Nintendo Direct presentation delayed after earthquake hits Japan

By Gabe Gurwin September 6, 2018

Nintendo Switch review — Image used with permission by copyright holder

The holiday game rush is quickly approaching, and Nintendo will soon host a 35-minute Nintendo Direct presentation that focuses on its upcoming titles.

The Nintendo Direct event was initially scheduled take place at 6 p.m. ET on September 6. However, due to an earthquake that struck Hokkaido, Japan, Nintendo was forced to delay it. A new date and time has not yet been set but the content of the presentation is unlikely to change. We’ll provide a direct feed of the stream when it’s made available again.

Here’s how you can watch it, and what we might see during the show.

Nintendo said that both 3DS and Nintendo Switch games will be featured in the stream, but it didn’t specify which games we’ll actually see on display.

One title that we wouldn’t count on seeing too much of — if at all — is Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The game recently received its own massive Nintendo Direct event, which featured new characters, as well as the revelation that there will be more than 100 playable stages.

Other Switch games we could hear about include Pokémon: Let’s Go, which is scheduled to release in November, as well as Super Mario Party and Fire Emblem: Three Houses. And with Dark Souls Remastered and Diablo III still on the way, we could learn a bit more about them.

The paid Nintendo Switch Online service is going to begin later this month, so Nintendo will almost certainly mention it and why it’s worth subscribing. We aren’t sold on it quite yet, so we’re curious to learn even more about it.

There aren’t too many new 3DS games releasing in the future, as Nintendo has devoted many of its resources to the Switch, but the Luigi’s Mansion GameCube port is right around the corner, and the Shovel Knight: King of Cards expansion is also coming to the handheld. Nintendo isn’t planning to abandon the handheld, however, so a slimmer lineup during the stream doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t have great games to play in the future.

It has been months since we’ve heard anything about Metroid Prime 4 and Bayonetta 3.

Updated on September 6, 2018: Added information on delay caused by earthquake.

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Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…

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