Tag: Nintendo

Nintendo Indie World stream happening today: watch it here

Looking forward to more indie games to play on Nintendo Switch? December’s Indie World stream is just hours away: watch it here.

Ready for one last round of announcements before the year finishes? Yesterday Nintendo announced that there will be a brand new Indie World stream showcase, presenting updates on indie games we’ve already heard about, in addition to some brand new ones. This showcase is sure to show us a few new games we can play before the Holiday season and a few that we can get excited for in 2022.

Below we’ll be breaking down where and when you can watch the December 15 Indie World presentation. We have no idea what could be shown right now, although we already have people excited to see Hollow Knight: Silksong. They might be getting ahead of themselves, but the public is allowed to have lofty dreams. Just scroll down below to watch the presentation and find when it goes live in your time zone.

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Watch the December 15 Indie World presentation here

Nintendo usually hosts Indie World and Nintendo Direct presentations on both the Nintendo YouTube channel, in addition to the Nintendo Twitch channel. Right now you can wait for the Indie World stream to begin on YouTube, though there’s no schedule in place for the Twitch version right now. You should expect it to go live at the same time if you prefer watching Twitch over YouTube.

When the Indie World presentation goes live in your time zone

This Indie World presentation will be going live at 5pm GMT globally, which should be just after work for those in the UK and Europe. If you’re watching from the US, prepare to get up a bit earlier to catch this one. See our list below when the stream goes live in your time zone. All times below at for December 15 unless otherwise specified.

  • PST: 9am
  • EST: 12pm
  • BRT: 2pm
  • GMT: 5pm
  • CET: 6pm
  • MSK: 8pm
  • IST: 10:30pm
  • CST: 1am Dec 16
  • JST: 2am Dec 16
  • AEDT: 4am Dec 16
  • NZDT: 6am Dec 16

Written by Dave Aubrey on behalf of GLHF.

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Fan recreates Spirited Away’s train scene in Animal Crossing

The classic 2001 animated film returns in adorable tribute.

If there ever was a single moment in video games that highlights how wildly creative fans can be, it might be this tribute to Spirited Away  in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

Over on  Animal Crossing’s subreddit, user Pepper_Gecko shared their meticulously-crafted island recreation of the famous train scene from the 2001 animated film Spirited Away. Anyone that’s seen the film undoubtedly remembers the surreal, chill, yet bizarrely haunting scene from Hayao Miyazaki’s magnum opus. It’s one of the most ionic moments from arguably the most influential animated film of the past two decades. 

Somehow, they even have the cityscape scrolling past in the background as No-Face sits there, being as creepy as ever. Take a look at Pepper_Gecko’s tribute to Spirited Away for yourself below.

In the train….. from AnimalCrossing

Also, if you’re keen on checking it out in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, the island code is DA-0824-9020-1383. It’ll surely be free of those  disgusting roaches, too!

Animal Crossing: New Horizons  is still staggeringly popular, even nearly two years on from its release. Now that the  enormous 2.0 update is out, fans are returning to the game in droves. It’s the second-best-selling title on the Nintendo Switch, after Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.

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Nintendo president Doug Bowser finds Activision Blizzard reports ‘disturbing’

The Nintendo of America boss believes the industry needs higher standards on abusive workplaces.

Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser says Activision Blizzard stories are “distressing and disturbing,” Fanbyte  reported Monday.

Bowser was among the many who read the  Wall Street Journal’s  story on Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick that led to  a walkout from the company’s staff. Fanbyte allegedly received an internal Nintendo email from Bowser about the situation. 

“Along with all of you, I’ve been following the latest developments with Activision Blizzard and the ongoing reports of sexual harassment and toxicity at the company,” Bowser said via Fanbyte. “I find these accounts distressing and disturbing, They run counter to my values as well as Nintendo’s beliefs, values and policies.”

Bowser explains later in the email that Nintendo wants to foster an open and inclusive workplace while expecting industry peers to do the same. Spokespeople from Nintendo are “in contact with Activision, have taken action and are assessing others,” Bowser said via Fanbyte.

Nintendo is also allegedly speaking with the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) about Activision Blizzard since both companies are part of the organization. Bowser claims Nintendo has worked with the ESA recently on its stance on abuse and harassment and that the ESA must hold all of its members to high standards. 

“Every company in the industry must create an environment where everyone is respected and treated as equals,” Bowser said  via Fanbyte. “Where all understand the consequences of not doing so.”

Nintendo’s present joins  PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan  and  Xbox head Phil Spencer  in condemning Activision Blizzard’s actions.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.

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Nintendo partners with Panda Global for first official Super Smash Bros. Circuit

Both Smash Bros. Ultimate and Smash Bros. Melee will be there.

Nintendo is partnering with Panda Global for the first-ever official Super Smash Bros.  championship circuit. 

In 2022, Panda Global will operate a series of officially licensed competitive circuits for Super Smash Bros. Melee  and  Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. There’ll be several professional tournaments culminating in a massive championship later — no details just yet on when or where these will take place other than they’ll be in North America. So there’s still plenty of time to  brush up on your Sora skills, at least.

The circuit will begin with qualifying rounds in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate  via online play. Since Super Smash Bros. Melee  doesn’t have an official online component (because it’s a 20-year-old game), in-person qualifiers will come once Nintendo and Panda Global are confident they can host a big event again safely.

Bill Trinen, senior director of product marketing at Nintendo, had nothing but enthusiasm for the company’s joint venture with Panda Global.

“This partnership with Panda Global is the next step in Nintendo’s efforts to create a more consistent, fun and welcoming competitive environment for our players and fans,” Trinen said  in a statement. “We are proud to stand with an organization like Panda Global to celebrate and support the ever-growing competitive Super Smash Bros. community and create a space where all players can test and hone their competitive skills.”

The competitive scene for Smash Bros.  is fairly health, especially with how often  Nintendo adds big-name characters to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. An official tournament series is new, though. Maybe  Masahiro Sakurai will make an appearance during the finals.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.

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Interview: Niantic’s Philip Marz on creating Pikmin Bloom

Niantic’s Philip Marz talks to us about creating Pikmin Bloom with Nintendo and Shigeru Miyamoto, and plans for the future.

Pikmin Bloom is Niantic’s latest augmented reality game, but unlike the trend it set with the breakout sensation Pokémon GO, Pikmin Bloom takes things at a far slower pace. This is for those peaceful walks in the park, instead of those frantic Pokémon catching and battling sessions, opening the game up to a much wider potential audience. 

We chatted to Niantic product marketing manager Philip Marz about Pikmin Bloom, how it was developed and what they hope to achieve with the game in the near future. 

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“Pikmin was the best choice for our purpose,” Marz tells us. While the world of Pikmin might be fraught with a few spooks and horrors, the creatures themselves are usually peaceful and idyllic, suiting the relaxed pace of Pikmin Bloom. “While Ingress and Pokémon GO have more ‘game’ features, we designed Pikmin Bloom to focus more on ‘walking’,” Marz continues. “We are hoping Pikmin Bloom will be a part of your everyday routine.” 

The Pikmin creatures are one of Super Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto’s own designs, and of course, he was involved in designing Pikmin Bloom. “Niantic and Nintendo worked together to develop an app that combines Niantic’s real-world AR technology with Nintendo’s characters,” Marz explains. “It took a lot of discussion and a lot of trial and error to finally come up with Pikmin Bloom. Many people in Nintendo – including Mr. Miyamoto – were involved in this team and we think the two companies maximized one another’s strengths.” 

Augmented reality games have become a hit ever since the launch of Pokémon GO, but data privacy concerns among users have become a bigger topic in the years since it launched, and many more people are hesitant to have their mobile device tracking their location at all times. We ask Marz what players can do if they share these concerns: “Pikmin Bloom – like all Niantic games – is a real-world game where the experience is tied to the player’s real-world location,” he says. “Therefore, we need to know where the player is in order to operate the game for them and to plan the location of in-game resources. If you want to delete all of your location history, you can do this by clicking ‘Delete All Your Location History’ in the settings.” Marz does, however, neglect to mention that the Google Fit app is also required in order for Pikmin Bloom to work properly. 

Pokémon is a natural fit for an AR collection game, thanks to the hundreds of Pokémon and varieties there are in the series – Pikmin is a bit different, with only a handful of creatures. Niantic had to work around these constraints in order to still make a compelling collection game, and introduced Decor Pikmin: “In Pikmin Bloom, you will also meet Pikmin that are wearing unusual attire,” Marz explains. “Niantic and Nintendo both enjoyed designing each of the Decor Pikmin.” 

While Marz is understandably cagey when talking about the potential future of Pikmin Bloom, he’s even less willing to talk about the recent closure of Niantic’s Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, saying nothing more than: “It was a hard decision to make. We’ll take all of the lessons we learned from Harry Potter: Wizards Unite into our other projects.” Hopefully anyone getting involved in Pikmin Bloom now doesn’t have to deal with a sudden closure in a few years.

Written by Dave Aubrey on behalf of GLHF.

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GameCube mistaken for a kitchen appliance in ‘Unpacking’

Ready to feel old? Unpacking fans don’t recognize the Nintendo GameCube.

Need a reminder of your frail mortal shell? Well, fellow olds, here it is: young folks don’t recognize the Nintendo GameCube in Unpacking.

Unpacking is an indie game about moving into a new home and arranging all your stuff in the appropriate places — dishes in the kitchen and toilet paper in bathrooms, that kind of thing. It’s a chill, zen-like puzzle game where failure isn’t really a thing for the most part. Though if an item isn’t in the correct location, you can’t progress.

Well, developer Witch Beam included a Nintendo GameCube among the many objects to sort through in Unpacking — and younger younger fans are getting stuck because they are struggling to identify the 20-year-old console. Wren Brier, an artist and designer on Unpacking, claims many youngins are reaching out about the GameCube. 

“We have gotten so many messages asking what it was,” Brier said via Polygon. “Very often, the screenshot they send us has the console in the kitchen as they thought it was an appliance of some kind.”

Take a look at Unpacking’s GameCube for yourself below.

Yup, this confirms it: recognizing the GameCube means you’re old. It’s all about the Nintendo Switch these days. If you can find one, that is. 

Unpacking takes place in the late 90s and early 2000s, so the inclusion of a GameCube makes sense. “The main character’s age is right in the middle between my age and my co-creator Tim Dawson’s age,” Brier said via Polygon. 

Put me in a retirement home, please. It’s the only place where these weary millenial eyes may gaze upon Resident Evil Remake  and Super Smash Bros. Melee  free of youthful judgment.

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‘Animal Crossing’ villagers are putting players on blast for roach infestations

Keep your New Horizons house clean or get called out!

Ah, that distinctly awkward moment when company comes over unannounced and learns that you live in a pigpen. It’s the worst.  

Animal Crossing: New Horizons  players are learning this the hard way, as the 2.0 update makes villagers randomly visit your house whenever they feel like it. If you’ve not logged in for several months, cockroaches will take up residence in your humble abode. Should villagers notice your new disgust, skittering roomies, they’ll verbally thrash you. Rightfully so, you messy monster.

Thanks to the update, many fans are picking Animal Crossing: New Horizons  up again for the first time in a long while, which results in a lot of the aforementioned awkward encounters. They’re flooding all over social media even, IGN  reported Thursday. 

Now I love to highlight shameful gamer moments. Shamers, we’ll call them. And these neglectful Animal Crossing: New Horizons  fans are right up there with the worst of them. Check out some of the messiest reactions for yourself below. Make sure you clean up beforehand, though, lest you want to end up on this list too!

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.

Nintendo will make fewer Switch consoles because of the global chip shortage

That fancy OLED model will be hard(er) to come by soon.

Nintendo will manufacture substantially fewer Switch consoles through the end of its fiscal year, Nikkei Asia reported on Tuesday. 

Thanks to the ongoing global semiconductor shortages, Nintendo will only produce roughly 24 million consoles through the end of March of next year. That may sound like a lot, but it’s not considering how in-demand the Switch is, especially going into the holiday season. “We are assessing their impact on our production,” Nintendo said via Nikkei Asia  regarding the shortages. 

Yup, picking up one of those fancy Switch OLED models won’t be easy in the coming months. Especially with heavy-hitting titles like Metroid Dread  and Mario Party Superstars  out this fall season.

Thankfully, if you already have a Switch, games like Smash Bros. Ultimate  recently saw a beefy update with the Sora DLC, even if Masahiro Sakurai isn’t thinking much about the future of the series right now. The wildly anticipated Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition  will also be coming to Switch.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.

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Masahiro Sakurai isn’t thinking about a ‘Smash Brothers’ sequel right now

The master hand behind Smash isn’t sure where the series is heading yet.

Masahiro Sakurai, creator of the Super Smash Bros.  series, is trying his best not to think about a sequel to Smash Bros. Ultimate right now, Famitsu  reported Tuesday.

During an interview with the Japanese publication  translated into English by Siliconera, Sakurai stated that no plans are finalized regarding a new entry in the Smash Bros. series.

“I am not thinking of a sequel. I am not thinking of it every time,” Sakurai said via Famitsu. “However, I can’t say with certainty that this would be the end of Smash.”

Sakurai also claims that it’s still undecided if he would be the director on a hypothetical new entry.

“I currently don’t see a path where Smash can be produced without myself,” Sakurai explains via Famitsu. “Honestly, we did actually try leaving it to someone else, but it didn’t go well.”

Sakurai went on to say he wants to get out of the limelight for a while, even departing from his bi-weekly column in Famitsu. Though he’s still working, just unable to say what his next project is right now.

It’s not even been a month since the Sora announcement for Smash Bros. Ultimate, something that  fans are still buzzing over. So it’s a little early to expect any info on what Sakurai is up to currently. Hopefully, he’s getting in some much-needed RnR.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.

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The 10 most exciting trailers and reveals from September 2021’s Nintendo Direct

Finally, Bayonetta makes a triumphant return.

Every time, without fail, Nintendo Directs exceeds fan expectations, and the September 2021 show was no different. Even if bits of today’s announcements accidentally leaked ahead of time.

Be it bizarre, wonderful surprises like Chocobo GP or crowd-pleasers like Bayonetta 3, there was a bit of something for everyone at this show. Though some of the biggest announcements, such as the last Super Smash Bros. Ultimate fighter and a highly-anticipated Animal Crossing: New Horizons update, are set for a larger reveal at a later date, Nintendo fans were well fed by Thursday’s 40 minute showcase.

Much like the recent PlayStation Showcase, FTW’s Mary Clarke and GLHF’s  Kyle Campbell came up with a list of all the cool trailers that premiered during this Nintendo Direct.