Nintendo Direct Rumors Explode After Sakurai Teases Kirby Air Riders

There are more and more rumors that Nintendo may be getting ready for its next big Direct show, and Masahiro Sakurai is the one who started them. In a recent message celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Sora series, Sakurai thanked fans and added a line that got people's attention right away.

Kirby Air Riders, a new game in the beloved Kirby universe, hasn't shown gameplay yet, but information will be shared "soon." A group of people who know Nintendo's rhythm have been speculating since that one word.

This tease comes at the same time as Nintendo's long-standing practice of holding Direct shows in September. To set the stage for its holiday lineup and bring attention to new titles, the company has always used early fall over the past ten years. Since the Nintendo Switch 2 is about to turn one year old and a lot of big projects still don't have official release plans, the idea of a September or October Direct seems more like an expectation than a guess.

The list of names that haven't been given yet says it all. After years of waiting, Metroid Prime 4 still doesn't have a release date. The next game in Nintendo's competitive shooting series, Splatoon Raiders, is set to come out in 2025, but not much else is known about it. Kirby Air Riders, which has been hinted at but not seen in motion, is another clear choice.

Along with Nintendo's own brands, partnerships and collaborations with other companies add to the excitement. Final Fantasy VII Remake and Elden Ring, two highly anticipated games, have been announced for Switch 2, but exact release dates have not been made public. At least four of these big books won't come out until 2025, which leaves a lot of information unanswered.

Nintendo would never let these games slip into the Christmas season without making a fuss about them. A Direct is the best place to put all the rumors that have been going around together, confirm release dates, and show gameplay footage for projects that have been kept secret.

The question is not if something like this will happen, but when. Based on past years, September seems like the most likely month. But October can't be ruled out, especially if Nintendo wants to make announcements that fit in better with its holiday marketing.

Nintendo could choose to keep things quiet by releasing the updates through social media or its official app, but the size of these projects makes that less likely. Fans are getting more and more interested, and a Direct would not only meet their needs, but it would also show that Nintendo can control the conversation around its most important releases.

Sakurai's oblique hint might have been more than just a happy note. That flash could have been the start of a carefully planned release cycle. If that's the case, the next few weeks could bring answers to questions that have been bothering people for years, like what will happen with Metroid Prime 4 and how big the Switch 2's launch library really is.

For now, the silence seems to last. Nintendo's reputation has been built on carefully timed announcements, and the next one is likely to happen soon. Whether it's in September or October, everything seems ready for a show that will tell everyone in the business that Nintendo moves with precision, patience, and the ability to surprise.