Nintendo itself has said that it has numerous games in the pipeline for the Nintendo Switch console, but there aren't many games that have actually been confirmed for the system in the months ahead. Nintendo is expected to pull the curtain back on some of its major upcoming Switch exclusive games as early as E3 2021 next month, though it seems some of the company's potential reveals have leaked ahead of time.
Notable leaker Zippo has recently posted a new blog where they discuss everything they know about the games Nintendo has in the works for the Switch. Zippo has made accurate predictions about Nintendo in the past, and some of their latest claims have since been corroborated by other outlets. However, fans should still take this information with a massive grain of salt and wait for official announcements from Nintendo before they put too muck stock into any of these claims.
For those curious, here are all the upcoming Nintendo projects that Zippo has supposedly leaked. With E3 2021 right around the corner, fans should find out sooner rather than later whether or not there's truth to any of these claims.
Donkey Kong
The Donkey Kong franchise has enjoyed a comeback in recent years thanks to Retro's work on Donkey Kong Country Returns and its sequel, Tropical Freeze. Retro has since been relegated to developing Metroid Prime 4, and so apparently another studio has been given the reigns of the 2D Donkey Kong franchise for now. Zippo believes that the next 2D Donkey Kong game is actually in development by EPD Tokyo, which is the internal Nintendo development team that was responsible for Super Mario Odyssey and some of the company's most critically-acclaimed exclusive titles. Like the rumored 2D Metroid game, Zippo thinks that this potential new Donkey Kong game will be revealed at E3 for release on the Switch at some point later this year.
Another Donkey Kong project that Nintendo might have in the works could be something completely different. Zippo's blog post suggests that Donkey Kong could potentially be getting a battle royale game in the style of Tetris 99, which makes sense when one considers how successful Tetris 99 has been.
Fire Emblem
Fire Emblem was once a niche franchise, but ever since the success of Fire Emblem: Awakening on the Nintendo 3DS, it has become significantly more popular with Nintendo fans the world over. If Zippo's information is correct, it seems as though Fire Emblem fans may have a lot to look forward to in the near future as well, with Zippo believing that there are two new Fire Emblem games in active development for the Switch. One of these games is reportedly being developed by Intelligent Systems and that there is a chance it will be a remake of Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War, a Japanese-exclusive SNES game.
Meanwhile, Koei Tecmo is reportedly making a "follow-up to Three Houses." While Intelligent Systems is the primary developer known for making Fire Emblem games, Koei Tecmo did co-develop Fire Emblem: Three Houses and it has a strong relationship with Nintendo, so it wouldn't be all that surprising to see the company trusted with the next main series Fire Emblem game.
Mario
Zippo makes a number of claims about the Mario franchise throughout the blog post. One is that Tokyo EPD is making a follow-up to Super Mario Odyssey while it's simultaneously developing the 2D Donkey Kong game. The other claim is that Super Mario Party 2 is in the works, with Zippo expecting the game to be announced at some point during Nintendo's E3 2021 press conference with a full release this year.
Perhaps the more exciting Mario-related "leak" mentioned by Zippo is that Nintendo is likely making a brand new Mario Kart game, or is working on a Mario Kart project of some description at least. Apparently, the new Mario Kart project is not related to existing Mario Kart games like Mario Kart Tour or the Mario Kart: Live Circuit toys. Zippo speculates that the project could be anything from more Mario Kart 8 Deluxe DLC to Mario Kart 9 to something a little more interesting.
One possibility that Zippo throws out there is that the game could be a Nintendo Kart game. While Zippo is just guessing with this game, it is something that's been predicted by others in the past, and would essentially be the Mario Kart-equivalent of Super Smash Bros. Whether or not anything like this ever happens remains to be seen, but Zippo believes that the new project could be released this year, so maybe fans will find out sooner rather than later.
Metroid
Rumors have persisted for years that Nintendo has a 2D Metroid game in development. So far, Nintendo has only confirmed the existence of Metroid Prime 4, but Zippo seems to think that a 2D Metroid game is not only in development, but that it's actually finished with development. According to Zippo, the 2D Metroid game is in development by MercurySteam and runs at 60 frames per second. Since Zippo thinks that the 2D Metroid game has finished development, its potential absence at E3 would cast a great deal of doubt on the rest of the claims made in the blog post.
Pokemon
Zippo didn't mention much when it comes to upcoming Pokemon projects. Pokemon fans already know that Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are coming to the Nintendo Switch this year, and that they can look forward to Pokemon Legends: Arceus launching at some point in 2022. However, the new Detective Pikachu game has been nowhere to be seen since its initial announcement, and so Zippo thinks that there's a chance that fans will see it again sooner rather than later. Zippo's prediction is that the Detective Pikachu sequel will be shown during a Pokemon Presents event as opposed to Nintendo's E3 presentation, but they're just guessing when it comes to that particular game.
The Legend of Zelda
2021 marks the 35th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda franchise, and so many fans are expecting the Big N to go all-out in the same way that it did for the Super Mario series. So far, the only thing Nintendo has confirmed is the Skyward Sword HD Switch port, but Zippo finds it likely that there will be other Zelda projects to look forward to in 2021. This includes a bundle of Wind Waker and Twilight Princess, which has been rumored elsewhere. And as far as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 goes, Zippo is unsure of what Nintendo's plans are, but they believe that the game will be showcased at E3 with a planned 2022 release date.
Whether or not Zippo's claims can be believed is up for debate. There have been many legitimate Nintendo leaks in the past, and so it's entirely possible that their claims are accurate. Then again, their claims almost read like a wish-list of what fans would want from new Nintendo gaming projects. Ultimately, E3 will help to either disprove these claims or give them more credibility. If it's the latter, then fans will want to pay a lot more attention to the other claims made by Zippo in the blog post.
In the meantime, Zippo has teased that they have a new blog post in the works that will focus on what Nintendo has planned for 2022. It will definitely be interesting to see what claims are made in that post as well, especially if any of these other claims are corroborated by E3 or anything like that.
Source: Zippo