Nintendo announces an Indie World Showcase for this week. How to watch and what to expect
One week after the Partner Showcase, Nintendo will host a presentation focused on indie games. There are a few exciting games that could make an appearance.
Nintendo will be hosting an Indie World Showcase this week. This comes exactly one week after the Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase on July 31st, which revealed games like Octopath Traveler 0 and Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection. Unlike the usual Nintendo Directs or Partner Directs, Indie World showcases focus specifically on indie games. Previous showcases have featured some great indie gems on Nintendo’s platforms over the years, and this week’s presentation shouldn’t be any different. Here’s how to watch and what to expect.
How to watch the Nintendo Indie World showcase
The showcase is scheduled for Thursday, August 7th, at 6:00 AM Pacific Time, 9:00 AM Eastern Time. According to Nintendo, it will last for “roughly 15 minutes,” which is relatively shorter than recent showcases have been. The livestream page is already up on Nintendo’s YouTube channel. You can have YouTube send you a reminder if you’d like. At the time of writing, there are already nearly 400 people on YouTube waiting for the premiere to start, even though it’s more than 24 hours away.
What to expect from the Nintendo Indie World showcase
If you are like most of the internet, your first thought when you heard the words “showcase” and “indie” might have been Hollow Knight: Silksong. However, since this is a small, 15-minute presentation, I wouldn’t get my hopes up. For arguably 2025’s most anticipated game to arrive here rather than one of the larger upcoming showcases, such as Opening Night Live at Gamescom, where it is already confirmed to have a playable demo, seems very unlikely. No offense to Indie World, though, I’m still very excited to see what this showcase has to offer.
While Silksong feels unlikely this week, there is another highly anticipated indie that feels somewhat more likely: Hades 2. Not only was Hades 2 featured in the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct, but it also announced that it will be a timed console exclusive for the Nintendo Switch consoles. While it might seem possible, this massively popular game could still be saved for a bigger presentation, even the next full Nintendo Direct. There have been rumors that another presentation could arrive before the end of the season. But we’ll have to wait to see what happens.
There’s still one more highly anticipated indie that could make an appearance at this week’s Indie World showcase. From the Yacht Club, the developers of Shovel Knight, comes Mina the Hollower. This game was originally revealed with a Kickstarter in 2022 that ended up earning over $1 million from fans. Mina the Hollower finally resurfaced at this year’s Summer Game Fest to announce a release date for October 31st, 2025. While we already know what we want to know, this could be a great opportunity to learn more.
From Mossmouth, the team behind Spelunky and Spelunky 2, is one of 2024’s most highly reviewed titles: UFO 50. This collection of original retro-inspired games will feel right at home on the handheld Nintendo console. Some other great indie games that have already been released could be other highly rated games from this year, like Blue Prince and Bionic Bay, but it could be too quick a turnaround for those smaller teams.
There are a few other games that could make an appearance tomorrow. From developer Digital Sun, the highly anticipated action rogue-like sequel, Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault. The original Moonlighter was a huge hit on the Nintendo Switch, and the sequel still hasn’t specified a release date other than Summer 2025, which doesn’t have much time left, unfortunately. This week could be an opportunity to learn about a release date.
Publisher Dotemu just released Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound for the Switch, and Marvel Cosmic Invasion has appeared at several other showcases recently. But we haven’t heard much about Dotemu’s other upcoming game, a rogue-like beat-em-up based on an original IP called Absolum. It’s already confirmed to arrive on the Switch when it launches, so this could be the chance to learn more.
There’s a lot that could show up on Thursday during this showcase, but it’s also best not to get your hopes up. This is the first Indie World showcase since the Switch 2 was released, but that didn’t make last week’s Partner Showcase as thrilling as some people thought it might be. Regardless of what does and doesn’t make an appearance, there will be plenty of great indie games to learn about.
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Author: Matt Buckley
Matt has been writing for Gamepressure since 2020, and currently lives in San Diego, CA. Like any good gamer, he has a Steam wishlist of over three hundred games and a growing backlog that he swears he’ll get through someday. Aside from daily news stories, Matt also interviews developers and writes game reviews. Some of Matt’s recent favorites include Arco, Neva, Cocoon, Animal Well, Baldur’s Gate 3, and Tears of the Kingdom. Generally, Matt likes games that let you explore a world, tell a compelling story, and challenge you to think in different ways.
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