The Nintendo Switch has had one of the best first years of any video game console ever made. The Switch has already outsold the Wii U's lifetime sales in Japan and is expected to have already done so everywhere else in the world. The reason for this is due to how incredible the lineup of games for the Switch was during 2017, which included the likes of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey, and what may be the definitive port of Stardew Valley.
The fans have a lot of questions about what is coming next for the Switch, as not much has been announced for 2018. We know that games like Metroid Prime 4 and Bayonetta 3 are coming, but they appear to be very early in development. The fans are still in the dark about new first and third-party titles for the system, as well as the future of the online service and the Virtual Console.
A new Nintendo Direct is rumored to be coming at some point in January. We know this because of some credible pieces of information that have leaked out from various sources. Here are the most credible rumors we have heard about the rumored Nintendo Direct and its contents.
The Leaked EA Email
Talk of an upcoming Nintendo Direct that would introduce the new games coming up in 2018 started with an authentic looking email that was sent out by EA to a user on Reddit. This email was leaked on Nov. 30, 2017, and it contains information concerning an upcoming game called Fe. The email explained the marketing strategy for the game, which listed a trailer for the Nintendo Switch version of the game being released during a Nintendo Direct in January, though the exact date had yet to be confirmed. The email also talked about another upcoming game called A Way Out.
It's possible that this email is a fraud, but if it is, then it is a highly detailed and believable one. The Fe email was certainly convincing enough to start the speculation about an upcoming Nintendo Direct, which has only been fuelled by other leaks.
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The Mysterious Amazon Uploads
One of the ways in which information concerning an upcoming game can be leaked is through the website of a retailer. There have been many instances when a service like Amazon or Gamestop has accidentally uploaded information concerning a game, while they prepare a page for the actual announcement of the title.
Amazon dropped a bombshell at the beginning of 2018 when they uploaded 19 entries for upcoming Nintendo Switch titles. One of these games is Project Octopath Traveler, which was revealed during the original Switch presentation of 2017. The eighteen other games don't have names and all have prices ranging from $60-$99, which suggests that at least some of them are special editions and are duplicates of the other games. The games also had text beneath them saying that the game was just announced at the Nintendo Switch event and that box art was coming soon.
These new Nintendo Switch games were quickly taken down from Amazon's site, but their presence suggests that a glut of new Switch games are going to be announced soon, which further hints at an upcoming Direct.
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The Return Of 1080 Snowboarding?
This one could be tied to several things, but its timing suggests that it is linked to the upcoming Direct.
Nintendo has recently renewed a trademark pertaining to the 1080° Snowboarding series. A trademark was claimed for something called 1080° Ten Eighty on the Dec. 18, 2017.
The timing of this trademark filing suggests that Nintendo might be planning to revive the series as a Nintendo Switch or Nintendo 3DS title. This would certainly be a surprise, given the relative obscurity of the series, but it's the kind of surprise move that Nintendo is known for pulling. Nintendo will occasionally pull a series from obscurity from time to time and revive them into something new.
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The Mysterious Firmware Video
One of the common complaints about the Nintendo Switch is the barebones OS which has only the most basic of features. The Switch still doesn't have access to things like streaming video sites or an Internet browser, and the placement of icons isn't very intuitive. Fans have been hoping for a significant overhaul of the Switch's home menu and we may soon have our wish.
On Jan. 5, 2018 a user on YouTube called NOA TEST#63 uploaded a video that showed off what appears to be the upcoming 5.0 firmware for the Nintendo Switch. The video shows off some of the new features, such as an icon for video streaming sites, changeable themes, a menu for the Virtual Console, the ability to move icons manually, a Party Chat option, and Cloud Storage. The video has since been taken down by the user but has been uploaded onto Vimeo.
The validity of the video has been called into question by eagle-eyed fans who noticed certain things that didn't make sense. The console seems to have Mario Kart 8 Deluxe saved to the system, yet it isn't taking up enough room in the system's memory. The YouTube icon is also out of date, as they have used a different one for a while now.
If this video is legitimate, then it means that Nintendo has been listening to fans and will be giving us a major update that will allow the Switch to finally match its rivals in terms of media functionality that can help the system grow beyond being a simple games console.