Banjo-Kazooie Release Date and Smash Challenger Pack 4 Reveal
It’s incredibly likely that Nintendo will open their September Direct the exact same way they did E3, with Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
The Hero from Dragon Quest saw a quick turnaround, releasing at the beginning of August, and now that a month has passed it’s likely that Banjo-Kazooie is just about ready to go.
Along with a release date, it’s pretty much guaranteed that we’ll see the announcement of a new fighter. Earlier this week, Nintendo UK posted a page for the Challenger Pack 4.
Interestingly, at the bottom of the page, you can see a copyright for SNK Corporation, makers of prolific gaming series like King of Fighters. While it’s hard to say for certain, this could indicate what kind of fighter we’re going to see next.
Either way, you can be sure we’ll see a Smash presence during this Direct.
New Info and Release Date for Town
One year ago in Nintendo’s September 2018 Direct they dropped the bombshell announcement of a brand new IP from Game Freak, the renowned developer behind Pokemon.
Since then we’ve seen almost nothing, so it’s time for the game to reappear.
Now to be clear, the focus will undoubtedly be on Pokemon Sword and Shield, as it should be, but we can probably expect an info dump on Town, at the very least.
Since the announcement, Nintendo has maintained that the game is slated for a release in 2019, although the lack of information doesn’t seem encouraging.
At this point, it’d be surprising if the game came out this year, especially with Sword and Shield, but we could see it for some kind of end-of-year December release.
The scope of Town may be a bit smaller than we expect, leading to a release this year. On the other hand, we could also end up seeing a release date for early next year, setting the expectation for the Switch’s year to come.
New Reveal From Monolith Soft
We know that Monolith Soft has been heavily recruiting for a new Legend of Zelda project, which is most likely Breath of the Wild 2 revealed at E3.
However, the developer is undoubtedly working on something else due to the success of Xenoblade Chronicles 2.
It’s now been a full two years since the release of Xenoblade Chronicles 2, and over a year since the expansion, Torna.
While it’s unlikely that the developer would be near completion with a new game, it’d be a wise move to show fans they’re working on something new.
For example, we know Breath of the Wild 2 is a ways out from release, but Nintendo still used it as a hype-building announcement at E3. A new game from Monolith could do the same thing, and Nintendo has enough incoming games to afford a few long-off announcements.
While Bayonetta 3, Animal Crossing, Metroid Prime 4, and No More Heroes inch closer to release, Nintendo wants to make sure fans have a clear vision of the Switch’s future.
What better way to do that than show what one of Nintendo’s most ambitious developers is working on?
Surprise Reveal for December Release
I know what you’re saying, December is only three months away there’s no way Nintendo would announce and release a game in that time. Well, we don’t think it’s out of the questions.
Most likely this kind of release would be a Switch exclusive developed by a third-party, similar to something like Octopath Traveler or Astral Chain. In fact, let’s use Astral Chain as an example.
Astral Chain was announced in Nintendo’s February 2019 Direct, and it released a short six months later in August.
Considering we’ve only seen one major direct since then, at E3, it’s very possible that Nintendo has been holding a major announcement to fill out their 2019 calendar.
At the moment, Nintendo doesn’t have a major release planned for December, although Pokemon in November can easily carry over.
Still, it seems likely that the company will announce something to finish off the year.
It could be a third-party exclusive, it could be a new Mario Party game, or it could be a new Wii U port. There are just so many possibilities.
Big New Third-Party Port, Probably Overwatch
Nintendo has been killing it lately with getting third-party ports to the Switch. The Witcher 3, Doom Eternal, Cuphead, Mortal Kombat 11, Spyro Reignited Trilogy, the list goes on.
The company likes to highlight big third-party games coming to the Switch, and you can bet they’ll do the same this time around.
The Witcher 3 coming to Switch was a bombshell announcement, but there are others that could get the same level of attention.
Right now signs point to the mega-hit Overwatch getting an announcement.
At the end of August Amazon put up an Overwatch Switch case with the description reading “officially licensed by Nintendo and Blizzard.”
The case was hastily pulled down, but the damage was done. There’s no reason to have an Overwatch Switch case if there’s no Overwatch on the system, right?
At this point, it’s all but assured.
About the author
