Welcome to the 17th Direct Speculation Thread, and the 2nd under our rebranded name! As always, thanks to
MondoMega for the great graphics, as well as
Platy for contributing to the wonderful "trans rights" banner.
I'd like to start with a very important message new to our OP: many of those in the Nintendo ERA community expressed desire to use this edition of the OT to express our support for trans rights (thanks to
DecoReturns for originally suggesting). The trans community is without a doubt one of, if not the, most marginalized and misunderstood minority groups. The mental and physical health of trans folk are under constant attack due to hate and bigotry. Do not think for a second that the disgusting bigotry against trans people does not extend to or is irrelevant to the gaming industry. I'd like to put two relevant examples in this OP:
- CD Project Red has displayed an inexcusable amount of transphobic tendencies over the past couple of years. Mainly through their social media accounts, and even extending into the huge game they are about to release, Cyberpunk 2077. The full details of these can be found in this extremely well made and detailed thread that is a must read.
- While the developers of Harry Potter: Legacy of Hogwarts themselves have not displayed transphobic behavior, the games profits will directly support J.K. Rowling, the author of the books who has shown ignorant and hateful behavior towards trans folk. The examples are numerous beyond excuse, some of which can be found here and here, with the devastating effects her views have had on the trans community here.
The purpose of this is not to shame people who wish to buy the games, but while these are not Nintendo related, they are issues that have been swept under the rug for far too long and simply ignored by a huge amount of era posters. Given that this thread is usually on the front two pages, we'd like it to serve as a constant amplification for the voices of trans people. This is not all I am willing to put in the OP by any means. I am well aware that these threads are among ERA's most viewed -
so if there are ANY important links that you would like amplified in this OP (donation links, informational links, anything), simply let me know and they will be attached.
For those who have still not caught up on the name change, see Quinton's post below. TLDR, the mods wanted to give us a new name that is closer to the other manufacturer discussion threads and after some votes, we ended up with this one.
Official Staff Communication
Hello lovelies.
Today, the winds of change are upon us. Many of you have wondered, for many moons throughout our odyssey together, if this great topic series would ever be relocated to Hangouts. I am here to tell you that no, not it will not. However! Times have changed. At least for now, Nintendo is not taking the "Direct Approach" to Directs. If you dislike that pun, do not worry. So do I.
That is why these threads will soon be designated Nintendo First Party Studios |OT|. I hope you'll think of this as an upgrade. A level-up. A 1UP mushroom. An extra heart container. An evolution.
I also hope you're still reading after that.
Now, some of you may be wondering, "Why just first-party studios?" It's a damn valid question. Don't dwell on it overmuch. We're doing this for symmetry with Sony and Microsoft's similar threads. In both those instances, folks talk about al sorts of stuff that isn't just first-party.
But I don't want to leave you hanging on that note. If enough of you feel strongly that this ongoing thread series warrants a slightly different name like "Nintendo |OT|" then let me know via voting in a poll I'm about to replace the current poll with. If you're kosher with "Nintendo First Party Studios |OT|" vote for that. If you'd prefer "Nintendo |OT|" then vote for that instead! If you have another idea, feel free to jot it down in here, but we really want to keep things simple so it's probably gonna be one or the other.
I imagine some will also wonder what the deal is with Hangouts' Nintendo Community thread going forward. It's not going anywhere! Keep posting there as much as you'd like. Technically, yes, this causes a bit of redundancy. But we aren't going to stop Sony and Microsoft fans from having their own Gaming-side OT, as well we shouldn't! The same ought to apply to Nintendo, so here we are.
I'll try to be around throughout the day to field questions. Truth be told, it's a busy day, so if I don't get back to you immediately, I apologize! For now, please be excited for the new poll and anticipate a formal thread title change somewhat soon . Don't let this get you down. This thread series has become one of the internet's most consistently fast-flying places to discuss the many-splendored mysteries that are Nintendo. I'd like to keep that going for years to come. And, whenever Directs are announced, they'll get their usual fanfare in separate threads. Because to do otherwise would be to deny ourselves the most glorious thing in the world:
More Fire Emblem characters for Super Smash Bros Ultimate.
With that out of the way - our name has changed, but the founding ideal of this thread has not! Below is the initial permission grant to establish the Nintendo Speculation threads:
One point I'd like to address: while there will be ultimately some kind of overlap between 1st party discussions and Direct discussions, I imagine the Direct thread would be more focused on speculation, possible leaks and rumors than this one. It would basically be a thread to contain "all the madness" in one place to keep this thread more level-headed and on-topic.
We've discussed to have a dedicated thread after Moon's suggestion yesterday and came to the conclusion that this might work for the best going forward. So: if anybody is interested to make that thread, they are officially allowed to do so.
Only thing I'd like to ask for is that the OP keeps the opening post updated and tries to keep up with the discussion/speculation.
"What's the Latest?" section mantra, as well as insider ethics expectations can be found here, with these words from
Raccoon:
- This section will unavoidably contain insider teases, but they will not be distinguished from speculation by the community. This will summarize the current trends of opinion by the community so as to answer the often posted question "so what are we thinking?"
- Building on the above, insiders will never be referenced by name or quoted in this OP. Insider forum teases are nondescript by design and attempts to circumvent that will be frowned upon. If you need further explanation for why this is supremely uncool I or others will explain
- I'll do my best to keep track of what's up, but for this format to work I'll need to call on all of you, the top posters in this thread, to please @ me with points of discussion you think are worthy of the OP and to catch me up.
Touching again on insider information, I'd like to stress that teases are not meant to be shared on Twitter or elsewhere. Obviously no one can stop you, but these teases are meant to be gifts to the community, not journalistic scoops. It is courtesy to not attempt to proliferate or cover information shared in this thread second hand. If you'd like to restrict viewership of part of your post to only those who have replied to the thread, you can use the tags [ H I D E ] content [ / H I D E ] without spaces.
Everyone please try to keep things respectful and lighthearted. Please do not dismiss another user's opinions or posts. Regardless of how intense the discussion or rumors get, site rules will be enforced and posts in violation of them will be actioned accordingly. Please don't get banned guys, this thread isn't worth it. As a refresher, site rule violations include trolling, posting sexual or objectifying content, bigoted speech, platform warring, hostility towards other members, engaging in off-site drama, and, of course, accusations of astroturfing.
Last updated: 2020 10 24 14:27 ET newer speculation at the top.
- This was the last partner showcase of the year. Will we see any announcements from Nintendo for the rest of 2020? The game awards will be the biggest chance
- A partner showcase has aired! Introducing cloud games to the west (Control, Hitman 3), an AoC demo, Bravely Default's new February release date, among other stuff!
- Rumors and speculation for Nintendo's 2021 have started to trickle in. Spotlights have been shined on possibilities such as The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD and Metroid Prime Trilogy HD, and a Switch Revision around March/April. Of course, many devs are unaccounted for such as the Mario Kart team and the 3D Mario team (aside from Bowser's Fury). Zelda and Metroid will be celebrating their 35th anniversary in 2021, so we've discussed the possibility of many other games coming to switch from those series, such as BotW2 possibly making it and the long rumored Metroid 5. Should be a good year for Nintendo!
- Many believe a partner showcase to be on the way, there has been a partner showcase every month since July, and Bravely Default II has not been dated (or delayed). Could we see one this last week of October?
- Fire Emblem 1 will be coming to Nintendo Switch localized for the first time ever in December! However, it's only available til March 31st. With this and 3D All Stars, could this be a strategy we keep seeing from Nintendo?
- We may see some info about BOTW2 in some form before the year ends
- Promising quotes about Doom Eternal from its team were made only a few months ago; we'll likely see it before 2021
- #TeamJanuary has returned as we very well may not see a traditional live-streamed Nintendo Direct until then
- Always be ready for the unexpected
Upcoming stuff in 2020
Pikmin 3 Deluxe - October 30th
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity - November 20th
Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light - December 4th
Bravely Default II - 2020
2021 and Beyond
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury - February 12th, 2021
Monster Hunter Rise - March 26th, 2021
Monster Hunter Stories 2 - Summer 2021
No More Heroes III - 2021
Shin Megami III: Nocturne HD Remaster - 2021
Shin Megami Tensei V - 2021
Metroid Prime 4 - TBA
Bayonetta 3 -TBA
Sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - TBA
Community Links:
Nintendo First Party Thread
Switch Rumor Archive
NEW Rumor Archive
Nintendo Community Thread |OT| *This Space for Rent*
Nintendo Switch |OT| Now you're playing with power; HYBRID POWER! MAYBE!
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