Nintendo has typically been known as a company that enjoys holding its cards close to the vest, not wanting to announce something well before its ready. Naturally, there have been exceptions to this rule, most recently by the constant delays to Metroid Prime 4 and Bayonetta 3, though for the most part, Nintendo has a tendancy to make announcements or reveals for games that are launching moderatly close to the Nintendo Direct.
As expected, this mantra is a double edged sword as the lengthy periods of silence can leave fans wondering when a certain game may finally launch. On the other hand, once Nintendo does announe an upcoming game's showcase, the community tends to get fairly excited to speculate. That's what has transpired this week as a 40 minute Nintendo Direct showcase is set to arrive later today. While fans continue to theorize what could be shown, one Nintendo game has seemingly leaked out ahead of time.
Over on ResetEra, a user known as Oracion was able to identify a currently unannounced title seen on Nintendo Japan's release schedule. That game is called Kirby: Discovery of the Stars which is listed alongside the Spring 2022 launch window for the Nintendo Switch console. It's worth noting that the game title is machine translated from the original Japanese listing, so it's quite possible that the final name for the West could be different.
Unfortunately, there's no additional informaiton to go on outside of the game name and expected launch window. The game art shows the popular pink protagonist almost as though Kirby is searching for something off in the distance. Interestingly enough, the backdrop features what appears to be a castle or some sort of cityscape that has been completely overgrown by plant life. What's strange about this is that it gives off a post-apocalyptic vibe that one would expect from games like The Division or even The Last of Us, which is the direct opposite of a typical Kirby game.
While it's unknown if this game is going to be part of Nintendo's presentation later today, many fans believe that it's more than a possibility. Seeing as 2022 is technically the 30th Anniversary for Kirby, Nintendo likely has a few announcements up its sleeve. While most fans would likely love to see a All-Stars style game, packaging some of Kirby's best titles in one game, it's more likely that this title could serve as the major announcement. It's also possible that Nintendo holds off at a later date for another Kirby-specific Direct celebrating the pink mascot.
Source: ResetEra
