E3 has almost arrived and for most of us it feels like gamer Christmas has come once again! Everyone has thrown in their 2¢ about what they expect to see in the hopes that they can gain street cred once the show is all said and done. Here are VGTank’s predictions about what we will (and won’t) see from Nintendo at this years E3 Expo!
Nintendo officially announced:
“Nintendo’s activities at E3 kick off with the Nintendo Spotlight: E3 2017 video presentation, featuring a closer look at the Super Mario Odyssey game and new details for Nintendo Switch
games launching this year.”
Nintendo has also stated that the spotlight will last “about 30 minutes”. Obviously we are going to see Super Mario Odyssey as well as other titles coming out in 2017. Will they tease any 2018 titles? And just how many games are there to be released in 2017 that haven’t been announced yet?
Almost Guaranteed to Happen
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Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle will be revealed with a 2017 release date – This still unconfirmed title has been rumored for months, originally by @laurakbuzz. Apparently it will be a turn based RPG similar to Vandal Hearts, or the lesser known XCOM or Final Fantasy Tactics or Fire Emblem or Advance Wars franchises
- Super Mario Odyssey will get an official release date for November of this year – This is almost a no brainer. Super Mario Odyssey is Nintendo’s big title for the holiday and there is no way they won’t headline their spotlight direct with more footage and a solid release date.
- Nintendo talks more about their online infrastructure and the benefits of purchasing the annual pass to the service, coming in early 2018 – Nintendo has already announced they are delaying their paid service to play games online until 2018. I think they will tell us more about that service
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild DLC fully detailed (Winter DLC includes traditional dungeon) – The summer and fall/winter batches of DLC for Zelda will be shown and announced in full. Most importantly, I expect the fall/winter DLC to include a traditional dungeon, something that was sorely lacking from the original experience.
- Xenoblade Chronicles will be delayed to 2018 – Did anyone ever think this game was really going to come out in 2017? I expect the game to be delayed until late winter or spring of 2018. Nintendo will have to talk about it during E3 (maybe not during the spotlight) since it was previously advertised as coming in 2017.
Way Less Likely to Happen
- A new Metroid title will be announced for Switch coming out in 2018 – The game that most everyone has been asking for. We all know it’s coming… but is this the year we hear about it? Signs point to no, as Nintendo has already stated they are only going to talk about 2017 titles, and there is no way a new Metroid title will be a 2017 title. Unless it was a 2D sidescrolling entry to the series, which would be pretty cool too!
- We will find out what Retro Studios has been working on for the last several years – Most people think they have been working on Metroid, but what if they aren’t? What if they have been working on something completely different? I think we could find out what that title is. Here’s hoping it’s NOT another Donkey Kong Country Returns title. It’s time for them to do something else!
- Nintendo will announce that there will be NO virtual console on the Switch – The lack of a virtual console on the Switch at this point is, quite frankly, embarrassing. I can only assume that Nintendo has decided not to have a traditional VC on the system and instead will offer games up through their online paid service via a Netflix style catalogue of games for people to enjoy.
- Super Smash Bros. Deluxe will be announced for a 2018 release and will have a couple new characters introduced (including an ARMS and Splatoon character)- This game is coming. We all know it’s coming. Nintendo would be stupid not to make it. Is it going to happen now though? It wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest if Nintendo was to launch their paid online service at the same time as Super Smash Bros. Deluxe. It’s kind of the de facto title for online gameplay.
- Mother 3 will be announced as coming stateside on the Switch, released immediately – Another game that has been rumored to be coming for months. Fans have been clamoring for this title for years, with several fan translations already out there for people who can’t read Japanese. If the game exists, it’s time for it to be announced, and released ASAP!
No Way this will Happen – Hey we can speculate right?!
- A new top-down Legend of Zelda title will be announced for the Switch – So we just got a great Zelda game and still have DLC to come. We can always use more Zelda! This game could be a single player experience similar to the excellent 3DS title Link Between Worlds or maybe it will be a co-op/competitive title similar to Four Swords Adventure, which released on the GameCube.
- Beyond Good and Evil 2 announced as a Switch exclusive – Another rumor that has persisted for months. It’s unlikely the title (if it exists) is far enough along for an announcement like this, but you can imagine how insane it would be for Nintendo to drop a bomb like that during their spotlight.
- GameCube Virtual Console support will be announced, with several titles available for download immediately – You will notice that we think VC is more likely to be dead than to have GC support, but hey, we are shooting for the moon here. IF the VC exists, it would be awesome if Nintendo were to announce GC support for it during E3!
- Nintendo will announce the 3DS’s end of life for 2018 – It’s time for the 3DS to be put to rest. It’s a great system, but it’s time to let it go. Whether that means Nintendo only supports Switch or that they have a new handheld to replace the 3DS remains to be seen. I think it would be smart of Nintendo to kill their handhelds so that they can focus their resources on one device, which would mean more games!
That’s it for us! It’s likely that absolutely NONE of our predictions will come true. Nintendo is amazing at subverting our expectations for better or worse. This is the year for Nintendo to seal the fate of the Switch. Will it continue on to be a global success or another Wii U flop? Here’s hoping Nintendo knocks it out of the park!
-Eric Oliver
VGTank 