Earlier today, Nintendo revealed that two Nintendo Directs are airing next week. The first is set for Tuesday, and covers various Legend of Zelda related announcements to honour the series’ 40th anniversary, while the latter is on Wednesday and covers Switch 2 games as a whole.
But that made us wonder. What exactly could we see here? What sort of games and content will Nintendo feature in these presentations?
And what ones do we actually want to see? What are our hopes for the Zelda and Switch 2 Directs next week as a whole?
Let’s discuss the matter and find out!
Predictions
Starting with some predictions. With our first set involving the Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Direct…
The Legend of Zelda Direct Predictions
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Remake)
Yeah, we all know this is coming. Nintendo’s desperate to show everyone more of the Ocarina of Time remake that’s launching this year, and the upcoming Direct would be the perfect time to do that.
Heck, we wouldn’t be surprised if approximately 60-70% of the presentation was devoted to this game alone, or that the upcoming Treehouse Live made it a major part of their lineup.
Still, we’re almost certainly getting Ocarina of Time remake info next week. Moving on.
The Legend of Zelda Movie Trailer
It also seems likely that a trailer for the upcoming Legend of Zelda movie is being included here too. Again, we haven’t seen very much of it so far, let alone anything resembling footage or a cast list.
The Direct is almost certain to change that. We’re almost guaranteed to see characters like Ganondorf and Impa here, as well learn more about who actors like Sam Neill are actually playing in the film. Add this to an epic trailer to get us in the mood for next year’s release, and the scene would be all set for an epic Direct.
The Legend of Zelda Console/Accessory Designs
There are also rumours of Zelda console accessories being revealed soon too. Credible ones at that.
They’ll probably get shown off in the Direct.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment Updates/DLC
There’s also the possibility that Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment will see some DLC too. Since well, the game as it is right now is blatantly unfinished.
It’s got very few level themes or interesting locations, the postgame content that exists is boring and minimalist in scope, and obvious character choices like Ganondorf and Sonia are absent altogether. It’s a far cry from Age of Calamity or the original Hyrule Warriors in terms of content, and a sign the game was kicked out the door quickly to cash in on the Switch 2 launch.
An update or DLC could fix this. It could make Ganondorf a playable character, alongside Sonia, the Forbidden Construct, Twinrova and (maybe) some other notable NPCs. It could add some interesting postgame challenges, like fighting the bosses at the same time or playing as the villains against Rauru and the heroes.
Plus, it could add other neat features too. So, we wouldn’t be surprised to see more announced here.
Still, those are our Zelda Direct predictions. What about those for the general Direct now?
General Direct Predictions
Which brings us to our general Direct predictions. And to be honest?
It’s a lot harder to make these than the Zelda ones. With Zelda there’s a game due out this year plus other media we know is in development, but the situation is a lot murkier for Nintendo as a whole. With the exception of Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave (which is only about a week or two away and already had a dedicated Direct), we don’t really know much of what’s planned for the future.
Still, based on theories and rumours, here are some of my predictions:
3D Mario Game
Starting with a possibility that seems a tad unrealistic, but not out of the realm of possibility. A new 3D Mario game meant as Nintendo’s big 2027 title.
And there are some reasons to believe this could be the case. For starters, the team just finished up with the Donkey Kong Bananza Emerald Rush events. The Feast Layer one going live this month is the final update for the game:
That feels like good timing to me. Like Nintendo had plans to announce and prepare to release a new 3D Mario game, but needed the Bananza team done with that game to give it a final push. Heck, perhaps that might even be to prepare them for DLC for the game rather than the main title! After all, those Emerald Rush events kept interest in Bananza going. Feels likely a set of 3D Mario events would work the same way.
Plus, there’s the need to get out the big guns at this point, and 2027 doesn’t really have any loaded or ready to fire. So, if a 3D Mario game isn’t saved for a Direct next Spring, this looks like it could be the time to reveal it.
Mario Kart World DLC/Update
Similarly, it seems pretty likely that we’ll hear something about Mario Kart World at this point too.
Obviously, the new Knockout Tour routes are in the pipeline, and likely to go live in the next week or two…
But something big is inevitably on the horizon. New tracks, new characters, 200cc, more quality-of-life features brought back from older Mario Kart games… the list of possible additions you could make to Mario Kart World is vast, and it’s likely we’ll learn more about them soon.
Metroid Ravenous
There’s talk of a new Metroid game with that name being in development, likely by MercurySteam. Given it’s likely a near future release, a reveal in this Direct wouldn’t be out of the picture.
New Kirby Game
Similarly, the time just feels right for a new Kirby game too. You could set a clock by how regularly HAL releases these things, and that’s especially true of the 2D titles. Given the last 2D games were in 2018 and 2023 and Forgotten Land was 2022, there’s been more than enough time for a major Kirby game to go through development here.
So, I’d be very surprised if a new Kirby game or three isn’t revealed soon.
Star Fox ‘Adventure’ Game
There’s also a rumoured second Star Fox game being discussed too. Apparently, according to some leakers, the first Switch 2 title was an arcade style one that recreates 64, while the second is an ‘adventure’ game that does something a bit different.
And while we have absolutely no idea what an adventure game could be like here (is it similar to that GameCube title or something?), the timing would line up. So, we can see a second Star Fox game being revealed soon.
Tomodachi Life DLC/Update/Switch 2 Edition
We can also see more content for Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream too. It’s one of Nintendo’s biggest hits in recent years with over 8 million copies sold to date, and one which surprisingly doesn’t seem to have a Switch 2 edition of any real sort.
It also doesn’t have much of an update schedule either, which is crazy for a casual, cozy game of this nature.
Hence we suspect Nintendo’s going to reveal their future plans for it in the next Direct.
Wario Land
Which brings us to our favourite rumoured game of the lot. A new Wario Land title, reviving a series that’s been sadly dormant since 2008.
And given the number of rumours about this from respected leakers, we can definitely see 2026 or 2027 being the year Nintendo brings the franchise back from the dead. There’s a clear demand for it based on all the spiritual successors out there, and people go crazy when the older games are added to Nintendo Switch Online…
So, it feels like Wario’s due his platforming comeback.
WarioWare
On the other hand, it’s also possible a new WarioWare game is in the cards too. Yeah, this one is a bit shakier given the middling performance of Move It. Plus, said game being a 2023 release means there’s less time than for a new Wario Land title.
But these are cheap, quick to make games that come out on a very regular basis. Remember, WarioWare: Gold was in 2018, while Get It Together was 2021 and Move It was 2023. So, a 2-3-year development cycle is right on point for the franchise.
However, it’s unlikely it’ll be released the same year as WarioWare, for simple brand dilution reasons. So, if there’s a new WarioWare game due, it seems like that’ll be the 2026 release while Wario Land will be the 2027 one.
Either way, those are all our predictions. There aren’t too many all things considered, but Nintendo hasn’t really given us much to work with here. All we had to reference were leaks and rumours.
Wishlist
So, onto the wishlist now. And to be honest, we don’t have much for the Zelda side of things.
Zelda Spinoff/Side Game?
Since there hasn’t been enough time between games for a major reveal on either side of the franchise. 3D Zelda takes 5-6 years to develop, so a quick sequel to Tears of the Kingdom is off the table. Hyrule Warriors recently saw a release with Age of Imprisonment, so that’s unlikely. And as far as 2D titles go, Echoes of Wisdom was only 2024.
So, it’s unlikely a new Zelda game of any kind is coming soon.
But we do hope to see a spinoff or smaller scale title nonetheless. Whether it’s that rumoured game with Ganondorf as the main protagonist, a Link’s Crossbow Training style spinoff or a Cadence of Hyrule style collaboration, there’s definite potential for a smaller scale title to hold us over in 2027 and beyond.
ARMS Sequel
Look, we feel bad for ARMS. It was hyped up as Nintendo’s next Splatoon, and for a while now the company was clearly keen to treat it like their next big franchise.
Unfortunately, when the game’s sales did okay rather than amazing, and Splatoon completely overshadowed it again, any interest in the Switch 1 game died, as did the expanded universe it was looking to bring with it.
But there’s still a chance of a comeback, and we hope it occurs. The characters and universe here are absolutely fascinating, and there’s a ton of potential left untapped in the series. If Nintendo adds in a meaty single player campaign and a decent set of unlockable cosmetics to play around with, while expanding on the mechanics online, there could be the potential for a huge hit here.
Banjo-Kazooie 3
Look, we know Banjo is a Rare franchise, and Rare’s owned by Microsoft.
But come on, now’s the perfect time to revive the series for all platforms, and give fans what they’ve wanted for years.
F-Zero
Same with F-Zero really. F-Zero 99 has been a surprise hit for Nintendo, but a proper 3D title with realistic visuals and more multiplayer options would be a huge hit even by those standards. Time to give Captain Falcon a real comeback folks!
Kid Icarus
Similarly, why not give Pit a comeback too? The flight sections in Age of Imprisonment were already fairly close to the flight sections in Uprising, and there’s definite potential for that series to make a glorious return to home consoles with Switch 2. Make it happen Nintendo!
Mario RPGs
Yeah, we lumped the Mario & Luigi series, Paper Mario series and the SNES game into one entry here, since any one of those would make us happy about now.
And hey, given 2023 and 2024 were when the last entries came out, it doesn’t seem impossible that a 2027 release date could be on the table for any one of them!
Could be a good one to give a nice preview at a Direct like this!
Super Smash Bros
And that brings us our final wishlist item. We considered Pikmin and Splatoon, but the release schedule for the former and recent release of Splatoon Raiders for the latter made both possibilities fairly unlikely about now.
Super Smash Bros on the other hand, feels like both an amazing reveal, and a game that’s got to be due out in the next few years or so. Like, has a Super Smash Bros game ever been a late release on its system of choice? Like, since the days of the N64 original?
Because Super Smash Bros Melee was a launch title, Super Smash Bros Brawl released early in year 3 (year 2 by actual calendar standards), Super Smash Bros For Wii U was a year 3 title for the console and Super Smash Bros Ultimate was released in year 2 of the Switch’s lifespan.
Super Smash Bros for Switch 2 just feels like a release that’s got to happen in this year or the next, and it’s one we’re dying to see happen for sure.
Either way, those are all our predictions and wishes for the two upcoming Nintendo Directs. We’re not mind readers, so there aren’t any new IPs on the list this time around.
But there’s a healthy mix of big and small franchises listed regardless, and we believe it’s highly likely that at least a portion of the list will get revealed in the coming week.
Still, what are your thoughts here? What games do you expect and hope to see?
Tell us what you think in the comments below, on social media, or over on our Discord server today!