There's a lot of demand for Nintendo to release a new Direct right now. For about ten years, Nintendo has been giving its fans announcements, gameplay details, and release dates through its Nintendo Direct conferences, which can host anything from the company's first-party content to third-party games on their way to Nintendo consoles. Aside from a few specialized Directs in late 2021, there hasn't been a standard Nintendo Direct since last September, so it's about time that the company comes forward to provide some updates. The next year is packed with Nintendo games with lots of hype and little information, so the next Direct had better be brimming with new details.
However, considering how Nintendo has approached a few of its games lately, the next Nintendo Direct may not feature everything that fans expect it to. Nintendo has released new standalone videos for Kirby and the Forgotten Land and Pokemon Legends: Arceus, with both videos sharing central information that one would expect to get reserved for a Nintendo Direct. It seems like Nintendo wants to get publicity rounds for these early 2022 titles out of the way, potentially meaning that the next Direct will focus on Nintendo's more distant and mysterious projects.
Kirby and Pokemon's New Trailers
The latest trailer for Kirby and the Forgotten Land really seems like it was meant to be a part of a Nintendo Direct, considering how much central information it revealed. Not only did the new Forgotten Land trailer show off the game's hub area and 2-player co-op, but it provided fans with a March 2022 release date for the game. Nintendo Directs are usually responsible for information as important as that, so it's odd to see the date come out independently. A January or February Nintendo Direct will probably still spotlight Kirby and the Forgotten Land to some degree, but with the release date out of the way, there's not many other major announcements to make about it.
The official Pokemon YouTube channel also just uploaded a 13-minute gameplay overview for Pokemon Legends: Arceus, detailing the game's quest system, customization options, and more. Much like Kirby's standalone trailer, this gameplay video seems like the kind of thing Nintendo would usually release as part of a Nintendo Direct shortly before the game's release. Providing the video now suggests that there won't be a Direct until after Pokemon Legends: Arceus' release, as well as that the Direct will focus on new Pokemon announcements, if there's any Pokemon content at all.
The Next Nintendo Direct's Contents
With core information about these games out of the way, it's possible that the next Nintendo Direct will focus on games releasing later in 2022 instead. Nintendo still has plenty of topics to cover, even if it won't discuss Kirby or Pokemon much at the next direct. Splatoon 3 and Bayonetta 3 still need release dates, for instance, and there's always the possibility that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 gets a new trailer soon too. Rather than focusing solely on the early months of 2022, Nintendo might plan on looking at the year more broadly, providing a wide variety of updates during 2022's first Nintendo Direct.
Such a shift in focus would be a little surprising, but it certainly wouldn't be bad. Not only would it give Nintendo more room to talk about the likes of Splatoon 3 and Breath of the Wild 2, but it could also mean that the next Nintendo Direct will have room for a few more new announcements from Nintendo. As strong as the company's 2022 calendar already is, the Switch could always use more compelling games. Nintendo may not have announced a new Direct properly yet, but its latest trailers are still potential signs of what's to come.