Because there HAS to be some new game announcement. There would be no point to a new direct if it were just release dates, otherwise a press release would suffice.
I'm expecting Paper Mario U and a re-unveiling of Federation Force to be the big headliners
But I mean why Paper Mario? It's been so weird after Thousand Year Door. Super Paper Mario was good, albeit very different, and Sticker Star is Sticker Star (we don't have to talk about it). So why is everyone saying this new game announcement will be Paper Mario? Because if we do get one and it happens to be more like Thousand Year Door than anything else, I will freak out in a good way lol