It's been well over a year since the last full-fledged Nintendo Direct, but fans can finally stop counting the days, as a new 50 minute-long Direct is scheduled for tomorrow. 50 minutes is a lot of time, which means Nintendo must have quite a lot of announcements in store for fans, especially since its 2021 line-up is looking rather dry.
At the moment, the only game outright confirmed to be present at the Direct is Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, which no doubt means that the next DLC character will be announced. However, it seems fans have some very lofty expectations for certain games to be shown, namely Mario Kart 9 and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2.
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Fans have wanted a new mainline Mario Kart game for a good few years now. Usually each Nintendo console gets its own unique entry, but the Switch instead got an upgraded port of the Wii U game Mario Kart 8. While it did come with new content and is considered the definitive version of the game, fans are hopeful that the Switch will get another Mario Kart unique to the Switch.
It arguably already does, though, in the form of Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit and others would argue that a Mario Kart 9 is probably not going to happen anytime soon while Nintendo continues to profit off the mobile game Mario Kart Tour. But that isn't stopping people from hoping.
Some new details about Breath of the Wild 2 are arguably more feasible, as it is easily one of Nintendo's most anticipated games and there has been zero news about it since the initial and incredibly vague reveal at E3 2019. This year also marks the Legend of Zelda series' 35th anniversary, so the timing would be perfect.
However, Nintendo does state that tomorrow's Direct will focus on games releasing in the first half of 2021 and it's almost universally believed that Breath of the Wild 2 will release as a holiday title i.e. closer to the end of the year. This doesn't necessarily rule out an appearance or a mention, but it might be more likely that Nintendo will have other Zelda announcements for the anniversary, like Switch ports of fan-favorite titles.
These aren't the only expectations for the Direct, with some suggesting announcements for Bayonetta 3, Metroid Prime 4, and the rumored Pokemon Diamond & Pearl remakes. But there is also a healthy amount of skepticism from some who are simply curious about whatever Nintendo has to offer, as it has become rather routine for some fans' to enter Nintendo Directs with too high expectations and become irrationally angry/disappointed once they end.