On March 27th, an era seemed to come to an end. On that day, a Nintendo Direct presentation was held, focused solely on Nintendo Switch games. With Nintendo Switch 2 set to be released later this year, that might be the very last time Nintendo focuses solely on its original version of the hybrid handheld. In the coming months and years, we can likely expect to see Nintendo split its focus, showcasing games for both the original Switch and its upcoming successor. As this era closes, it’s interesting to look back at the way Nintendo Direct presentations have evolved and which ones truly struck a chord with viewers.
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When the Switch era began, things weren’t great for Nintendo. The Wii U was a financial failure, and the 2015 death of former Nintendo president Satoru Iwata left many questioning whether the future would still hold the same quirky fun Nintendo had become known for. The Switch era moved away from sillier Nintendo Direct moments like the muppet company executives and Robot Chicken inspired stop motion. However, Nintendo still found a lot of ways to have fun with its audience over the last 8 years.
Choosing one Nintendo Direct as the very best is difficult, but the crown might have to go to the company’s presentation for E3 2019. At this point, Switch was just over 2 years old, and while the system had already built up an impressive library, Nintendo used the show to build hype for huge first-party games and major third-party titles. E3 2019 was an opportunity for Nintendo to really throw down the gauntlet and highlight how much things had changed since the Wii U era. The days of bare-bones release schedules were over, replaced by something big and new.
2019 was a very good year in general for Switch owners, with a murderers’ row of releases. The E3 2019 Nintendo Direct highlighted several games that were released later that year, including titles like Luigi’s Mansion 3, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, Pokemon Sword and Shield, and Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3. There were also third-party games displayed like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Dragon Quest XI S: Definitive Edition, and No More Heroes III. Perhaps the lone disappointment at the show was the delay of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, which was pushed back to 2020. While the delay was unfortunate for fans of the series, launching in March of the following year seemed to work out quite well for the game, as it went on to sell more than 47 million copies.
There were a lot of really strong announcements during the E3 2019 Nintendo Direct, and one of the biggest was the reveal of Banjo-Kazooie as a new fighter in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Fans had spent years begging to see the bird and bear pair in the fighting series, and Nintendo rolled out the red carpet in a way that was every bit as fun and memorable as the Star Fox muppets, but was far more exciting. In tribute to the franchise’s roots at Rare, Banjo and Kazooie were revealed in a trailer alongside Donkey Kong, Diddy, and King K. Rool. The trio are sleeping in DK’s treehouse, and are woken as a Jiggy bounces past. The three characters look out the window at a familiar silhouette… which turns out to be Duck Hunt Dog posing in a way meant to look like the Microsoft-owned characters. However, the real Banjo and Kazooie quickly crashed the show in spectacular fashion.
The announcement of Banjo-Kazooie would have been a great note to end the Direct on, but Nintendo had one more trick up its sleeve before closing things out. The E3 2019 Nintendo Direct ended with a first look at the sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. At the time, the game didn’t have a name just yet, and it would be several more years until Tears of the Kingdom actually arrived on Nintendo Switch. However, the brief bit of footage at the end of the Nintendo Direct was a huge way to close out the showcase and leave fans excited for the future.
2019 would prove to be the final year that E3 was held. In 2020, the show was cancelled as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, and subsequent attempts to bring back the annual event failed to materialize. For many fans, the death of E3 was very much a sad thing, but at least Nintendo fans were treated to a strong final show with lots to celebrate. E3 itself might be gone, but Nintendo Directs don’t seem to be going anywhere, and Nintendo continues to find success with the format.
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As the Nintendo Switch 2 era begins, it will be interesting to see what the future holds for Nintendo Direct presentations. Nintendo has clearly struck gold with the format, which is why so many other companies have clearly tried to mimic it with their own video events. No matter how close they might come, no one has quite managed to attract the same level of hype and enthusiasm that surrounds Nintendo’s shows. Over the coming years, it’s a safe bet that Nintendo will have announcements on par with Banjo-Kazooie in Smash, or the reveal for Tears of the Kingdom. The future is very much unwritten right now, but that just means it’s an exciting time to be a Nintendo fan.
