 Today we are going to discuss why I think Nintendo Switch 2 is being revealed next month, when the Switch 2 will be released and what key games in 2024 will be for it, and yes, go into some of the rumors at the channel. Both the ones we think are real, the ones we don't believe, who we have eliminated from our coverage entirely, and why it's important to cover all rumors and eliminate misinformation and or straight up lying insiders when appropriate. Maybe I know the main thing on everyone's mind right now is, where is that Nintendo Direct we had rumored? Whether it was a General Direct, a Nintendo Direct Mini, or a Direct Mini Partner Showcase, regardless of rumors Nintendo has built up expectations of a Nintendo Direct in February for years, 8 of the 9 last years to be exact. Of course, past actions do not guarantee current and future ones, but it is an indicator of why we expected one, regardless of rumors. It's also possible by the time you watch this video, one has been announced or already happened. This video is being released after all on February 14th, Valentine's Day here in the United States. For all those people that do something special on this day, I hope you're having an amazing time with your significant others. For those who go on singles adventures, may you enjoy your time, and for the rest of us, we'll just keep talking about Nintendo. But with today's video release, it's possible a Direct Mini is announced later today, or Shadow Drop Tomorrow, the day Necrophilipa Lima, owner of Universal Nintendo out of Brazil, stated it would happen off his own sources. And if that's the case, perhaps it's a Partner Showcase, as hinted at by Nate the Hate last week on his podcast. Of course, it could be next week, not because it's being rumored to be, but because Pokemon Day, the event Nintendo typically avoids with Directs, is happening the week after. Though notably, some of the events do begin next week Friday. That's why I said by the time you listen to this, even a week from now, maybe something has happened and that something may even hurt my stance. I always reserve the right to adjust my opinions as more information becomes available. Right now, I'm working on the assumption we get a Partner Direct tomorrow, based on the two reliable leakers we referenced earlier, or that we end up not getting any Direct at all. See, Nintendo is in desperate need of a General Direct, right? We have Mario vs Donkey Kong dropping this week, Splatoon 3's DLC dropping next week, Princess Peach Showtime next month, and then, well, two games that don't really have definitive release dates. One is Luigi's Mansion 2 HD, which is supposed to come out sometime this summer, while Paper Mario Thousand Year Door just had a tentative 2024 date in general. Given that they gave a summer window for Luigi's Mansion 2 HD, but gave no such time frame for the Thousand Year Door, I have a strong feeling that title is slated for the second half of this year. Now, for most platform holders, that may actually sound like they're having a really decent year. Throw in a new Pokemon game announced during the likely Pokemon Direct during Pokemon Day, and you end up with a nice handful of releases. Certainly more games than the other platform holders average releasing every year. Feel that slate with a bunch of third party games and indie titles, and now you can see the full year take shape for Switch. But Nintendo isn't those other platform holders. They are actually more reliant on their own self output than any other company, and as such they output way more games every year than any other company. Typically high quality games at that, even if on a smaller scale. As such, especially during the Switch era, it's easy to see how just those three titles after Princess Peach Showtime, assuming Pokemon is one of them, may not really paint a nice picture for Switch right now. So a general Direct feels needed to flesh out that lineup. But with me assuming there isn't going to be a general Direct this month, and to be clear, I don't have any sources on this personally, it makes me feel even stronger that Nintendo Switch 2 is being revealed next month. Now yes, the same people that talked about when and what the Direct is supposed to be on the 15th are also the same people who said it would be revealed next month. If they are wrong about the Direct timing and what the Direct is, that will bring into question their reliability, especially in the immediate future. This is something I do want to address, because there is a wide assumption I will simply cover any and all rumors no matter what. This simply isn't true. Did you know that Zippo is talking about 3D Mario, Sonic, and a new Star Fox game lately? I know I didn't, because I just looked at his blog for the first time since he said a Nintendo Direct was happening in January. Zippo has now gotten multiple Direct timing and even games in the Direct wrong in the last year. This final one was a straw that broke my back when it comes to his credibility. Many of you have likely written off Zippo years ago, some of you may still as of yet think he is legit. To be honest, we stopped covering him years back ourselves due to him always being wrong with an occasional hit. However, when Emily Rogers, a famous leaker retired from leaking, stated on her way out that she thinks Zippo might be legit, he just talks about things too early. That is what led us down the train of covering him again. I do trust Emily Rogers, I've talked to her and know about her leaks and even her journalistic work. I know it well. But Zippo isn't Emily and even though she opened the door, Zippo's incorrect guesses as I call them moving forward that I brought up have led me to not cover him again and slam that door shut. He's gotten a lot wrong. Nearly 90% of his posts have been wrong over the last 5 years. But kudos I guess to him for keeping them up and not deleting them when wrong makes it easy to verify this stuff. I'm sure I can make educated guesswork out of Nintendo's future games and plans and get 10% right as well. I'm sure any informed person who follows Nintendo could. We also, in a single video, covered a known fake leaker in Tommy Bear Knows. I felt really bad about making that video, especially given that he had no track record. Truth be told, I had a lapse in judgment because he kept annoying me a lot in DMs and I wanted him just to stop. I gave in and I shouldn't have. He has since, once the direct didn't happen on the 7th, deleted his account. That is a mistake I have to own. That video shouldn't exist. But I won't run from it. Mistakes are part of what make us human and it's a constant reminder to myself to do better. In fact, that very mistake is what led me to rethink how I cover rumors. No, I'm not going to stop. But I am going to have stricter standards. Are Nate the Hate and Necrophilipa Lima safe if they are wrong about the direct? Safe for me to keep covering? Sure, but it will be noted and for one of them it will change things a little. Nate the Hate has a very long laundry list record for a decade, whereas Necrophilipa Lima's list of being right is much shorter and really only over the last year. A miss here does add some credibility issues. But still, if Nate the Hate keeps being wrong about things, say he's wrong about the partner showcase and then also wrong about Switch 2 being revealed in March, those are two big swings that would bring his credibility in question as well. Then you may go without them. Who can you trust? Well that's the thing about rumors. They aren't supposed to be trusted in the first place. But I do want to make sure I'm bringing new ones from people I deem worthy paying attention to. I haven't always done that. So it's a goal of mine throughout the rest of this year. I'm nothing if not transparent about that. So then, why do I think beyond rumors, the Switch 2 will be revealed next month? The super light Switch lineup is one reason. The partner direct or no direct is another, but for the most part, it's kind of just a gut feeling. I could go down the rabbit hole of why Switch 2 will come out in 2024. We have a lot of signs for that. A poll from the Game Developers Conference to some interesting words surrounding a game called Fantasy Life. And I get into the ways Furukawa talks about Switch 2 and how Nintendo is trying to avoid walking off the cliff. There are infinite reasons one could have to say Switch 2 is this year. But I'm talking about a reveal. A reveal I believe is happening basically within the next 4 weeks. Sure, I have a GameStop retail source talking pre-orders, that's fair to me, but it's mostly just feels right. I don't really need to be told about pre-orders to think it's happening. A September Direct was already pretty light in that of itself, and we've had a slow start to the year, declining sales, and a weird lack of hype surrounding Switch right now. PlayStation 5 sales are actually missing targets as announced today. Xbox is just all over the place, and the shining beacon of consistency that could rise from all of it is a Switch 2 reveal in March. To me it just feels right. In the end, this is just my opinion, a discussion. I don't know when or if Switch 2 will be revealed at all this year. But something is in the air, maybe it's just hope, but sometimes hope is all we need. Now I mentioned that I would say when I think it's going to come out. And frankly, everyone's on this September, November, October bandwagon. I feel if I am correct about my prediction, my thoughts, that it will be revealed in the first couple weeks of March, that it actually is going to release this June. Why? Because again, Nintendo doesn't have a very strong lineup, and they're not going to let several, several months, say half a year go, before Nintendo starts to make big money again. That's just my thoughts. You let me know what you think down in the comments below. I am Nathaniel Rovell Jantz from Nintendo Prime, signing out.