Published , by Bryan Lefler
Published , by Bryan Lefler
The hype is off the charts for the latest Nintendo Direct, set to premiere at 9 a.m. PT / 12 p.m. ET on June 15, 2021. We at Shacknews like to practice a little mysticism and dabble in the dark arts in order to invoke the wildest predictions, rumors, and leaks surrounding the E3 2021 fervor. Come closer and gaze into our crystal ball and let's conjure up some complete speculation.
Let's address the Pro-sized elephant in the room and take the Nintendo Switch Pro right off the table. The announcement for the E3 2021 Nintendo Direct specifically states that the roughly 40 minutes of information will focus exclusively on Nintendo Switch software. The Switch Pro is hardware, people! The chance of Nintendo announcing a new Switch SKU during this Direct might be greater than zero, but it's not a bet I would be willing to take. Nintendo started the trend of digital direct presentations and they follow the letter of the law pretty closely. If the announcement says software only, don't be surprised when the show is over and there was no word of a new Switch.
Sure, the existence of a new Nintendo Switch model is basically the worst kept secret in the video game industry right now. We all know about the Switch Pro. It's been debated and discussed, it's been analyzed and scrutinized. It's basically a dead horse at this point and the thing hasn't even seen the light of day yet! If I can make any prediction with certainty, it's that we won't see the Switch Pro at E3 2021.
So, what are we going to see from the Nintendo Direct at E3 2021? One game that was leaked and already confirmed by Ubisoft is Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, the follow-up to the XCOM meets the Mushroom Kingdom spin-off. This was leaked mere hours ahead of the Ubisoft Forward showcase and was announced soon after. Mario + Rabbids was a great use of the Mario and Rabbids IPs and more of that is good to see.
Of course, the game everyone is waiting to see is The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2. Word has been quiet from Hyrule since the last time we saw a BotW 2 trailer, will E3 2021 be the event to finally reveal gameplay from the sequel to the influential open-world Zelda? The crystal ball is slightly hazy but I think chances are good. The Zelda 35th Anniversary only counts in 2021 and - like in Majora’s Mask - the clock is ticking.
Zelda might be one of Nintendo’s leading ladies but Samus will never be forgotten. Metroid fans are absolutely ravenous for news on Prime 4 or the oft-rumored Super Metroid Remastered. You don’t have to be a soothsayer to see that Nintendo needs to give the space-bound bounty hunter some love this year. After only getting a logo for Metroid Prime 4, even an in-engine teaser would set the internet ablaze. Thirty seconds, Nintendo, that’s all we’re asking for here.
Let’s cap off our fortune telling by listing ten game predictions that are just too good to be true.
What would be the Nintendo game announcement that would make you do a double-take? Let us know in the comments section below. We have tons of news and announcements from E3 2021, have you seen them all? We’ll also be co-streaming the Nintendo Direct, so keep it here on Shacknews to follow along when the show begins.