Nintendo Direct February 2023: how to watch and what to expect

By Tomas Franzese February 8, 2023

It’s that time of the year again; the first Nintendo Direct of 2023 is upon us. Today, Nintendo is holding one of its trademark video game showcases toward the start of the year in order to tease what players can expect from the company for the rest of 2023. With The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom on the horizon as well, today’s Nintendo Direct is particularly exciting.

Contents

When is the February 2023 Nintendo Direct?
How to watch
What to expect

So you’ll probably want to tune into the Nintendo Direct later today. If you’re wondering how to do that and what else to expect from the event, we’ve rounded up all of that information here for you.

Link runs toward a ledge in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

When is the February 2023 Nintendo Direct?

The first Nintendo Direct of 2023 will start at 2 p.m. PT today, February 8. Nintendo says the showcase, which will air live and for free, will last “roughly 40 minutes.”

How to watch

Today’s Direct will be officially livestreamed by Nintendo on its YouTube channel. We’ve embedded the livestream below so you can watch it from here. Of course, sites like IGN and GameSpot and various Nintendo influencers will likely co-stream the event as well.

Nintendo Direct 2.8.2023 - Nintendo Switch

What to expect

Nintendo’s official description for today’s showcase is fairly vague, only stating that it will contain “information mostly focused on Nintendo Switch games launching in the first half of 2023.” Thankfully, we have a pretty clear idea of which games that’s likely referring to. Nintendo has already announced release dates for Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe, Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon, and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, so all of those are likely to be featured here ahead of their release in the coming months.

We also know about imminent games like Pikmin 4 and the indefinitely delayed Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp and could possibly get more information here. As always, though, there are bound to be some third-party and first-party surprises as Nintendo’s fall lineup is fairly uncharted at this point. Is it finally time for us to see Metroid Prime 4 in action? One can only hope.

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Tomas Franzese is a Staff Writer at Digital Trends, where he reports on and reviews the latest releases and exciting…

News

Everything announced at the February 2022 Nintendo Direct

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Nintendo Directs are some of the most exciting events for video game announcements each year, sparking wild speculation, rumors, and predictions. With games like Kirby and the Forgotten Land, Splatoon 3, Bayonetta 3, and the sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild on the horizon, 2022 is poised to be a busy year for Nintendo.
Nintendo Direct - 2.9.2022
When announcing the Direct for February 9, 2022, Nintendo said it would highlight "roughly 40 minutes of information mainly focused on Nintendo Switch games launching in the first half of 2022." When it arrived, we got a mix of new reveals, remasters, and revivals of classic Nintendo concepts.
From Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes to Xenoblade Chronicles 3, this is every significant Nintendo Switch announcement made during the first Nintendo Direct of 2022.
Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes announced
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The first reveal during today's Nintendo Direct was Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes. This intense action game is not only a follow-up to 2017's Fire Emblem Warriors, but 2019's Fire Emblem: Three Houses as well. It will be released on June 24.
Mario Strikers: Battle League revives the classic sports spinoff
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Splatoon 3 debuts Salmon Run: Next Wave
Splatoon 3 – Salmon Run Next Wave Trailer – Nintendo Switch
Splatoon 3 made another appearance at today's Nintendo Direct. It showcased a reworked version Splatoon 2's Salmon Run called Salmon Run: Next Wave. Players can now toss eggs to each other and will have to fight giant kaiju. Splatoon 3 will launch this summer, but is still without a release date.
Kirby is a car now

A new trailer for Kirby and the Forgotten Land debuted during the Nintendo Direct. In it, Nintendo debuted that oddly-named "Mouthful Mode." By using this, Kirby can swallow large objects and gain new powers. Forms seen include Car Mouth, Vending Mouth, Cone Mouth, Scissor-Lift Mouth, Ring Mouth, Light-Bulb Mouth, Arch Mouth, Water-Ballon Mouth. It launches on March 25.
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Gaming

Nintendo Direct February 2022: How to watch, what to expect

Kirby fishes with a waddle dee in Kirby and the Forgotten Lands.

Nintendo has another Direct set to air today (Wednesday, February 9), about four months after its last showcase. Although the Direct was revealed out of the blue by the gaming giant, as they always are, it was somewhat predictable. Nintendo has typically had at least one Direct showcase in February since 2018.

https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/1491049195343650817

Gaming

Our 5 biggest predictions for the February Nintendo Direct

Nintendo Direct Composite

With every new Nintendo Direct comes a fresh round of rumors, leaks, and of course, predictions. Nintendo's digital presentations are some of the most popular gaming events of each year as fans are eager to see what the storied Japanese studio does next -- and that prompts speculation from both credible and not-so-credible sources.
So far, quite a few leaks and rumors point to what may be shown. There's a chance that all -- or none -- of these things will make an appearance tomorrow. Still, it's fun to guess what might show up, so here are five announcements that we hope to see at the first Nintendo Direct of this year.
Nintendo Direct - 2.9.2022
First-party Nintendo titles get release dates

This announcement is a bit of a cheat as it encompasses several games. We don't have release dates for most of Nintendo's announced 2022 lineup outside of Kirby and the Forgotten Land. Nintendo Directs provide the Japanese developer and publisher the perfect place to let fans know when they can expect these highly anticipated games.
We suspect that Bayonetta 3 and the sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild might be too far out to get release dates now. Still, it'd be shocking if the presentation passed without Nintendo letting us know the release dates of Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp -- rumored for April 8 -- and Splatoon 3, which was announced about a year ago. Following the conclusion of the Direct, we should have a clear idea of Nintendo's release schedule for the first half of 2022.
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