Rate Nintendo Direct - 03/08/18!

[The_Liquid_Laser]

Flilix said:

The_Liquid_Laser said:

We may not know exact dates, but we do know most of the first party games that will be released in the second half of 2018.  Captain Toad, Smash Bros, Yoshi, Metroid Prime 4, and Fire Emblem have all been mentioned for 2018 release and they aren't coming in the first half.  That is already almost a game a month.  They may have another game or two as a surprise, but unless it is Pokemon or a huge port like GTA5, then I think they are going to be disappointed with their hardware sales.

I still think Pokémon is likely to be released this year. The Pokémon guy at E3 said: "It may still take more than a year until it gets released", which sounds like they're trying to make it a holiday 2018 game. It would also fit very well in the schedule, since they would probably want to release Smash together with the online service in September. If either Fire Emblem or Yoshi releases in August, and the other one in October, they would still need a big game for November. Pokémon would be perfect for that. Captain Toad and 3rd parties are just minor games to fill in the gaps, so these shouldn't be a problem. And Metroid Prime 4 will probably be released in 2019.

Of course, things may very well turn out completely differently, but I don't think this schedule is unlikely at all.

I am very skeptical of a Pokemon 2018 release.  Going from the 3DS to the Switch is such a huge technological leap, that there are going to be delays.  If we are just talking graphics, then 3DS outputs in 240p while Switch is 720p in handheld and 900p or 1080p docked (depending on the game).  That is a big jump for Game Freak to make.  They are going to delay the game to get it right instead of rush it with significant flaws/bugs.  

Anyway, if Pokemon does come out this year, then I will have to take back everything I've said, but I just don't think it's going to make a 2018 release.