Nintendo has released a short 15-second unexplained teaser video on its YouTube channel and posted the link to the video throughout its social platforms.

What appears to be a new horror project, the trailer showcases grainy footage of a figure in a trenchcoat, wearing a paper bag on the head, with a smiling face drawn on it. Japanese text at the end of the video translates to “Smiling Man”, whereas the text description accompanying the video states “#WhoIsEmio” – Emio is the Japanese pronunciation of “Smiling Man”. The video also shows a Nintendo Switch logo and, in the US version of the video, a mature “M” rating from the ESRB.

This video was posted an hour ago, and it has captured the attention of Nintendo fans and people across the globe, with many quick to comment. Many expressed their confusion, and even several suggested that it must be the third brother of Super Mario, which is highly unlikely in this case.

The Japanese video of the teaser contains the official link to the webpage. Besides the video of the smiling man, no other information is revealed.

Nintendo’s spectrum of games has always been family-friendly full of bright colours and cute characters, which shows that this teaser is a new direction for the company.

Check out the teaser below.