The Nintendo Switch press event has come and gone, but that doesn’t mean Nintendo is done showing off upcoming games. Nintendo is back with a Nintendo Direct broadcast centered around the Fire Emblem franchise Wednesday.
The Fire Emblem-oriented Nintendo Direct will be the company’s first since the Animal Crossing broadcast in early November.
While we won’t know the contents of the event until it kicks off at 2 p.m. PT, it’s a safe bet that at least some of the time will be dedicated to the two upcoming Fire Emblem games that have been announced.
As part of Nintendo’s dive into mobile, in April it was revealed that a Fire Emblem title was in development for smartphones. The untitled entry was originally slated for 2016, but was pushed back to 2017.
In a financial results briefing where the game was announced, Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima said, “We expect that many consumers will experience Fire Emblem for the first time on their smart device, so this application will offer a more accessible style of gameplay compared to the titles for dedicated video game systems. At the same time, we still aim to provide a fully engaging experience as a role-playing simulation game.”
Additionally, we expect the Nintendo Direct to offer more details on Fire Emblem Warriors, the Nintendo Switch exclusive announced at the Tokyo press event. Fire Emblem Warriors is being developed by video game company Koei Tecmo, and marks the second time a Nintendo franchise has received the Dynasty Warriors treatment. Previously, Koei Tecmo and Nintendo brought The Legend of Zelda into the Dynasty Warriors fold with the Wii U game, Hyrule Warriors, and its 3DS port, Hyrule Warriors Legends.
Nintendo may have a surprise or two up teed up for the Nintendo Direct event, if a new rumor proves true. NeoGAF user Mr. Pointy dug through the source code of the Fire Emblem Warriors page on Nintendo’s website, and found a line of code that read, “Fire Emblem Fates: Revelation for Nintendo Switch.”
Fire Emblem Fates released as three full-size campaigns — Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright, Fire Emblem Fates: Conquest, Fire Emblem Fates: Revelation — in early 2016 for Nintendo 3DS.
If the code on the site isn’t a mistake, it’s possible we will learn more about Fire Emblem mobile, Fire Emblem Warriors, and a Fire Emblem Fates Switch port come January 18.
