This has been a standout year for Nintendo Directs so far. The COVID-19 pandemic hit the game industry hard, and judging by a lackluster output in 2020, Nintendo was especially affected. Directs stopped after summer 2019, and this was understandable for the fall and winter, as Nintendo had just covered what would be in that release window. However, as the months went on, it became clear Nintendo was only releasing specialized, miniature, and third-party focused Directs. After almost a decade of consistent marketing, this silence from Nintendo was alarming for many fans.
Apart from isolated announcements for Paper Mario: The Origami King, Pikmin 3 Deluxe, and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, Nintendo's in-house teams seemingly had little to announce. All that changed when a Direct dropped in February 2021. There been three regular Nintendo Direct this year, along with a few other shows for specific topics. Then the most recent Nintendo Direct had so much news prepared it had to announce two more presentations for the following month. That is an unprecedented move, and demonstrates Nintendo is back on track with sharing news regularly.
Nintendo Direct - February 17
The last three Nintendo presentations prior to 2021 had come within a week of each other in December 2020, and all three were highly specialized. January was barren, and it seemed like the possibility of another Direct during the pandemic was drifting further away. However, Nintendo abruptly returned to its major Direct format on February 17, 2021, bringing with it the next Super Smash Bros. Ultimate character and a variety of Nintendo Switch games including Splatoon 3 and The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD.
Pokemon Presents - February 26
Not to be outdone, Game Freak and The Pokemon Company held their own Direct-style presentation a couple of weeks later. Aside from updates on ongoing titles, this presentation featured the exciting reveals of Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, as well as Pokemon Legends: Arceus.
Mr. Sakurai Presents "Pyra/Mythra" - March 4
As announced at the Nintendo Direct a month prior, Masahiro Sakurai returned in early March to inform fans about the inbound DLC fighter Pyra and Mythra. These two serve as Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s purest stance character to date and fulfilled the promise of a Xenoblade Chronicles 2 representative being added; which started with Rex’s inclusion as a bonus Mii Swordfighter costume alongside purchase of the first Fighters Pass.
Indie World - April 14
Things quieted down for a couple of months after Pyra and Mythra came out. Then Switch owners got a little boost in the middle of April when it was revealed an Indie World Showcase was coming. It was a humble showcase, but did show off a few notable games like Oxenfree 2: Lost Signals and Konami’s GetsuFumaDen: Undying Moon. While it has yet to release on Switch, GetsuFumaDen is a surprising revival of one of Konami’s older franchises, and it looks promising.
Nintendo Direct: E3 2021 - June 15
After a few more months of relative silence, it came time for the return of E3, and Nintendo returned with it. The company instituted its usual E3 format of showing a variety of reveals in a Direct-style presentation, and then spending several hours showcasing more detailed demos for some of the revealed games in a Treehouse livestream. Nintendo brought the house down this year, showing titles like Metroid Dread and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2. What fears remained from the February Direct were dispelled, and many felt that Nintendo had the best showing at E3 2021.
Mr. Sakurai Presents "Kazuya" - June 28
Part of the showing at E3 2021 was the penultimate character reveal for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s second Fighters Pass. Kazuya Mishima from the fighting game series Tekken was detailed by Sakurai late in June, and proved to be one of the most ambitious characters yet. Fans are now waiting with bated breath to see who the last fighter for Smash Ultimate will be.
Indie World - August 11
After E3, there were a few indies to be shown off in August. Notable games like Jet Set Radio-successor Bomb Rush Cyberfunk, Shovel Knight: Pocket Dungeon, and Chucklefish’s recent Zelda-like Eastward all made an appearance at this Indie World event.
Pokemon Presents - August 18
August was not going to be devoid of major Nintendo news, as The Pokemon Company scheduled a Pokemon Presents showcase one week after the Indie World presentation. This was largely just about revisiting announced projects and offering more details, which meant fans were finally able to take substantial looks at Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, as well as Pokemon Legends: Arceus.
Nintendo Direct - September 23
Finally, the most recent Nintendo Direct premiered on September 23. This Direct showed off long-awaited titles like the first proper 3D Kirby game and gameplay for Bayonetta 3. Long-dormant games like the Game Boy Advance Castlevania titles and ActRaiser were resurrected, and the upcoming Mario CGI movie’s cast and release date were revealed.
Nintendo went even further by announcing two more events, namely the final Mr. Sakurai Presents and an Animal Crossing: New Horizons Direct. Both are scheduled for October, which should keep fans satisfied as announcements wind down for a while. Even so, it’s doubtful that fans have seen the last of Nintendo Directs after such a strong year of them.