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What about Sonic?
I actually can't believe I forgot to include the speedy blue hedgehog in the bingo card! Something Sonic-related has a very good chance of showing up at today's Partner Showcase.
Most likely, this will be a new trailer for Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds. Sega has pulled out all the stops when it comes to marketing this game, to the point where it seems like we're getting a new trailer or gameplay snippet every week. It wouldn't be too crazy to expect another one at this showcase, perhaps revealing some new tracks or guest characters.
One hour to go!
Just an hour left before the Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase begins!
Should we expect a date for Elden Ring Tarnished Edition?
It's a strong possibility. Especially as we know this Switch 2 version of Elden Ring is due to release in 2025. Tarnished Edition packs the base game and the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion into one. There's also going to be new starter classes, customization options for Torrent and even new weapons. These updates will also be coming to other versions of the game on PC, Xbox and PlayStation, so there's no fear of missing out if you don't own a Switch 2.
If we don't get The Duskbloods here, this would be the next best thing from the FromSoft camp. Unless they do something mad and put a King's Field collection on Switch 2. I'd be so down for that.
Ubisoft to make a splash?
I (Rob) really enjoyed both Star Wars Outlaws and Assassin's Creed Shadows – the latter more so – and can definitely see Ubisoft having the intent on getting both onto Nintendo's latest handheld console.
The Assassin's Creed ports on the original Nintendo Switch were pretty successful and ran nicely so there is precedent in those games coming to such systems. And with the Switch 2's beefier specs, it should be more than capable of running Outlaws or Shadows with a bit of optimisation.
What do you think? Would these be good additions to the Switch 2's third-party library?
Our Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase Bingo Card!
We've made a simple bingo card for the Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase, which you can see just below. Feel free to play along!
What is a Partner Showcase?
At Nintendo Direct showcases, we're used to expecting big first-party announcements. However, Partner Showcases differ in that the focus is less on Nintendo itself, and more on its third-party partners who'll be bringing games to Switch and Switch 2.
On that note, don't expect any big Nintendo-centric announcements here. We don't know when the next big Nintendo Direct will be, but this isn't quite one of them. Even still, Partner Showcases still have the capacity to surprise us. Developers like Capcom, Square Enix and Bandai Namco have shown up in the past to deliver plenty of excitement, and I hope that will also be the case here.
What do we know about The Duskbloods?
Nintendo stunned the world when it revealed the Switch 2 would be getting an exclusive title from acclaimed developer FromSoftware. The Duskbloods is set to launch in 2026 for Nintendo Switch 2 only, and will be an asymmetrical multiplayer-focused title.
The game will differ from Elden Ring Nightreign in that it will have a strong PvP element, as opposed to Nightreign's strict PvE gameplay. One similarity, though, is that The Duskbloods will feature preset characters, all with their own skills and backstories.
Quite obviously taking cues from Bloodborne, The Duskbloods explores a gothic horror setting. But there does appear to be more modern elements, such as trains and a railway system.
Game director Hidetaka Miyazaki was interviewed by Nintendo in a Creator's Voice piece. I strongly recommend reading this if you haven't already, as Miyazaki provides a lot of insight into the game and its development.
Whether or not The Duskbloods makes an appearance at this Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase remains to be seen, but I've certainly got my fingers crossed.
The elephant in the room…
I know it, you know it, we all know it. Every Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase and Indie World Showcase is inevitably accompanied by the same question: “Where's Silksong?”
There's a big difference this time, though. We know Hollow Knight: Silksong is scheduled to launch sometime in 2025. And recently, Microsoft has made waves with its announcement of the ROG Xbox Ally handhelds. Xbox has also stated that Silksong will be playable on these devices when they launch.
Recent leaks have suggested that the ROG Xbox Ally handhelds could launch during Gamescom 2025, on August 20. This could also mean that Hollow Knight: Silksong will arrive around that same time.
So what does that have to do with this Nintendo Direct? Well, it's entirely possible Nintendo has beaten Xbox to the punch with its own Silksong announcement plans. We also saw around five seconds of the upcoming game at the initial Switch 2 Direct way back in April. So Nintendo certainly has previous with the anticipated indie title.
We'll know for sure (or not) in less than two hours…
Hey gamers! We're officially less than a couple of hours away from today's Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase. This is the first big Nintendo Direct presentation we've had since the launch of Switch 2. While we're not expecting any big first-party announcements along the lines of Mario, Zelda, and so on, there's likely still going to be plenty of exciting games from third-party developers and publishers. We hope you'll join us for up-to-date coverage as the presentation happens.
