9 possible game announcements from a March 2020 Nintendo Direct

While we've received smaller, game-focused Directs for Pokémon, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and Animal Crossing: New Horizons, we're actually in the longest drought ever between major Nintendo Directs. That means one has to be coming soon.

As of March 6, it has been 184 days since the last full Nintendo Direct, the longest continuous gap ever. The last Direct was pretty great too, revealing an Overwatch port, Deadly Premonition 2, Animal Crossing: New Horizons' release date, and Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition. Nintendo typically holds some sort of major Direct during January or February of every year, but 2020 was an exception despite what some leaks were saying.

With the exception of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX, Pokemon Sword and Shield's expansions, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's Byleth DLC, and Animal Crossing: New Horizons, nothing else has gotten a Direct-level presentation of its own in 2020. Spring titles like Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition are still shrouded in mystery with no definitive release date in sight. And there really aren't any major Nintendo releases confirmed for 2020 ... yet.

We also have no official word on what's coming during the back-half of 2020, which will be a critical time for the console when the next-gen PS5 and Xbox Series X are released. Microsoft's rumored Project Lockhart could even compete with the Switch in terms of price. Nintendo needs to hold another Nintendo Direct soon, and with events like GDC and E3 in trouble due to the coronavirus, the best way to get that info out there is to finally hold another Direct sometime during March.

What will be announced at the next Nintendo Direct?

While Nintendo has failed to talk much about its fall 2020 lineup, some educated guesses can still be made regarding what would show up during the Direct. The most likely candidates are confirmed 2020 titles without Switch release dates like the aforementioned Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition, Deadly Premonition 2, and Doom Eternal. Another very likely entry will be the next Super Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC character as Nintendo is poised to start selling physical cards for that character soon.

Outside of those things, some other titles could reappear and take center stage. The biggest of those would be The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2, which was announced at E3 last year but has reappeared since. If that title will be released in 2020, Nintendo will need to show it off once again in a Direct soon. Metroid Prime 4 may also be shown off as Nintendo will want to show the progress it has made since Retro Studios took over development in January 2020.

Then, we have the leaks: A Metroid Prime Trilogy remaster for Switch has been rumored since December 2018 and might finally rear its head if Metroid Prime 4 is being shown off. Back in January, former Nintendo leaker Sabi teased that Mario Kart 9 is Nintendo's big fall 2020 title. If that's the case, it will almost definitely be shown in the next Nintendo Direct. Of course, there will likely also be a few surprises that no one could ever call (fingers crossed for a Mother 3 Western release). Those surprise announcements are what makes Nintendo Direct's worth it, so it's a shame we haven't gotten on in a while.

The Inverse Analysis

It may also be possible that Nintendo would rather keep Directs game-focused, at least with their Spring 2020 lineup. With the exception of Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition, Nintendo's official 2020 lineup after Animal Crossing: New Horizons is extremely barren. Nintendo needs to make some major announcements soon; hopefully, it chooses to do so in a more traditional Nintendo Direct. At this point, they may just want to do it to calm down the clamorous fans that are frustrated by the long wait.