Of course, Nintendo knows how to keep its biggest gaming surprises under the utmost secrecy. At least, for almost the entire duration of their development cycle. But as the moment of the official reveal draws near, the ground beneath their feet begins to shift, and whispers about future titles start to crystallise from various different sources, leading one to suspect that the information is reliable.
That is more or less what has happened following the revelations made by the well-known insider NatetheHate on his podcast, which you can find on YouTube. The discussion addresses the current situation regarding the Nintendo Switch 2, as well as the release schedule Nintendo might be preparing for the second half of the year.
<social>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnuTGIq5JzI</social>
First, the bad news: according to the insider, there won't be a 3D Mario in 2026. This was already suspected given the way the company referred to The Super Mario Galaxy Movie as 'the main event' for Mario's 40th anniversary, which we are currently in the midst of.
Once you've got over the bitter taste of this first piece of news, I hope the next bit catches you off guard. Nintendo is preparing a new mainline Star Fox title, and the official announcement is set to take place this summer, presumably during a Nintendo Direct in June. This is also supported by the surprise appearance of Fox McCloud in the Mario film, which premieres in a week's time. This information shared by Nate the Hate has also been confirmed as accurate by sources close to Gamereactor.
And if the return of Star Fox after a 20-year absence (the last instalment, Star Fox: Command, was released on 6 August 2006 in Japan) sounds spectacular to you, you should also know that same sources (same as Nate) are pointing to a remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, also set to be announced in the second half of the year, with a release before the end of 2026.
Obviously, none of this news is official until Nintendo says otherwise, but the variety of sources agreeing on the same information leads us to believe it is true. It seems that very soon, the Nintendo Switch 2 schedule is really going to pick up.
If this information is confirmed, what do you think of the return of Star Fox and Ocarina of Time?