Nintendo's adorable pink puffball hero Kirby is turning 30 this year, and the company is planning on celebrating this milestone. When given an opportunity, Nintendo will usually celebrate the anniversaries of some of its biggest franchises in some way, and Kirby can be considered one of Nintendo's most recognizeable icons.
In a post to Twitter this morning, Nintendo has announced plans on honoring Kirby's 30th anniversary in some capacity this year. There were no specifics given whether there will be more Kirby game announcements, some new Kirby merchandise, or maybe even a collection of Kirby games. Gamers will simply have to wait and see what Nintendo chooses to do with Kirby's anniversary.
In the Twitter post, Nintendo mentioned "Kirby activities," and people can also visit the official Kirby website to download a free wallpaper. There is at least one Kirby game coming out this year in time for the 30th anniversary. Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Kirby's first true 3D adventure game, will be out on March 25th this year. The release date for Kirby and the Forgotten Land was also announced shortly after the 30th anniversary announcement.
Previous Nintendo anniversaries for Mario and Zelda included the remake of Super Mario All-Stars on Wii for Mario's 25th anniversary, and the release of the original The Legend of Zelda on the Zelda Game and Watch released in 2021 for Zelda's 35th anniversary. During Kirby's 20th anniversary in 2012 Nintendo released Kirby's Dream Collection, a compilation of various games across the Kirby franchise, and it was the last first-party game released on the Wii in North America. There is the possibility Nintendo could do another video game compilation, especially given the large number of Kirby games that were released on the 3DS and the Wii U.
A more likely scenario given the current world's circumstances is something smaller, like the 25th anniversary Kirby plush or the 30th anniversary wallpaper that is currently being given away. Kirby's first foray into 3D is also cause for celebration, and it should be an exciting prospect for Kirby fans to see how Nintendo handles the transition from Kirby's standard 2D gameplay into the third dimension.
2022 is just beginning, and the fact that this announcement came early should be promising for news regarding the Kirby series. Fans should keep their eyes out for future announcements from Nintendo on how the Kirby series will be celebrated in the coming months.