a lack of tangible excitement, as Nintendo delivered only the bare minimum necessary to retain interest in the format – not because that’s how they want things, but because that’s just how video game development is nowadays.

There were plenty of interesting reveals in the Direct. The new open world elements in Metroid Prime 4 looked great, cosy game Pokémon Pokopia has potential, and the return of the Virtual Boy was amusingly over-the-top.

Third party support was also relatively convincing, including Final Fantasy 7 Remake in January and Hades 2 making its console debut on Switch this month. Resident Evil 7, Village, and Requiem was a minor coup too, especially as the latter will be out the same day as the other versions.

There was no sign of Elden Ring or The Duskbloods though and it’s hard to know what to read into that. It was even stranger that there’s still no hint of Mario Kart World DLC – despite the mystery of Donkey Kong and Pauline having so few costumes – and yet Donkey Kong Bananza got new paid-for DLC this week, even if it does seem rather insubstantial.

Being strange is Nintendo’s modus operandi but the Switch 2 era of Directs is a mixture of inexplicable business decisions and unavoidable market realities. PlayStation fans have been waiting three years for the next ‘big one’, when it comes to State of Play showcases, but at this point it’s clear there’s never going to be one again. Unfortunately, that’s probably true for Nintendo Directs too.

Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave – one of very few new first party announcements (Nintendo)

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