A new Nintendo Direct has been announced, and will take place later this week. Fans hoping for a general Direct are out of luck, because this one will be focused solely on one game. This time around, Nintendo is sharing a bunch of new information on Kirby Air Riders, the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 game from director Masahiro Sakurai. We haven’t gotten any information about that game since it was announced back in April, but it seems like this will be a substantial update. The presentation will take place on August 19th, and will last for 45 minutes in total.
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The Kirby Air Riders Nintendo Direct will kick off at 6 a.m. PT. Based on the timing, it’s not unthinkable that we could see the game released very soon. Nintendo has kept very quiet about its plans for the rest of 2025, but we know the game is planned for release this year. We also know Pokemon Legends: Z-A is coming in October, and Nintendo tends to shy away from publishing two major games in the same month. It’s hard to imagine Kirby Air Riders coming out in September given how soon that is, but stranger things have happened. If not next month, we could be waiting until November.
Kirby Air Riders is a sequel to a game originally released on the Nintendo GameCube. The original Kirby Air Ride came out back in 2003. That game has never been released on another platform, but it’s possible we could see it added to the GameCube app through Nintendo Switch Online. It would be a smart way to build hype for the new release, while also giving newcomers a chance to see what the original game had to offer. Interestingly, Kirby Air Ride was not one of the GameCube games teased for the app, but it’s hard to imagine we won’t see it at some point.
Kirby Air Riders could end up being a pretty big deal. Over the last several years, Masahiro Sakurai hasn’t done much outside of the Super Smash Bros. franchise. This is a chance for the director to do something that’s simultaneously different yet familiar. The presentation tomorrow should give Nintendo a big opportunity to sell anyone that might be on the fence.
Of course, one of the biggest questions that fans have right now has nothing to do with Kirby: many people want to know if Sakurai will be returning to Super Smash Bros. The series has been a juggernaut for Nintendo, and has sold incredibly well. However, development clearly takes a lot of time and resources, and Sakurai has not been shy when discussing the toll that they take. Hopefully Nintendo won’t keep us all waiting too much longer to find out what the future will be for the Super Smash Bros. series. For now though, tomorrow is all about Kirby.
Are you excited to check out the new Nintendo Direct? Do you plan on checking out Kirby Air Riders? Share your thoughts with me directly on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!
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Image courtesy of Marvel Studios. -
Image Courtesy of Marvel Studios
