Fair enough.

Disappointing, but understandable.

I wonder if this is going to make them announce this year's games individually, just like the new Paper Mario.

Probably. They may have teamed up with Geoff Keighleys Summer Of Games event for a few announcements. They seem to have a pretty good relationship.

This. I like Nintendo Directs, but these are strange times we live in...

We will see more shadow drop announcements like Paper Mario for the rest of the year at least. This may actually create more hype and Nintendo buzz, because instead of people saying, "why no direct, does Nintendo have nothing to show?"...

People will now be saying, "Nintendo could drop an announcement on us any day now, so hyped for what they show next!"

Everyday will be open to an announcement, and that is kind of exciting TBH.

The difference between the two is that people have come to expect directs at certain times of the year.  When that direct never comes, we get people claiming, "Nintendo has abandoned the Switch" or "Nintendo has nothing to show, they already released their big games".

The concept may be the same, you are correct.  But due to these expectations (that mean nothing in the grand scheme as shown by the Paper Mario drop), people panic when a direct does not show up at the usual time.

So the real difference is the perception of these announcements.  Games can be announced within months of release more often, which will please a lot of people.  Things can be shown when they are ready to be shown at anytime, rather than saving it for a direct or revealing it early.  The information is the same, but the timing and perception changes.

Another benefit is that by shadow dropping individual announcements, there is potential for information to be delivered at a more steady pace as things will no longer be saved for a bulk announcement of sorts.

So it is not the information that will make a difference, but the perception of that information as a whole.  A game could be announced at anytime it is ready, but a direct cannot.  For example, if we get a FULL direct in June, we know not to expect another one till at least September.  But if we get a game announcement or update in June, we could get another one for something different weeks or even days later.  There is much more excitment in its own way.

Not to say Directs are bad and should be done away with, just stating that there is indeed a difference in perception that can be viewed as a positive when it comes to shadow drop announcements like Paper Mario.

Good. People wont get overhype then gets mad when the direct doesn't meet their expectations.

This is way too optimistic.  It ignores the feeling that Nintendo is always doomed.  Be on the lookout for posts that say that Paper Mario is the last game they have for the year.  After all, since Nintendo is always doomed, no game announcements means no games in the minds of some people.