The next Nintendo Direct presentation is almost here! Promising a look at third-party publisher games, this Partner Showcase will hopefully give us a peek and the next biggest titles coming to both the Nintendo Switch 2 and a smattering of extra life being breathed into the older Switch models.
This update from third-party publishers could shine further light on what the Switch 2 is going to be capable – more modern games of recent times coming to the handheld machine? – as well as what life there is left in the older Switch. Elsewhere, could we see Hollow Knight: Silksong? More information on The Duskbloods? Who knows, but color us excited!
Join us as we count down the next couple of hours until the live stream, keeping you up to date with all the pertinent info, as well as some of our predictions and hopes for a bit of fun before covering the event live, moment to moment.
July Nintendo Direct countdown
If you’re after a visual feature to show exactly how long left until today’s Nintendo Direct, then our handy graphic below has you covered.
July Nintendo Direct how to watch
As ever, the most reliable and straightforward place to catch today’s Nintendo Direct is going to be on the official Nintendo YouTube channel. You can also watch on the official Twitch page if you prefer.
I’d recommend bookmarking the page for easy access, but we’ve got the YouTube video embedded below for convenience.
July Nintendo Direct start time
July’s Nintendo Direct takes place today on July 31, 2025. It starts at 9am ET / 6am PT / 2pm BST.
Nintendo confirmed the Direct via a social media post and wek now that this one will be “roughly 25 minutes” long.
Our July Nintendo Direct predictions
Right off the bat, let’s temper expectation. As a ‘Partner Showcase’, the Nintendo Direct is expected to be solely focused on third-party releases for both Switch and Switch 2.
That’s not to say there isn’t plenty to be excited about. The big ticket third-party Switch 2 release is definitely FromSoftware’s The Duskbloods, due to launch sometime in 2026. This showcase could be the first time we see a bigger gameplay deep dive.
There’s been plenty of noise about Hollow Knight: Silksong, too, though mainly over in the Xbox camp and the upcoming launch of the ROG Xbox Ally handhelds. Still, Nintendo could steal some of Microsoft’s thunder here.
Otherwise, I wouldn’t be surprised to see more from Square Enix, particularly Dragon Quest 1 & 2 HD-2D Remake, and Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles. Fighting game fans may also want to tune in, as a Tekken 8 Switch 2 release could be a possibility here. There’s also been some buzz on X / Twitter around a re-release of Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, though admittedly there’s nothing concrete here aside from Capcom’s strong presence at Nintendo Direct presentations typically.
Hey gamers! We’re officially less than a couple of hours away from today’s Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase. This is the first big Nintendo Direct presentation we’ve had since the launch of Switch 2. While we’re not expecting any big first-party announcements along the lines of Mario, Zelda, and so on, there’s likely still going to be plenty of exciting games from third-party developers and publishers. We hope you’ll join us for up-to-date coverage as the presentation happens.
The elephant in the room…
I know it, you know it, we all know it. Every Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase and Indie World Showcase is inevitably accompanied by the same question: “Where’s Silksong?”
There’s a big difference this time, though. We know Hollow Knight: Silksong is scheduled to launch sometime in 2025. And recently, Microsoft has made waves with its announcement of the ROG Xbox Ally handhelds. Xbox has also stated that Silksong will be playable on these devices when they launch.
Recent leaks have suggested that the ROG Xbox Ally handhelds could launch during Gamescom 2025, on August 20. This could also mean that Hollow Knight: Silksong will arrive around that same time.
So what does that have to do with this Nintendo Direct? Well, it’s entirely possible Nintendo has beaten Xbox to the punch with its own Silksong announcement plans. We also saw around five seconds of the upcoming game at the initial Switch 2 Direct way back in April. So Nintendo certainly has previous with the anticipated indie title.
We’ll know for sure (or not) in less than two hours…
What do we know about The Duskbloods?
Nintendo stunned the world when it revealed the Switch 2 would be getting an exclusive title from acclaimed developer FromSoftware. The Duskbloods is set to launch in 2026 for Nintendo Switch 2 only, and will be an asymmetrical multiplayer-focused title.
The game will differ from Elden Ring Nightreign in that it will have a strong PvP element, as opposed to Nightreign’s strict PvE gameplay. One similarity, though, is that The Duskbloods will feature preset characters, all with their own skills and backstories.
Quite obviously taking cues from Bloodborne, The Duskbloods explores a gothic horror setting. But there does appear to be more modern elements, such as trains and a railway system.
Game director Hidetaka Miyazaki was interviewed by Nintendo in a Creator’s Voice piece. I strongly recommend reading this if you haven’t already, as Miyazaki provides a lot of insight into the game and its development.
Whether or not The Duskbloods makes an appearance at this Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase remains to be seen, but I’ve certainly got my fingers crossed.
What is a Partner Showcase?
At Nintendo Direct showcases, we’re used to expecting big first-party announcements. However, Partner Showcases differ in that the focus is less on Nintendo itself, and more on its third-party partners who’ll be bringing games to Switch and Switch 2.
On that note, don’t expect any big Nintendo-centric announcements here. We don’t know when the next big Nintendo Direct will be, but this isn’t quite one of them. Even still, Partner Showcases still have the capacity to surprise us. Developers like Capcom, Square Enix and Bandai Namco have shown up in the past to deliver plenty of excitement, and I hope that will also be the case here.
Our Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase Bingo Card!
We’ve made a simple bingo card for the Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase, which you can see just below. Feel free to play along!
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