For the past couple of weeks, the Internet has been abuzz with rumors that Nintendo will be hosting a Switch-focused Nintendo Direct on January 11. It's now January 10, and Nintendo still has yet to make any announcements about its next Nintendo Direct presentation. However, that hasn't stopped the company from having fun with fans, with the Nintendo of America Twitter account posting a seemingly random picture as a way to tease those excited for the Nintendo Direct.
A couple of hours ago, the Nintendo of America Twitter account uploaded an image of Chibi-Robo from the Chibi-Robo! series...on fire. There is no text to give meaning to the image, and many fans have taken it as Nintendo trolling them for being so hyped for a Nintendo Direct presentation that hasn't even been officially announced.
Since posting the image, Nintendo has amassed over 3,000 comments from fans, gaming news outlets, and other video game companies. Almost all of the comments applaud Nintendo for its sense of humor, though one comment in particular has left some fans hopeful that this image is something more than just a joke on the part of the Big N.
As pointed out by Twitter user Ryan Brown, if you zoom in on Chibi-Robo's eyes, you can see a shape that vaguely resembles an inverted Super Smash Bros. logo. This is likely just a coincidence as opposed to an actual tease for a new Super Smash Bros. game, but that's not going to stop some fans from getting excited.
Super Smash Bros. rumors aside, there is no way that Nintendo is not aware of the hype surrounding its rumored January 11 Nintendo Direct, but since we still haven't had an official announcement, fans may want to keep their expectations in check. After all, if Nintendo was planning on hosting a Nintendo Direct on January 11, it probably would have announced it days ago.
Regardless, Nintendo will need to show its upcoming Switch lineup at some point, especially if it hopes to meet its goal of selling 20 million Switch units by the end of the year. While hope is fading for a January 11 Nintendo Direct, hopefully Nintendo doesn't leave fans in the dark for too much longer.