Silksong Out, Nintendo Fans Seek Next Big Hope

With less than a day until a major Nintendo Direct, this one feels notably different. Hollow Knight: Silksong has finally launched, leaving fans to search for a new title to channel their hopes—and inevitable letdowns—toward.

While a release date for Metroid Prime 4: Beyond seems relatively certain, speculation has turned to Nintendo's secondary franchises. Could we see Star Fox, absent since 2017's Star Fox 2? A revival of Golden Sun, dormant since 2010? Or maybe F-Zero, which has only seen the compact F-Zero 99 since 2004? And then there's the perennial question: what about Mother 3?

Of course, tomorrow's Direct will also feature third-party games. Is it time to anticipate news on Beyond Good & Evil 2, Ubisoft's spacefaring sequel that now holds a Guinness World Record for the longest development cycle? Anything is possible. (Well, probably not.)

The broadcast is scheduled for tomorrow, Friday, September 12, at 6 AM PT / 9 AM ET / 2 PM BST. It promises to be a substantial show, with a full hour of announcements, and expectations among fans for major reveals are running high.

Looking beyond this year—and with Metroid Prime 4: Beyond still on track for 2025—Nintendo's plans for the Switch successor remain largely unknown. Titles like the spinoff Splatoon: Raiders and the FromSoftware exclusive The Duskbloods are confirmed, but the broader roadmap is still under wraps.

“Now that Silksong is out what do we pray for every Nintendo Direct?”

NEVER. STOP. COPING. pic.twitter.com/QhfKXfJkYH

— Nightmare Foxy (@NightmareFoxxyy) September 3, 2025

ALRIGHT SILKSO- wait

ALRIGHT DELTARU- wait...

uhhh...

what do i root for https://t.co/1Avl9TNHTF

— Cibles (@CiblesGD) September 10, 2025

The timing of tomorrow's Direct is also intriguing, as many fans have noted, falling on the eve of the 40th anniversary of Super Mario Bros. Nintendo marked the last major milestone with special releases, including the limited-time Super Mario 3D All-Stars collection.

Could we see a similar celebration announced tomorrow, hopefully including Super Mario Galaxy 2? Perhaps a tease of the next major 3D Mario adventure? Or maybe an update on next year's Super Mario Bros. Movie sequel? Tune in tomorrow for IGN's live coverage to find out. (And let's not start wishing for Silksong 2 just yet.)

Earlier this month, a former Nintendo employee suggested the company feels less pressure to create entirely new franchises, as fans are already eagerly awaiting new installments in existing series, which can be reinvigorated with fresh gameplay ideas.