The Switch 2 looks amazing and, with pre-orders selling out, it’s set to have a big launch. Still, there’s probably going to be another Nintendo Direct as well.

The most recent Directs have shown off the Switch 2, given a spotlight to Mario Kart World and cleaned shop on the Switch 1. But the number of new first-party game announcements has been surprisingly low.

There is no doubt in my mind that Nintendo has more games ready to go, just waiting to be announced. (Spreading out the announcements may help keep Switch 2 in the news cycle.)

It’s likely that another round of announcements could come in June.

A Thin Library?

The main Switch 2 Direct showed off the console itself and revealed a large selection of third-party games. It also announced a series of paid updates for Switch 1 games and a GameCube library for Switch Online. The first party lineup, however, was pretty thin.

There were some: Mario Kart World, Donkey Kong Bananza, Kirby Air Riders, Drag x Drive. I guess Welcome Tour counts as well. They also announced a new Hyrule Warriors, though that’s not strictly a first-party game; it’s a collaboration. Metroid Prime 4, meanwhile, is releasing on Switch 1 and 2.

That doesn’t seem like a lot. A couple of tech demo games, a dual platform release, a cross-studio collaboration and multiple racing games. They all look great, no doubt (I’m very excited). But, for a new system, I thought there’d be more. Some of their biggest franchises are completely unrepresented.

It’s cool that Donkey Kong is getting to shine again, but where’s the new 3D Mario? Surely, a new console is the time to go big. To my mind, the Switch 2 launch trailer needed at least one more big game announcement to really round out the launch.

A June Direct?

It seems inevitable that there will be a big Nintendo Direct soon.

They haven’t announced the release dates for some of the announced games, and it’s rumoured that there are more third-party games waiting to be announced. (Third-party studios were caught unprepared by Switch 1’s success; they want to get in on the ground floor with Switch 2.)

Nintendo haven’t revealed their late 2025 or Holiday release plans either. There’s a lot they need to announce.

The most obvious time for a new Nintendo Direct is June. This is the month of the Switch 2’s launch and, historically, has often had a Nintendo Direct (when E3 used to be held). Sure enough, there have been rumours of a June Direct.

It is also possible that the holiday title won’t be announced until September (they often have Directs in September as well). Still, some June announcements seem likely, especially since that’s the launch month.

What games could be announced?

The Holiday Title

The holiday title will probably be a 3D Mario game. There just aren’t a lot of other games that it could be.

It needs to be something big, since it’s a new system. But many of their big franchises are accounted for. Zelda, for instance, has had multiple big releases in the last couple of years. There won’t be another major entry for a while.

The holiday title could conceivably be a Smash Bros., but I doubt it.

Smash Bros. is a wild card this generation. The previous games were all made by Sakurai, who recently retired. He has returned to make Kirby Air Riders (I’m endlessly excited for that), but that may be a passion project.

It’s possible that he’ll no longer be involved in Smash Bros. In which case, it could be a while until a new game is released. Without Sakurai’s genius to oversee it, Nintendo may want to spend longer on development, to make sure it’s up to the other games’ standards.

It’s also been suggested to me, IRL, that Animal Crossing could be the holiday title. This is a massive franchise, and it’s been several years since the last release. It’s definitely a possibility.

If I had to bet, however, I’d still say 3D Mario (I will die on this hill!). There hasn’t been a big 3d Mario game since 2017, and I don’t believe that Nintendo would have neglected to do any Mario development in the last eight years. This year is also the 40th anniversary of Mario. Some acknowledgement of that is likely.

If there is a 3D Mario coming, they might be holding off the announcement to focus on Donkey Kong: Bananza. The Donkey Kong franchise was once as big as Mario. If Nintendo wants to build it up again, it needs some breathing room. A new 3D Mario could easily overshadow it. I suspect Kirby Air Riders will have a similar problem with Mario Kart World.

Other Games

There are a lot of other first-party game announcements that seem likely during a June Direct (even if they’re not big enough to be the holiday title).

Splatoon 4

Splatoon is a relatively new franchise, but has quickly grown into one of Nintendo’s biggest IPs. It’s also a multi-game per generation franchise. Games like Mario Kart get one release per console. But Switch 1 got two Splatoon games (2 and 3). It seems very likely that Switch 2 will get a Splatoon game in short order.

Luigi Mansion

Luigi’s Mansion 4 feels like a safe bet. The last game came out in 2019, and its developer, Next Level Games, has been bought by Nintendo. They haven’t released a game since 2022, so they’re due another release. Nintendo, for its part, seems keen to promote the Luigi’s Mansion brand as well. Switch 1 recently received a port of Luigi’s Mansion 2.

Dormant Franchises

In recent years, Nintendo has seemingly attempted to revive some of its dormant franchises (Metroid Dread, for instance, was the first 2D Metroid in nearly 20 years). There could be more of this.

The re-release of F-Zero GX as part of the Switch Online GameCube library may suggest that Nintendo wants to take the F-Zero franchise out of hiatus; a GameCube library release seems a good way to test the waters and start rebuilding popularity. For that matter, Star Fox has also been in hiatus for several years now. Maybe Nintendo is ready to give it another attempt.

It’s a long shot, but it’s possible.

Metroid

A remaster of Metroid Prime 2 and 3 could be released in short order as well. There’s already been a well-reviewed Prime 1 remaster, and Prime 4 is a cross-gen launch title.

Nintendo is definitely interested in the franchise. (Metroid Prime 4 being a launch title on Switch 2 may be one of the best things that could happen for the Metroid brand.)

Although Nintendo may decide to space out the releases of Prime 2 and 3. They often withhold completed games in case there are any development delays. It helps them avoid software droughts.

Twilight Princess

On the topic of remasters, I’m not ready to rule out the possibility of a Twilight Princess HD port.

This is one of the few Wii U games that never got released on Switch 1, alongside Wind Waker HD, and always felt conspicuously absent. It will be a long wait for the next mainline Zelda game, so a Twilight Princess HD port could bide fans over.

Although this might come to nothing. The re-release of the original Wind Waker in the GameCube library has made a Wind Waker HD port unlikely. The same could happen with Twilight Princess. If Twilight Princess joins the GameCube library, they won’t do a HD port. (I wouldn’t be complaining though.)

This partially depends on whether Nintendo views Twilight Princess as a GameCube game or a Wii game, since it was released on both consoles simultaneously. Personally, I think of it as a Wii game, that’s how I originally played it.

Regardless, there is usually a Zelda-related release each year. Hyrule Warriors and/or GameCube Wind Waker may already be filling the 2025 and/or the 2026 spot. But Twilight Princess, either the HD port or a GameCube library version, seems likely in the near future.

Hardware

As a brief side note, there are some rumours that the Switch 2 camera has more capabilities than was previously announced. It may have some sensor capabilities, similar to the Xbox Kinect.

There was some indication of this in the Jamboree TV update for Mario Party (it reminded me of the PS2 camera). There are also some rumours that it could have AR and VR features. Nintendo experimented with VR during the Switch era (using Labo), so it is plausible.

If it’s true, the June Direct may be the best place to announce it, possibly with a new game or franchise. I could see a WarioWare game using the camera.

Final Thoughts

Even as the launch date approaches, there’s still a great deal that we don’t yet know about the Switch 2. Its first-party game lineup in particular feels a little sparse. But they definitely have more games to announce.

A June Direct, right after the launch, seems like the perfect time for a host of new game announcements (with more in September). There are a lot of franchises that haven’t been seen in a while and could be announced in short order.

And because this is Nintendo, they’ll probably surprise us with something that no one could predict.

-Dexter