After laying dormant in the depths for nearly 15 years, Endless Ocean Luminous, the third game in the ocean-based series that initially launched on Wii in 2007, has finally been announced for Nintendo Switch with a release date.
Nintendo launched its 2024 Partner Showcase — a Nintendo Direct without the Nintendo first party announcements — today, and during it, they let out some big news that the largest ocean, the Endless Ocean, will be making a return for Nintendo Switch. This is after almost 15 years of the series not receiving a new title. Nintendo has also provided a trailer, which can be seen below.
According to the trailer, fellow ocean explorers can band together, up to 30 in a pod, to explore together and uncover 500 species of marine life. The returning franchise was teased just before the reveal by a known Nintendo tease account, Pyoro, who claimed, “Sometimes Nintendo can be a Partner because they love dolphins” just yesterday on their X (formerly Twitter) account.
There is notable excitement surrounding the announcement, as most players from their Wii days can’t wait to get back in and explore Endless Ocean Luminous. Just under the official Nintendo X post, fans have taken up residence to share their excitement. One fan, littlebirdzelda, wrote, “THANK YOU FOR REVIVING ENDLESS OCEAN” with “WE ARE SO BACK”. User RothSothy says, “Splendid to see a new entry of Endless Ocean heading to Switch! I’ve been revisiting original game on Wii this past year during the summer since it’s been 15 years”. But not all Nintendo fans are happy.
Some fans have also been underwhelmed by the announcement, with an overwhelming request for the longtime dormant Nintendo franchise (and not a ‘partner’ series) Mother, and these fans have also jumped into the comments section of the post with unhappy tidings. NicholasLightTV says “How did yall end on this and not give us Mother 3? How hard can it be to just make it available for people to get it, other than Japan? Y’all are so annoying”.
While some fans are excited and some fans are distraught, Endless Ocean Luminous is full steam ahead, with a release date of May 2, 2024.
