Fans of the Nintendo Switch and Pokémon have a busy week ahead as two announcement events are on the horizon. Nintendo Direct takes to the stage first on February 21 to focus on the newest titles coming to the Switch console.
A #NintendoDirect: Partner Showcase is coming! Watch on-demand via YouTube on 2/21 at 6am PT for around 25 mins of info focused on #NintendoSwitch games coming in the first half of 2024 from our publishing and development partners.
Stay tuned here: https://t.co/ZIAs64iWbK pic.twitter.com/CTrAC02G4d
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) February 19, 2024
The company’s post says it will focus on the “games coming in the first half of 2024 from our publishing and development partners.”
Xbox titles coming to Switch perhaps?
Weeks of speculation that Microsoft exclusives could be coming to rival consoles delayed the annual Nintendo Direct for this year. No date was given until very recently for the event and the gaming world believes this could be down to the spilled beans that Hi-Fi Rush will be making a début on the flagship console of the Japanese gaming giant as well as other Microsoft titles.
Recent leaks even let the branding out of the bag for Hi-Fi, as Nintendo’s vibrant red and a “Rock out! Anywhere” slogan had been spotted by the Verge last month.
The possibility of a new Switch or at the very least a rough window of delivery could also be given to Nintendo’s faithful fans and shareholders alike. Shares in the company dipped by 6% yesterday after rumors spread that the games company had told developers that the Switch successor would not be ready in time for the holiday season.
Pokémon Presents
An evergreen golden goose for Nintendo is the Pokémon franchise, who’ll be making an announcement a week on from this one from Japan’s richest company. Pokémon Day is the annual celebration of the original Pokémon Green and Red titles that graced the Game Boy and Game Boy Colour in 1996 in Japan and 1998 in English.
The company has announced a Pokémon Presents presentation on Tuesday, February 27 at 6:00 a.m. PST.
Did somebody say #PokemonPresents? 👀
Tune in to our official YouTube channel at 6:00 a.m. PST on February 27th to view exciting Pokémon news in celebration of #PokemonDay 2024! 🎉
See you there, Trainers!
📺: https://t.co/eDWO5LvlWq pic.twitter.com/plsFcIJ2eS
— Pokémon (@Pokemon) February 20, 2024
The release is thin on the information surrounding the event with only the direction to “tune in to the official Pokémon YouTube channel at that time for the latest news and updates from the world of Pokémon,”
So Pokémon fans will have to follow the stream next week in the hopes of a new title or a potential remaster of an old classic. With the Switch 2 potentially delayed then the chances of a new title dropping on the seven-year-old console is pretty slim.
The Pokémon franchise has faced stiff competition with the emergence of the procedurally generated pretender to the throne in Palworld. Nintendo remains tight-lipped on any legal moves to challenge the origins of the inspiration of Pocketpair’s creatures.
The title has sold over 4 million units and had a reported 86,000 units selling an hour at one point. Despite the game being heavily influenced by artificial intelligence, most gamers only seem to care about the possibilities that small monsters can bring to the online multi-player title.
So it remains to be seen if this Pokémon event coincides with Nintendo announcing a new game in the franchise or if this is just a celebration of everyone’s favorite original pocket monsters.
Image Credit: Nintendo.
