Today's Nintendo Direct would be the perfect time for a Breath of the Wild 2 update

And I wouldn't say no to Mario Kart 9 or Splatoon 3 either

Link falling through the skies of Hyrule
(Image credit: Nintendo)

Clear your diary: Nintendo is hosting a 40-minute livestream about the Nintendo Switch games launching in the first half of 2022. Could we finally get a full release date for Breath of the Wild 2?

The live stream will begin at 2PM PT / 5PM ET / 10PM GMT later today. You can tune in via Nintendo's YouTube channel, and you should – because Nintendo's 2022 line-up is likely to be pretty special, especially if it brings the much-wanted sequels to some of the best Nintendo Switch games.

So what's coming? We already know about Kirby and the Forgotten Land, which was announced last year for a March 25th launch. But there are plenty of other amazing games in the pipeline.

Alternatively, you can watch the Nintendo Direct right here: 

What we want, and what we think Nintendo will announce

Our most wanted game has to be the sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. We know Nintendo has promised a 2022 release date, but we don't know which bit of 2022 that means – so it's possible that this Nintendo Direct might show us some footage but leave us without a release date yet again. But we'll be crossing our fingers nevertheless.

Some of the most wanted Nintendo Switch games for 2022 don't currently have release dates either, just the year. This includes Splatoon 3 and Bayonetta 3, both of which I really, really can't wait to play. Nintendo has also marked Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Home for release this year, so it'd be great to see that on the stream tonight.

Outside of this, we'll likely get a few new games announced. The recently acquired Intelligent Systems are due another game for Switch, with rumours pointing to potentially another Fire Emblem in the works. The last entry in the series was 2019's Fire Emblem: Three Houses. On top of this, the Batman: Arkham series seemingly is making its way to Switch after a French retailer listed the game over the weekend (via VGC). 

Splatoon 3 yellow inklings

Splatoon 3 is one of Nintendo's biggest releases of 2022

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Last but not least there are the wildcards that we know exist but don't know much more than that. Metroid Prime 4 would be a great way to mark the 20th anniversary of the original Prime release, yet since development restarted in 2019, it's probably still quite far off. 

Since rumours began making the rounds about the existence Mario Kart 9 in recent weeks, could this be the time for its debut? Again, it seems unlikely as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe continues to race its way to 40 million sales. Still, you never know with Nintendo. 

What are you hoping to be announced during the Nintendo Direct? Not long to go now! 

Carrie Marshall

Writer, musician and broadcaster Carrie Marshall has been covering technology since 1998 and is particularly interested in how tech can help us live our best lives. Her CV is a who’s who of magazines, newspapers, websites and radio programmes ranging from T3, Techradar and MacFormat to the BBC, Sunday Post and People’s Friend. Carrie has written more than a dozen books, ghost-wrote two more and co-wrote seven more books and a Radio 2 documentary series. When she’s not scribbling, she’s the singer in Glaswegian rock band HAVR (havrmusic.com).