Amidst all of the excitement regarding the Nintendo Switch reveal last Friday, an interesting announcement managed to slip through the cracks. During their Nintendo Treehouse broadcast, a special Fire Emblem Nintendo Direct was announced to take place on Wednesday 18th January at 2pm PST, and promises to show upcoming titles in the series, including the Switch exclusive Fire Emblem Warriors that was revealed on the same day. However, many were still wondering whether the previously announced iOS iteration of the strategy series would also be shown at this event, as while we have had a tentative 2017 release date, Nintendo haven’t divulged many specifics regarding the mobile Fire Emblem beyond the fact it’s going to be free-to-play. Thankfully, the Japanese Nintendo Twitter feed has today confirmed that the smartphone entry in the Fire Emblem series would indeed be shown for the first time at tomorrow’s Nintendo Direct presentation.
A Fire Emblem Nintendo Direct is arriving this Wednesday, Jan. 18 at 2PM PST. Prepare yourselves! pic.twitter.com/waTBdNEPmN
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) January 17, 2017
While it’s great to see Nintendo finally provide more information on their next mobile effort, I’d advise anyone to not get too excited regarding tomorrow’s reveal of the mobile Fire Emblem game. Firstly, the console manufacturer are putting the majority of their focus on the upcoming Switch launch, which is set to take place on March 3rd. This suggests that the majority of the emphasis of tomorrow’s Nintendo Direct will likely be on the Fire Emblem Warriors title, as well as rumors of a console adaptation of the 3DS’s Fire Emblem Fates. Secondly, Nintendo and DeNA have been relatively forward in detailing that the Fire Emblem for smartphones will be free-to-play, and likely simplified from its intricate strategic roots for a broader audience on the App Store. This is not a bad thing, and Super Mario Run (Free) is a testament to how a game can still be a lot of fun even with more basic mechanics, but any hardcore fans of the franchise shouldn’t go into the Fire Emblem Direct expecting anything approaching the depth of the two 3DS titles.
Whatever happens tomorrow, it’s the start of an incredibly interesting year for Nintendo. With the Switch almost upon us (look out for a hands-on preview very soon), as well as Fire Emblem and Animal Crossing games finally launching on the App Store this year, 2017 will hopefully be another great leap forward for the platform. Let us know your expectations on the Fire Emblem mobile reveal tomorrow in the comments section, or on our forum thread.
