On Feb. 9, the Nintendo Direct premiered live on YouTube to announce new game releases.
Several games were announced to release this summer, including Mario Strikers: Battle League, Splatoon 3: Salmon Run, and Disney Speedstorm.
Kingdom Hearts and Portal collections were also announced to release this year.
A new iteration of Wii Sports, designed for the Switch was also presented, including a live demonstration. An online play test will take place for users with Nintendo Online memberships from Feb. 18-20. The current version of the game will include tennis, bowling, chambara, soccer, badminton, and volleyball. Golf is expected to be added in the fall update.
An update to Metroid Dread was announced, including two new difficulty modes: Dread Mode and Rookie Mode. The first will offer a more challenging experience for gamers who have already beat the game, and the latter will make the game more accessible to beginners.
A Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Pass was announced as well. This downloadable content will be rolled out in 6 waves for a total of 48 new courses. The first wave will be released March 18 and preorders began on Feb. 9.
Much to the disappointment of Zelda fans who have been anxiously awaiting more information about the release of the Breath of the Wild sequel, no new information was presented in this Nintendo Direct. The game is expected to release this year, but it remains unclear when.
