Last week, we had a new Nintendo Direct, and it was…a partner showcase. That wasn’t exactly what fans were wanting, and now, we have to wait for a new Direct to come to tease what’s next for the Switch 2 regarding 1st party titles and potential 3rd party exclusives. However, that doesn’t mean we have to wait long for the next showcase that The Big N has. Today, they revealed that the first Indie World Showcase of the Switch 2 era will take place this Thursday, during which 15 minutes of indie titles will be showcased for your viewing pleasure.
It’ll be another early morning event, as you can see below, and this is actually something that has happened in the past quite a bit. Nintendo is never afraid to put their showcases close to one another so that they can get “maximum views.” One time, they even put them literally right next to each other on the same day! It’s probably for the best that they didn’t do that last week with the Partner Showcase, as many were disappointed that it wasn’t a true Direct. Putting this indie showcase right after it may have been perceived as rubbing salt in the wound.
As for what to expect from this Indie World Showcase, it’s hard to predict for the most basic of reasons. After all, even with the gaming economy where it is, there are plenty of people working on indie games right now. The true question might be how many games will be shown in the 15 minutes available? Another question is how many of these titles on the Switch and Switch 2 will be exclusives or timed exclusives? It’s truly hard to say.
We’ll fully acknowledge that not everyone will be excited for this showcase, as indie games as a whole are something that only some people play, while others prefer to focus on the AAA market, regardless of how well or poorly it’s doing at the moment.
The true importance of this showcase, though, is history. You see, there was a time when Nintendo honestly didn’t do that much with indie titles. It’s not that they were “above it,” it’s just that they didn’t need to have them on their systems due to how well they were doing.
Then, they took a shift in perspective and started bringing them in, and now, Nintendo platforms are considered one of the true havens of the indie market, and the Switch 2 is likely to try and build upon that.
