Surprise Nintendo Direct Mini now available - watch it here

Nintendo has quietly released a Nintendo Direct Mini this morning. You can watch the whole thing via the embed above. 

The 28-minute Direct was not livestreamed like most of Nintendo's events, potentially due to complications related to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The virus may also affect some of the release dates mentioned in the Direct, as Nintendo explained in a pre-Direct disclaimer. 

Today's Direct Mini comes on the heels of last week's Nintendo Indie Live showcase, which featured plenty of interesting announcements as well as the surprise release of Exit the Gungeon. Curiously, both of these Directs were heavily rumored for the past month, most notably by sources at Venturebeat. However, since Nintendo never discussed a full-fat Direct, the odds of seeing one this month seemed low. Yet here we are. Surprise! 

It's not quite as jam-packed as a mainline Direct, especially when it comes to first-party titles, but today's Direct Mini does touch on quite a few big-name games. We've got Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition, more Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Pokemon Sword and Shield news, Bravely Default 2, and even a few surprises like an Arms fighter coming to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Oh, and did I mention that 2K is bringing the BioShock Collection, the Borderlands: Legendary Collection, and the XCOM 2 Collection to Switch? Because it is. 

We'll round up all the biggest announcements for you over the next few hours, so stay tuned for more details. 

Earlier this month, Nintendo announced a new partnership with Lego, which is launching a line of Lego Super Mario toys this year. Picture Super Mario Maker, but IRL.  

Austin Wood

Austin freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree, and he's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize that his position as a senior writer is just a cover up for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a focus on news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.