Nintendo Direct Highlights Concerns About the Future of Switch 2

It’s hard to believe that we’re already eight months into the life of the Nintendo Switch 2. So far, the lineup of must-have games has been underwhelming. With the letdown of Metroid Prime 4 and a noticeable lack of original first-party titles, it’s starting to feel like a $400 Donkey Kong Bananzamachine that mainly serves as a port machine. As we look ahead to 2026, the latest Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase did little to shake off the feeling of stagnation; if anything, it reinforced it.

The showcase was oddly structured. Anyone trying to decipher Nintendo’s choices might find themselves spiraling into madness. After a visually appealing but previously announced title, we were treated to a sequel to a visual novel, a quirky soccer anime, and what appeared to be a 2002 PC knock-off of a generic Capcom game, Tokyo Scramble. This lackluster start suggested that these were the highlights Nintendo believed we should be excited about for 2026.

Things didn’t improve with the focus on two-year-old ports. First up was Valheim, the 2021 survival game, making its way to Switch 2 without any new features or significant updates, and looking choppy and blocky—definitely not the best showcase for a new console. While it still has a dedicated player base on Steam, it’s a strange choice to spotlight. Then there was the announcement of a free upgrade for the original 2017 Hollow Knight on Switch 2. While this is a welcome addition, it was something we already knew about since last December.

Next came another soccer game, a previously announced cross-platform RPG from Square, and then another RPG from Square that had already been revealed. Sure, people are excited for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth on Switch 2, but the showcase felt like it was just listing games we already knew about, many of which are also coming to Xbox, PlayStation, and PC, with little new information or release dates. It increasingly felt like a proof-of-life for the console rather than a showcase of exciting new titles.

If you’re thrilled about the sequel to 2015’s Tokyo Xanadu or the revival of the classic Xanadu series, that’s great, but alongside Digimon Story: Time Stranger, these felt like weak offerings. Then came Granblue Fantasy: Relink – Endless Ragnarok! You might know Granblue Fantasy from its 2014 mobile game or the Granblue Fantasy Versus titles on PS4 and Xbox One, but it’s worth noting that Granblue Fantasy: Relink won’t be coming to Switch until 2024, only hitting PlayStation and PC.

Finally, towards the end of the stream, we saw some previously unreleased games with more recognizable names. Monster Hunter Stories 3 and Resident Evil Requiem were both well-known titles that would have been exciting if they hadn’t already been announced for the system last year. In between, we got news of a collection of 40-year-old classics and a rapid montage of more previously announced games. It’s puzzling why titles like Star Trek Voyager – Across the Unknown and Reanimal were relegated to the background while the rest of the showcase felt so dismal.

And then came the grand finale! An 11-year-old, a two-year-old, and a 20-year-old game from Bethesda. Fallout 4 and Oblivion are last year’s remastered versions, but they’ve been re-released countless times over the years. The fact that the reveal of 2024’s Indiana Jones and the Great Circle as a Switch 2 title felt borderline exciting really highlighted how disappointing this Direct was. “Wow, a big-name game from this decade!”

This was a Partner Showcase, meaning no first-party Nintendo announcements were included. Given how little we know about those first-party efforts, it needed to deliver some serious excitement for Switch 2 owners who might be questioning their upgrade. Next week’s Mario Tennis Fever from Camelot will likely be a solid 8/10 sports game, and there’s hope for next month’s Pokémon Pokopia to bring something fresh to the table, but neither feels like a system-seller. A polished Super Mario Bros. Wonder at the end of March is nice, and Yoshi and the Mysterious Book is set for spring, but that’s it for games with even a vague release date. We might see Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Wave in 2026, which will be appreciated, but seriously, that’s all we have? There’s also talk of another Splatoon at some point in the distant future.

Surely, Nintendo must have something planned for Zelda’s 40th anniversary, right? But it’s hard to believe they launched a new console without even announcing a 3D Mario title, and that’s still the case.

Given all this, today’s showcase needed a massive third-party announcement or a huge reveal to get everyone buzzing. Instead, we got a lackluster presentation. It was truly disappointing.