Nintendo of America announced via Twitter that there will be an Indie World Showcase on Tuesday, August 18th at 9 A.M PST. The showcase will last 20 minutes and preview upcoming indie games, while giving updates on the development of anticipated titles. Nintendo is a notoriously tight-lipped company, and this year hasn’t been any different. It’s been nearly a full year since the last full Nintendo Direct, so there hasn’t been much news in terms of first party games. In their place, Nintendo has opted to promote second- and third-party titles, perhaps due to effects of COVID-19. The fact this will be Nintendo’s second Indie World Showcase of 2020 goes to show that their indie developers are working hard despite the pandemic.
There are a number of games that could be previewed during the 20-minute showcase, but the one fans seem to be most hopeful of is the highly-anticipated sequel to Hollow Knight. Team Cherry first announced Hollow Knight: Silksong in 2019, but since then there hasn’t been much news, most specifically in terms of a release date. Fans have gotten plenty of looks at the game, but it’s the release date that’s left people wondering. Seeing as Nintendo’s Fall/Winter release schedule look pretty empty, this showcase would be the perfect opportunity for Nintendo to announce the release date for this much-anticpated sequel.
Axiom Verge is another Metroidvania indie title that has a sequel in development with no release date. The sci-fi action side-scroller was a big hit among classic Metroid fans, and news of a sequel was met with a fair amount of excitement. A 2020 release for Axiom Verge 2 is possible, since the game was first announced during the December 2019 Indie World Showcase. Players could potentially see an update on Axiom Verge 2’s development and perhaps a release date. Another title that was announced during that same December 2019 showcase, Sports Story, recently announced its mid-2020 release date will be pushed back due to the game becoming, as developer, Sidebar Games, puts it, “rather ambitious.” It’s unlikely the developer will have much to show of the Golf Story sequel during the Indie World Showcase, but it’s possible they could update fans with a new release window.
What Surprises Could Nintendo Unveil & Where To Watch The Showcase
Nintendo’s Indie World Showcase could also finally announce the release date for the (very) long awaited Super Meat Boy Forever. The game was first announced in 2017 and was originally set for an April 2019 release, but developers have since admitted that release date was a bit premature. The sequel to the classic indie platform seems to be expanding on everything from the original game, and then some, with two button controls and fully animated cutscenes. The game’s website mentions a 2020 release, while Steam lists the release date for 2021. Hopefully the showcase will help clear up some of the confusion.
One of the biggest surprises Nintendo could pull out of their hat would be a Switch port for one of 2020’s biggest hits, Ori and the Will of the Wisps. The Metroidvania-style platformer has scored rave reviews with critics and should be on most Game of the Year lists. The games predecessor, Ori and the Blind Forest, has a Switch port, which lends hope for the sequel, but developers have previously mentioned they don’t have any plans on porting the game. Another big surprise Nintendo could unveil is the release date for the Cuphead DLC. The extra content was first announced in 2018 with a 2019 release date, but developer, Studio MDHR, recently pushed Cuphead’s DLC. A more definitive release date could be announced, seeing as Cuphead is one of the highest selling digital titles on the Nintendo eShop.
These are only some of the games Nintendo could potentially highlight during their Indie World Showcase. Knowing how these presentations normally go, there should be a bunch of new, never-before-seen indie titles being revealed for the first time. Considering Nintendo‘s lack of titles for later this year, there could be a lot of new games on the horizon no one knows about yet.
The showcase can be watched with the video above or on Nintendo’s official YouTube channel.
