August Might Give Us A Look At What's Next From Nintendo

All eyes are rightfully on May 12 for Nintendo fans. That's when The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom finally releases, over six years after Breath of the Wild became one of the most celebrated games in history. But after next month, there's a lot of mystery about what's next from the house of Mario.

Nintendo may illuminate us about Switch's holiday lineup and further out at Gamescom in August. The company is returning to the European video game conference for the first time since 2019, per Eurogamer. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Pikmin 4 will already be out in the wild by that point, which leaves a rather large hole for what the company may exhibit on the convention floor.

Of course, maybe Nintendo will showcase already-released Switch titles at Gamescom. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe also continues receiving DLC, with five new characters being teased recently. The company also usually holds tournaments for games like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Splatoon 3 at public events.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet also are planned to get their first DLC expansions later this year. Part 1: The Teal Mask has a release window for the fall, with Part 2: The Indigo Disk aiming for winter. Both adventures will expand the borders of Paldea. Add in the fact Pokemon is one of Nintendo's biggest franchises, and a huge push at Gamescom makes sense.

That still seems like a light Switch lineup for Gamescom, especially considering Nintendo Live was announced for September in Seattle too. This seems to hint that the company has unknown games expected to make a splash for the lucrative fall and holiday windows.

Metroid Prime 4 is the elephant in the room. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze developer Retro Studios took over production of the game way back in 2019, and almost nothing has been heard about it since. That said, Nintendo did release Metroid Prime Remastered earlier this year, with reports that Metroid Prime 2 and 3 are heading to Switch at some point too. It's also not uncommon for Nintendo to focus on promoting one big game--in this case, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom--before marketing another major franchise. So maybe Metroid Prime 4 could see a major press push in the coming months, if it's actually close to completion.

There have previously been rumors that The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and Wind Waker will come to Switch. Both received remasters on Wii U, and Nintendo has ported a ton of Wii U games to Switch over the years. However, the timing feels a bit weird on this possibility since Tears of the Kingdom comes out so soon and will undoubtedly have its own DLC.

Nintendo's flagship franchise has been dormant since Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury in 2021. And because that was mainly a Wii U port, the mustachioed hero hasn't seen a brand-new adventure since 2017 with Super Mario Odyssey. It feels like it's past time for a Mario game, though it's possible we won't see that until a Switch successor releases.

Speaking of which, Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser said in March that the company has nothing to announce regarding a Switch 2. "We're entering uncharted territory with the platform," Bowser told the AP. Meanwhile, a report from February said a next-gen Nintendo console could come out in 2024. One intriguing tidbit to keep in mind is that the company has never let more than seven years pass between new home console hardware (NES to SNES being the longest). Switch will hit that milestone in March 2024.

Now, as for other games for Switch later this year, it's all a guessing game. Donkey Kong hasn't starred in a new game since Tropical Freeze in 2014. Star Fox and F-Zero have been overlooked for the entire Switch generation. Those are three big franchises that Nintendo could dip into, but the latter two seem forgotten at this point.

Basically, it almost feels like it's time for Nintendo to move on from Switch to a successor, or to shed light for what's next on Switch. The games lineup looks very light after the massive release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Metroid Prime 4 seems like the most likely next blockbuster game for Switch, but that's only because it's been previously announced (though that was long ago). Gamescom in August should pull back the curtain on Nintendo's future, if a Nintendo Direct before then hasn't already.