Nintendo recently announced an upcoming installment of Treehouse Live, which will focus on newly discussed Switch games. Catch it January 13th at 9:30 AM EST on both Twitch and YouTube.
This livestream will follow the initial Nintendo Switch press conference, which will take place just hours before on January 12th at 11:00 PM EST. Nintendo has promised to reveal certain details of their highly anticipated hybrid console, such as a launch date, launch titles, and a price. It will also be streamed online.
The tweet that announced the Treehouse event promises “an in-depth look at upcoming games featured in the Nintendo Switch Presentation.”
Join us at 9:30AM EST on 1/13 for Treehouse Live and an in-depth look at upcoming games featured in the Nintendo Switch Presentation. pic.twitter.com/0OMGtCJLW9
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) January 5, 2017
So what games will this event delve into? We know of several confirmed Nintendo Switch titles, but a lot of game-talk is rumor and speculation without official confirmation. Though not all titles are finalized, below is a list of 100% confirmed Switch games up to this point:
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- Super Mario Switch
- Mario Kart 8
- Splatoon
- Dragon Quest X & XI
- Just Dance 2017
- Sonic the Hedgehog 2017
- SteamWorld Switch
- Lego City Undercover
- Yooka-Laylee
- Rime
- Seasons of Heaven
- Stardew Valley
- VC GameCube games
Of course we won’t see gameplay of all (or most) of these games, but some are more probable than others to be included in the Treehouse Live stream.
Switch teaser trailer games most likely
Breath of the Wild, a new Super Mario, Mario Kart 8, and Splatoon were all featured in the Switch’s reveal trailer, so those are obviously at the top of the list of possibilities for me. Breath of the Wild is likely to be a Switch launch title, but we’ve already seen some gameplay of it at various events. I bet they’ll show it off first with some new gameplay and details and move on to games we don’t know much about.
The new Super Mario game also has a good chance of being a launch title and therefore of being showcased at the presentation. It looks to be in the 3D World style with some awesome new levels, and I bet staff at Nintendo are dying to show it off.
Mario Kart 8 was also shown in the reveal video with some new features, such as a playable King Boo and the ability to hold two items at once. I wager the Treehouse event will feature MK8 and delve into some of its new characters and tracks coming to the Switch. This game would also be perfect for showcasing the ability to use local multiplayer on two Switches with four controllers.
Pokémon Stars
Rumors are flying about the Switch getting its own version of recently released Pokémon Sun and Moon. Eurogamer reports that sources say it’s in development under the code name Pokémon Stars. This presentation would be just the place to make the reveal and show some beautiful Pokémon gameplay on an actual television. What. A. Dream.
Maybe a GameCube title or two
Nintendo recently announced some GameCube titles will be playable on the Switch via its virtual console. We expect to see Luigi’s Mansion, Super Mario Sunshine, Super Smash Bros. Melee, and possibly Animal Crossing to come to VC, though Nintendo hasn’t said “definitely” to anything… yet.
Super Mario Sunshine is probably the most anticipated GC title, so maybe Nintendo will show us a little gameplay of it to highlight the Switch’s VC at least briefly.
What about third-party?
One of the biggest questions surrounding Nintendo Switch games is, “What third-party titles will we get to see?”. Bethesda’s Skyrim and EA’s NBA 2K17 were teased in the reveal video, but neither studio will officially confirm any of their games for the Switch.
The upcoming livestream presentation is the perfect time for the first big third-party games to be revealed, and most sources believe both previously mentioned titles are definites. My money is on at least Skyrim being shown off and maybe SEGA’s 2017 Sonic game. 2K17 is possible, but most people tuning in to a Nintendo event really won’t be interested in sports games.
It’s also likely Nintendo will reveal some games we haven’t even thought about. They gotta have a surprise or two up their sleeves…
What games do you think we’ll see at the Treehouse Live stream? Let us know in the comments!
