Just about everybody is still waiting on the next big first-party Switch 2 exclusive reveal. We have have the new Pokémon Legends: Z-A inbound this fall, and presumably the upcoming Metroid Prime 4: Beyond in and around that time, but many Switch 2 gamers, myself included, are still waiting for that big Mario announcement (Zelda is likely still a ways off by most approximations). And if it’s not going to be Mario, it ought to be a new Animal Crossing game for Switch 2 and that might be exactly what’s in the cards for the July Nintendo Direct that was leaked earlier this week.
Next Nintendo Direct could reveal new Animal Crossing for Switch 2?
Chances are, considering Nintendo put so much emphasis on the upgraded editions of Zelda Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom for the Switch 2 launch, a new title in the mainline series is likely a ways off (potentially even years). We can’t know for sure but this seems to make sense as of right now.
Okay, so what about Mario? Rumors and leaked details from retailers suggested a new 3D Mario game was inbound for the Switch 2 launch – it never surfaced.
But that might be because, as we have recently been able to confirm, the Mario Odyssey team was at work finishing up the 3D Donkey Kong Bananza game that is set to release on Thursday. There perhaps could have been some confusion or just incorrect assumptions by inside sources assuming this dev team’s project was going to be some kind of Mario Odyssey sequel. Considering how long it has been since Odyssey released this seemed likely and it wasn’t entirely wrong – Donkey Kong Bananza is, as far as most folks are concerned, just Mario Odyssey gone bananas in what appears to be the best way possible.
This brings us to three questions regarding the rumored upcoming Nintendo Direct, especially considering reports suggest the Mario Odyssey team (or at least part of it) has been working on Donkey Kong Bananza for many years:
- Is there still a new 3D Mario game on the way for 2025 (revealed but not necessarily released)?
- Will the upcoming Direct be all third-party Switch 2 ports (Activision, EA, Ubisoft, and so on)?
- Will the previous Animal Crossing for Switch 2 rumors actually come true and land as the big surprise at the end of the show?
There’s not a ton of potential options for big-time announcements or reveals when it comes to truly capping off the summer Direct showcase properly. I guess Nintendo could save one of the major third-party ports but that would be lame and disappointing for me personally. And I guess it might serve up a super short teaser for something new from Hyrule or the Mushroom Kingdom. But it looks like evidence and expectations from across the net is starting to lean closer to a new Animal Crossing game for Switch 2 – let’s hope it’s not just an upgraded Switch 2 Edition.
According to a popular YouTuber by the name of BeatEmUps, who previously claimed he was informed about this month’s Direct presentation even before NateTheHate – a Nintendo insider with a particularly reliable track record – said it was coming, we are in for a real treat if and when this Direct finally goes live.
On top of mentioning what just about everyone already knows and is expecting from a summer Switch 2 Direct – a new GameCube Switch Online drop, the Metroid Prime 4 release date – the content creator also mentioned third-party titles like the Witcher 3: Nintendo Switch 2 Edition and even Death Stranding: Director’s Cut….and a new Animal Crossing game for Switch 2. BeatEmUps said they have heard that the show will end with a look at one last major tease and that teaser will be Animal Crossing for Switch 2.
We of course, if it wasn’t already obvious, can’t confirm any of this, nor can anyone else willing to talk, but an Animal Crossing for Switch 2 reveal is starting to feel like it might be a more sensical, or rather realistic, reveal for this year’s summer showcase.
What do you think? What do you want to see in Nintendo’s and “one more” thing teaser for the end of the show?
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