Nintendo has officially announced the first Nintendo Direct presentation of 2023, set to take place on Wednesday, February 8 at 2pm PT. Nintendo typically hosts a Nintendo Direct event around this time every year, so many fans were expecting it, but it's still nice to get the official announcement.
Besides the fact that Nintendo tends to host Nintendo Direct events in February each year, industry insiders leaked the Nintendo Direct's existence, claiming that it would premiere at some point this week. Those leaks have turned out to be accurate, but nothing else about what the event will entail has leaked online. Nintendo Direct leaks are somewhat rare, so fans likely won't know what to expect until they tune in to the presentation on February 8.
When the Nintendo Direct airs on February 8 at 2pm PT, Nintendo fans can expect about 40 minutes of announcements. Nintendo didn't reveal any specific games for the Nintendo Direct, but it did say that it will "mostly" focus on Nintendo Switch titles that are launching in the first half of 2023. With the Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom release date pegged for May 12, it seems likely that the big new Zelda game will be part of the presentation, but Nintendo has not actually confirmed it at the time of this writing.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom will likely be the headlining game featured at the Nintendo Direct event on February 8, but other titles seem likely to make an appearance as well. Rumor has it that Advance Wars 1+2 Re-Boot Camp will be at the Nintendo Direct, and not only that, but it could even be surprise-launched as part of the festivities. Other Nintendo Switch games coming out in the first half of 2023 include Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe and Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon, so they could be featured at the show as well.
There are plenty of unverified rumors about other Nintendo Switch projects that could potentially be in the pipeline. Fans shouldn't get their hopes up about seeing them at the Nintendo Direct, but rumors and leaks have suggested that a new 2D Super Mario game is in development, a new Donkey Kong Country is in the works, a new Super Mario baseball game may be on the way, and that Nintendo has remastered Metroid Prime. It will be interesting to see if any of these rumored Switch games are announced at the Direct or if the leaks about them are inaccurate.
The wording of the Nintendo Direct announcement leaves the door open for Nintendo to put the spotlight on some Switch games coming beyond the first half of 2023 as well, so it's possible that the upcoming Pikmin 4 will be shown, but that's just speculation at this time. Ultimately, Nintendo fans will have to tune in to the Nintendo Direct themselves February 8 at 2pm PT to see what the Big N has in store.