The long-rumored Nintendo Direct showcase finally took place on July 31st. However, it was a Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase. That means first-party games like Animal Crossing, Metroid Prime 4, and Kirby Air Riders were not featured. This leaves fans wondering about the release date of several Nintendo Switch 2 games previously unveiled at the first Switch 2 direct. Now, new intel suggests we could expect to have news on Kirby Air Riders soon.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Kirby Air Riders was announced as part of the April Nintendo Direct. The game will be a brand-new take on the concept from the original GameCube game, Kirby Air Ride. It is being directed by the original creator of Kirby, Masahiro Sakurai, making many Kirby fans extra excited for this new title in the franchise. An exact release date for the new Kirby game hasn’t been revealed, but it is slated for sometime this year. If you missed it, or just need a refresher from the April direct, here’s the official reveal trailer for Kirby Air Riders:
The new Switch 2 Kirby Air Riders will be a racing game like its predecessor. This is likely why the game wasn’t released too close to Switch 2’s launch game, Mario Kart World. But with only a couple of true Switch 2 titles from Nintendo out in the world, many fans are eager for a Kirby Air Riders release date announcement. Now, we have reason to believe it could be imminent.
New Kirby Air Riders Rating Suggests Incoming Release Date
One way gamers keep an eye out for new intel on upcoming games is the game rating system. Typically, a game doesn’t receive an official rating until it’s relatively close to release. After all, it’s hard to put an age rating on content that isn’t finished. Many upcoming games got ratings ahead of the Nintendo Direct Partner showcase, including an unannounced Spongebob Squarepants title and Metroid Prime 4. Now, it appears that Kirby Air Riders has joined the list. According to Saudi Arabian site Gmedia Games, the game has reportedly received a rating in Saudi Arabia.
A translated version of the post affirms that the game has “received a rating of 7 and above” in the country. That makes sense for a family-friendly racing game, and would suggest that the game is nearly finished.
Given that Kirby Air Riders is slated for a 2025 release, it would make sense to at least get an announced release date soon. After all, the first holiday season for the Switch 2 is approaching. Most likely, Nintendo will want more than just Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza on the shelves for its first-party lineup to entice sales for the holiday season.
Nintendo often hosts a direct sometime in the month of September. With July’s Partner Showcase behind us, we could be waiting until a September Nintendo Direct for updates on first-party games like Kirby Air Riderse. But it’s looking like we might expect to see the game arrive sooner rather than later this year.
Are you looking forward to Kirby Air Riders? Let us know in the comments below!
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Image Courtesy ofย Marvel Comics
