By If you believed the initial Kirby Air Riders Nintendo Direct was ample, Nintendo has now affirmed that the subsequent showcase is set for later this week and will run an entire hour.
Nintendo announced a follow-up to the beloved GameCube racing title in the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct earlier this year, which took many by surprise. Perhaps even more astonishing was the fact that it was Nintendo who requested Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai to develop it, with many – including former Nintendo marketing executives – speculating it was some kind of negotiation tactic to enable him to pursue a passion project prior to the next Smash Bros. installment.
However, although it was Nintendo, Masahiro Sakurai appears incredibly enthusiastic, as we received more than 45 minutes of analysis regarding the game during its dedicated Nintendo Direct, and while we were uncertain of what more he could elaborate on, Sakurai assured that a second presentation would follow.
Fast forward months later, and Nintendo has confirmed that the second Kirby Air Riders Nintendo Direct will occur this Thursday, October 23 at 2pm BST / 9am ET / 6am PT. If you presumed 45 minutes was extensive, Nintendo has revealed that the new direct will span a swift 60 minutes (That’s the same duration as the Nintendo Direct that unveiled the Switch 2 hardware alongside numerous titles.)
This direct will once more be led by Masahiro Sakurai, who previously had segments in his game-focused directs highlighting minor animations (such as Olimar’s helmet cracking in Smash Bros. Ultimate), although of course, gameplay is also featured prominently. The prior Kirby Air Riders Direct included a sneak peek at some variety of a story mode at the conclusion, so I would anticipate that a significant portion of the duration will be allocated to that as well.