Nintendo Direct June 2023: the 5 biggest announcements

Prior to Nintendo’s second big Direct presentation of the year, the company’s holiday 2023 calendar was pretty sparse. But that’s no longer the case. Nintendo announced a handful of major releases heading to the Switch over the coming months, including a pair of Super Mario titles and new WarioWare and Detective Pikachu games. We also got a better look at the upcoming expansions for Pokémon Violet and Scarlet, and Nintendo even teased new Luigi and Princess Peach games for next year.

If you missed the showcase live, here are the five biggest announcements.

A busy year for the plumber continues when Super Mario Bros. Wonder hits the Switch on October 20th. The game looks like it retains the style and form of the New Super Mario Bros. series but adds in some strange and inventive new gameplay twists, like living pipes, huge groups of enemies, and the ability to turn into an elephant.

The cult classic SNES game Super Mario RPG is coming to the Switch — and it’s getting a chibi makeover in the process. The game, which curiously doesn’t have the Legend of the Seven Stars subtitle, was first launched in 1996 as a collaboration between Nintendo and Final Fantasy maker Square (now Square Enix). From the sounds of it, the remake will mostly be visual changes, with the gameplay left largely the same.

Not to be outdone by the news that Mario’s getting a remake of a beloved game and a totally brand-new one, Mario’s tether, Wario, is also getting a new game just for him, WarioWare: Move It! Play a variety of microgames with up to three friends online (or two-player local co-op). Move It’s silly but lightning-quick minigames make it perfect for people who enjoy Mario Party but don’t have the time because they have adult responsibilities like jobs and mortgages. WarioWare: Move It! launches November 3rd, with preorders opening up today.

Detective Pikachu… returns! The quirky but well-loved Pokémon adventure game (that had a plot very similar to a James Bond flick) is getting a sequel: Detective Pikachu Returns. Tim Goodman and his coffee-loving, hat aficionado friend Pikachu are teaming up once again to solve the mysteries of Ryme City. Maybe if this one does well, we’ll get a sequel to the live-action Detective Pikachu movie. Detective Pikachu Returns launches on October 6th.

DLC for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet will add some new pokémon, trainers, and threads for players to express their style. No word on a release date, but expect The Teal Mask and The Indigo Disk to come out around the holiday season later this year.

Prior to Nintendo’s second big Direct presentation of the year, the company’s holiday 2023 calendar was pretty sparse. But that’s no longer the case. Nintendo announced a handful of major releases heading to the Switch over the coming months, including a pair of Super Mario titles and new WarioWare and Detective Pikachu games. We also got a better look at the upcoming expansions for Pokémon Violet and Scarlet, and Nintendo even teased new Luigi and Princess Peach games for next year.

If you missed the showcase live, here are the five biggest announcements.

A busy year for the plumber continues when Super Mario Bros. Wonder hits the Switch on October 20th. The game looks like it retains the style and form of the New Super Mario Bros. series but adds in some strange and inventive new gameplay twists, like living pipes, huge groups of enemies, and the ability to turn into an elephant.

The cult classic SNES game Super Mario RPG is coming to the Switch — and it’s getting a chibi makeover in the process. The game, which curiously doesn’t have the Legend of the Seven Stars subtitle, was first launched in 1996 as a collaboration between Nintendo and Final Fantasy maker Square (now Square Enix). From the sounds of it, the remake will mostly be visual changes, with the gameplay left largely the same.

Not to be outdone by the news that Mario’s getting a remake of a beloved game and a totally brand-new one, Mario’s tether, Wario, is also getting a new game just for him, WarioWare: Move It! Play a variety of microgames with up to three friends online (or two-player local co-op). Move It’s silly but lightning-quick minigames make it perfect for people who enjoy Mario Party but don’t have the time because they have adult responsibilities like jobs and mortgages. WarioWare: Move It! launches November 3rd, with preorders opening up today.

Detective Pikachu… returns! The quirky but well-loved Pokémon adventure game (that had a plot very similar to a James Bond flick) is getting a sequel: Detective Pikachu Returns. Tim Goodman and his coffee-loving, hat aficionado friend Pikachu are teaming up once again to solve the mysteries of Ryme City. Maybe if this one does well, we’ll get a sequel to the live-action Detective Pikachu movie. Detective Pikachu Returns launches on October 6th.

DLC for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet will add some new pokémon, trainers, and threads for players to express their style. No word on a release date, but expect The Teal Mask and The Indigo Disk to come out around the holiday season later this year.