Will We Finally See These Games In The Not-E3 Nintendo Direct?
This week is the week of the E3-that-wasn’t, and even if the giant expo won’t be around to entertain us, the giants of the games industry have seemingly managed to put together a whole bunch of showcases all the same.
But we still aren’t sure what Nintendo’s showing will be, or if we’ll even get a Nintendo Direct alongside all the other presentations. But on the assumption that we will, we’ve put together a list of everything we know about a bunch of games that have either dropped off the radar for a while, or haven’t had any concrete release information in a long time, to figure out what we should/could be ready for.
Let’s get speculatin’!
Games We Haven’t Heard From In A While…
Metroid Prime 4
What is it?
A sequel in the Metroid Prime series, the beloved action-adventure games starring everyone’s favourite bounty hunter, Samus Aran.
What do we know so far?
Quite a lot, and somehow, nothing at all. We have a logo and a banner, and we know that it has been shuffled around from studio to studio, beginning at Bandai Namco, then being entirely scrapped and given to original Metroid Prime studio, Retro. Aside from that, it’s all just speculation, formed around Retro’s hiring practices, Switch Pro rumours, COVID delays, and blind hope.
Is it coming to Switch?
Well, you’d bloody hope so.
What’s the release date?
We guessed at a 2022/2023 release, but the development has been pretty messy, with all the hiring and pandemicing and scrapping the entire project and starting over, so who knows?
Why should we be excited?
Because Metroid Prime is one of the greatest game serieses of all time, and because Metroid Dread was really, really good.
Anything else we should know?
Will it be at not-E3?
We’d give this one a 6/10 chance.
Bayonetta 3
What is it?
A third game in the Bayonetta series. Play as a witch with gun shoes and a suit made out of hair to fight off biblically-accurate angels. It’s awesome.
What do we know so far?
A surprising amount, actually, except for, you know, when it comes out. It’s bulletpoint list time:
Phew.
Is it coming to Switch?
Yes. In fact, it’s an exclusive!
What’s the release date?
Well, they say 2022.
Why should we be excited?
At this point, maybe just so Hideki Kamiya can stop saying “it’s going very well”.
Anything else we should know?
It’s going very well.
Will it be at not-E3?
With a 2022 release date, it had better be. We rate this one a 7/10 for likelihood — it’s a relatively low score because Kamiya seems like he might cancel the whole thing out of annoyance at this point.
Sports Story
What is it?
A sequel to the beloved Golf Story, Sports Story is also an RPG, but expands into tennis, fishing, dungeons, espionage, mini-games, and treasure. And golf.
What do we know so far?
Initially coming in “mid-2020” and then indefinitely delayed, Sports Story has been quiet since June 2021, when the developers said there would be “more updates going forward” — they shared one more update on Christmas 2021, but that’s been it.
Is it coming to Switch?
It’s a Switch exclusive!
What’s the release date?
It’s very hard to say. It seems like the campaign got away from the developers and became much larger than intended, and we don’t know how long that’ll take to finish.
Why should we be excited?
Golf Story was really good.
Anything else we should know?
The game was first delayed in August 2020, then delayed a bit more in June 2021, so we’re about due for another delay… or a release, maybe.
Will it be at not-E3?
Maybe? Without any substantial updates for a long time, we don’t even know what state the game is in right now. We’ll rate this one a 6/10. Don’t get your hopes up.
Grezzo’s Mystery Medieval Game
What is it?
We literally only have the words “medieval” and “stylish” to go on. And maybe “action”.
What do we know so far?
Grezzo is Nintendo’s external Zelda-remake development studio — they were responsible for the Link’s Awakening remake, and both Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask on 3DS. Apparently, now they’re working on their own project. Here’s how they described it on their careers site:
“The approach to the game’s design will be “medieval” and “stylish.” It won’t be photorealistic, but takes elements from reality and puts a design twist on them. The UI designer will be for HUD, menus, and such.”
In the job description for a “Battle Planner”, they go into more detail, stating that they want someone with “experience in creating action games” and “creating battles with enemies and bosses”, which sounds like perhaps an action-RPG.
Is it coming to Switch?
No idea. It’s relatively likely, though, given their close relationship with Nintendo.
What’s the release date?
We don’t even know the title, so… who knows!
Why should we be excited?
Grezzo has an excellent track record, even if most of their games are Nintendo remakes and ports. Their own creations include Ever Oasis and StreetPass Garden.
Anything else we should know?
Grezzo’s last project was helping out with the planning and development for the Miitopia remake in 2021, and the studio itself is run by Mana series creator Koichi Ishii as the CEO. Their last full release was the Link’s Awakening remake on Switch in 2019.
Will it be at not-E3?
It seems like it’s probably fairly early in the development process, but we might see a first trailer — we’ll give it a 6/10 likelihood of appearing for now.
Pikmin 4
What is it?
A fourth game in the cult-favourite series that’s all about enslaving living onions and trying in vain to stop them being eaten and falling in lava.
What do we know so far?
Shigeru Miyamoto said it was “close to completion” in 2015(!) and again in 2016, he said “we’re working on [Pikmin 4]” but that it kept getting bumped down on Nintendo’s list of priorities. When grilled again in 2017, he simply said “it is progressing” — and that’s the last we heard.
Since Pikmin Bloom came out just last year, it’s safe to say that Pikmin is still on the cards, and still being given attention by Nintendo, but Pikmin 4 has been radio silent for five years now. You can read our theories on what happened to it here.
Is it coming to Switch?
If it exists, it’s probably only coming to Switch.
What’s the release date?
No idea. We initially thought it might be a 3DS or Wii U game, so it might not even come out during the Switch’s lifecycle at this point.
Why should we be excited?
Do you really need a reason to be excited about Pikmin? They’re tiny, cute, and stupid, and the games have wonderfully evocative music.
Anything else we should know?
We’re relatively certain that 3DS game Hey! Pikmin was not Pikmin 4, and neither was mobile Pokémon GO-like Pikmin Bloom.
Will it be at not-E3?
If we’re being honest, we think this game might be dead. Or, at the very least, indefinitely shelved. We’d love to be proved wrong, but the odds of this one appearing in 2022 are about 3/10.
Outer Wilds
What is it?
A fantastically-successful, multi-award-winning game about [REDACTED] and [REDACTED]. It’s a sort of… narrative Metroidvania? Sort of a timeloop? Sort of science fiction? All you need to know is that it’s brilliant, and any more information might dip into spoiler territory.
What do we know so far?
Not a lot, really. Obviously, the game is out on other platforms, so we know the entire plot, we just don’t know what’s up with its Switch release. The Nintendo eShop page says “TBD” for now, and it hasn’t even been ESRB rated yet. Worrying signs.
Is it coming to Switch?
Yyyyyyyyes. Maybe? Well, they said it was. The last time we heard about it was February 2021, when it was announced in a Nintendo Direct that Outer Wilds would be out on Switch that Summer. And then it just… wasn’t. We still don’t know why it never came out as promised, or when it will be out. We just hope that some day it will come to Switch…
What’s the release date?
Your guess is as good as ours. But if they thought it would be ready for Summer 2021, it surely can’t be that far off…?
Why should we be excited?
Because it’s really, really good. And we want to be able to play it in bed.
Anything else we should know?
There’s also DLC, called Echoes of the Eye, which we haven’t played yet (because we’re waiting for the Switch version, of course). Echoes of the Eye came out in September 2021, so we don’t know if it’ll be included with the Switch version or not — because, again, we haven’t heard about Switch stuff from the Outer Wilds team since February 2021.
Will it be at not-E3?
We really hope so. It feels like we’ve been ghosted, and we just want to know what we did wrong. 9/10 likelihood.
Hollow Knight: Silksong
What is it?
The much-awaited sequel to the beloved Hollow Knight, a Metroidvania-Soulslike with adorable bugs. In Silksong, you’ll play as Hornet, the Princess-Protector of Hallownest.
What do we know so far?
It’s packed with all-new content, of course — new lands, new powers, new bugs, new beasts, new secrets. And new protagonist, of course! We’ve even seen a sneak peek of some of the new characters, got a hint at the new healing mechanics, watched some gameplay, and we know it’s been in the works since at least February 2019, when it was announced.
Is it coming to Switch?
Absolutely! It’s a console exclusive!
What’s the release date?
That’s the million-dollarGeo question, isn’t it? We just don’t know.
Why should we be excited?
Hollow Knight got a 9/10 from us, and we said that it’s “one of the finest adventures you can have on Nintendo Switch.” Also, it might be the Backlog Club game for July, if you’ve been following along.
Anything else we should know?
The latest update — from May 2022 — said that “it can’t be too much longer, surely!” We’re trying not to get our hopes up, but it’s definitely looking very polished.
Will it be at not-E3?
We say this every time there’s a Direct, and we’ve always been wrong so far, but it has to be this year. It has to be! We give this one an 8/10 likelihood, and we’re crossing all our fingers.
Give us your theories, your rumours, your pessimistic and optimistic thoughts in the comments below!