With four weeks to go before E3, I think it's time for some
PIPING
HOT
PREDICTIONS.
I'll limit myself to five (long and wordy segments of text that will have multiple predictions in them).
1) Games we know of that we will see before the end of 2018: Smash Bros., Travis Strikes Again, and Yoshi. Smash will occupy Odyssey's November spot while Travis Strikes Again will be in Xenoblade Chronicles' December spot. Yoshi will either come in August or September, which gives Nintendo a solid lineup for the remainder of 2018. Not a new game, but anticipate some details on the Challenge Mode, New Rare Blades, and Story packs for Xenoblade Chronicles.
2) Games we are unsure of: Either a tease for Metroid Prime 4 or Pikmin 4, unless Pikmin 4 is secretly a crossover with Metroid Prime, where Samus explores the distant planet of Pikmin fame. Either Fire Emblem or Pokemon Switch will have a surprise release date for 2018. Either Pokemon takes an October spot and Fire Emblem is pushed to February 2019 (a tried and true month for the series), or the other way around. But let's be honest, Fire Emblem isn't taking Pokemon's spot. No Bayonetta. Whatever the hell Retro Studios is working on- if it's Star F-Zero Grand Prix, expect it before the end of 2018. Maybe occupying an August slot and pushing Yoshi up to July, or Yoshi being delayed to 2019- either way, both are games that will rightfully die in the summer, further proving that both franchises are irrelevant (but Yoshi will still continue to get games).
3) With no more than three to four Nintendo releases for the rest of the year, expect some large third party ports from Japanese developers in the vein of MHGU and Dark Souls, and some delayed launches of Western third parties. Think things akin to Call of Duty- I would not be surprised if Rock Star announced either a port of GTAV or Red Dead Redemption in anticipation for the sequel.
4) Nintendo will have another pair of Labo Kits for the holiday season, since Labo sold rather well on launch. More variety and options will be a safe bet.
5) Oh yeah, I forgot about that other handheld device that Nintendo has 60 million of out in the wild. We will get a Zelda title using the Link Between Worlds engine, except it won't be garbage like Tri Force Heroes, and one other surprising reveal. Not exactly sure what it will be, but I anticipate two titles maximum announced for the little handheld that could.
As for Smash:
1) Rex and Pyra
2) Captain Toad
3) Spring Man/Ribbon Girl
4) Your least favorite Generation 7 Pokemon
5) Travis Touchdown