Considering that a bigNintendo Switch 2 streamis coming next workweek , I ca n’t imagine that anyone saw today ’s surprise Nintendo Direct come . Rather than saving all its big annunciation for April 2 , Nintendo held one last minute showcase focused wholly on upcoming Nintendo Switch games . I assume that would be a moment to fill out the organization ’s next few months , give player something to do until the Switch 2 launches .
That was n’t the instance . Instead , the stream was make full with third - party games , many of which are plant to launch this summer and beyond , and a small handful of Nintendo games that do n’t have waiver day of the month . Metroid Prime 4 : Beyondisn’t coming anytime presently . Pokémon Legends Z - Ais still slated for a tardy 2025 release . A few new games got revealed , but they ’re not coming until 2026 . It was a flakey 30 - minute case that did n’t tell us much about the Nintendo Switch ’s next few calendar month — but it sure did recite us a fate about theNintendo Switch 2 .
That might vocalize like a stretchiness considering that the Direct explicitly did not show the Switch 2 and only mentioned it once to plug next week ’s showcase . record between the lines , though , and you may start to get a sense of how Nintendo is about to position its next cabinet from a tech standpoint and what kinds of left - line of business franchises will still have a home base on it .
face at the 2026 first - party games that were let out today : Rhythm Heaven GrooveandTomodachi Life : Living the Dream . Considering that they wo n’t be out for another yr , we can fairly presume that they ’re run low to found on Nintendo Switch 2 , get to their inclusion on a Switch - focused stream curious . Why not just drop them in next week ’s unmediated to furbish up the console ’s depository library of coming game out the gate ? Well , just look at them . Both games come from franchises with oddball art stylus that are on the minimalist side compare to other Nintendo franchises . Tomodachi Life‘s trailer showed bland , simple quality walk around flat bandage of Gunter Wilhelm Grass while Rhythm Heaven ’s dawdler revolve around small orotund dudes that depend like they were chalk out out in pencil . They both look adorable , but they ’re not incisively technical showcases .
Now imagine if those two games had been shown on next week ’s Switch 2 Direct as Nintendo hyped up its upgrade ironware . It would have been a meme in the making , with cynic screenshotting sketch blob in an seek to douse on the hardware . increase business leader is the main matter the Switch 2 has going for it considering that the organisation itself does n’t disagree from its predecessor all too much . I get the sentience that Nintendo sympathize that and is being very deliberate about what games it advertises as Switch 2 game right now .
That would also explain the odd marketing push forPokémon Legends Z - A. With a later 2025 exit date solidification , the new game will surely cross - launch on Switch 2 , but Nintendo has been shy about affirm that . rather , it keeps tying it to the current Switch . That makes more mother wit when you take a look at its trailers , which are filled with the sort of unimpressive texture that have plagued recent Pokémon biz . Keeping that by from the Switch 2 stigmatisation seems like a deliberate option that sends a message about Nintendo ’s next system .
If that ’s the case , expect next week ’s Switch 2 Direct to be more focused on tech than Nintendo usually is . The company will require to come out swing to make a great gross revenue sales talk that ’ll convince thespian to upgrade . Having dandy games wo n’t be enough on its own ; they have to look and course better too . Pokémon Legends Z - AandTomodachi Life : know the Dreamare exciting , but they clearly are n’t the game for the job . At the very least , that ’s a beneficial sign of what to expect from the Switch 2 . Expect to see some more technically telling first - political party reveals next week that would make likely features like 4 K shine .
While I do feel a small bummed to see some of Nintendo ’s more niche franchise pushed to the side in this way , there ’s a silver liner : It ’s readable that there ’s still going to be a home for oddball games and left - field of honor revivals on Switch 2 . The Switch proved that small serial could flourish on a Nintendo console with a huge adoption rate . A string of sale success gave us some seriously surprising games through the console table ’s life-time , fromEmio — The Smiling Man : Famicom Detective ClubtoEndless Ocean : Luminous . It does n’t seem like Nintendo is slowing that scheme with its next console headed into 2026 , as Rhythm Heaven and Tomodachi Life are about as niche as they come .
Today ’s Direct may have been designed to showcase the Switch , but I walk out of it with a better understanding of its successor instead . I feel like I now lie with how Nintendo is positioning the console as a tech upgrade and the banquet of first - party games I can expect to see on it in between the tentpole releases . These 30 minutes specify the stage for what I expect to be a crowded show next week that focuses on showstopper from established enfranchisement , a change from2017 ’s Switch revealthat led the care with1 - 2 SwitchandArmsinstead .
But as is always the case with Nintendo , go in expect the unexpected . I just go for that the unexpected is a good matter this time .
