Bayonetta 3, New Kirby Game Leak Ahead of Nintendo Direct

Bayonetta 3 and a new Kirby game have leaked ahead of Thursday's Nintendo Direct broadcast, scheduled for 6 p.m. ET. Both games appeared on Nintendo's own website, where its Japanese release schedule included the titles in the lineup for 2022.

Nintendo Direct Leaks: Bayonetta 3, Kirby: Discovery of the Stars

The new Kirby game's title was written in Japanese, which has been translated as Kirby: Discovery of the Stars. It's set to arrive in spring 2022. Further details weren't included in the leak.

Bayonetta 3, meanwhile, will also launch in 2022, but the schedule is no more specific about the timing than that. Players had been anxiously awaiting news of the title ever since its 2017 reveal trailer, but developer PlatinumGames has kept quiet on the title. This is the first we've heard about a release window for the game, even as director Hideki Kamiya said development was in its "final stretch" as recently as earlier this month.

The Japanese release schedule also included Splatoon 3, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 and Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope in its 2022 section. Specific release dates were not included.

There's no guarantee any of the relevant games will appear during Thursday's Direct broadcast. Nintendo has said it aims to focus only on games set for release this winter. However, it remains possible any and all could appear in the broadcast.