Nintendo Direct spotlights third-party slate, Ocarina of Time 2026

Nintendo’s latest Direct presented a broad third-party lineup and several first-party updates, ending with a narrated tease for an Ocarina of Time project marked ‘2026’.

First-party segments included a Rhythm Heaven release for Switch 1, a limited-time Switch Online Donkey Kong challenge for older hardware, a Pokémon Pokopia update and DLC, and a September release window for Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave. Nintendo showcased Nintendo Switch Sports Resort, where executive Hideki Koizumi joked ‘thumb war’ while demonstrating features. New Joy-Con color options were announced.

On third-party support, Nintendo announced multiple ports, sequels and new entries. Monolith Soft confirmed Switch 2 Editions for Xenoblade Chronicles 1, 2 and 3 and revealed a new mainline title, Xenoblade Genesis, for Switch 2. Square Enix presented Final Fantasy Resonance using an HD-2D visual style. Vanillaware announced Muramasa: Revenant Blades with a Switch 1 version confirmed. Kingdom Hearts 4 was shown and earlier Kingdom Hearts titles were released in non-cloud versions.

Other third-party trailers or updates included a Pikuniku sequel, ReFantazio, RuneScape: Dragonwilds, Lies of P, Stellar Blade, Devil May Cry 5, Big Walk, Onimusha and Dragon’s Dogma 2. A demo for the upcoming Star Fox title became available immediately after the presentation, while Splatoon Raiders was mentioned without a playable demo. Rise of the Tomb Raider appeared as a surprise release.

Several announcements comprised short teases with limited release windows. Nintendo announced it will provide fuller updates for multiple titles later in the year. The slate included content aimed at both Switch 1 owners and Switch 2 users.

Nintendo has used Direct broadcasts to present release schedules and platform support, combining first-party showcases with third-party announcements.