The Full Direct Picture Goes Well Beyond the Headlines

Since our first June 9 article covered the Ocarina of Time remake and Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave, the rest of the Nintendo Direct has filled in — and it's substantial.

This wasn't just a Zelda-and-Fire-Emblem show. Nintendo and its partners announced or updated more than a dozen titles across a single broadcast, stacking releases from August through 2027.

Kingdom Hearts IV — Four Years of Silence Ends

Square Enix dropped a new trailer for Kingdom Hearts IV during the Direct, according to Engadget. The game was first shown in April 2022. That's four years of near silence.

The trailer shows protagonist Sora in Quadratum — a modern, realistic-looking city — doing the high-aerial Keyblade combat the series is known for. Goofy and Donald are back. An Organization 13 member narrates cryptically. No release date yet.

What IS confirmed: Kingdom Hearts IV launches day one on Switch 2, alongside PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.

Square Enix also announced the Kingdom Hearts Collection — bundling multiple versions of the first three mainline games — arriving October 8 across the same platforms.

Xenoblade Genesis and a Full Series Upgrade

Nintendo revealed Xenoblade Genesis for Switch 2, slated for 2027, per Engadget. It's a new story in a new world, with a protagonist enrolled in what appears to be a magic school. Details are thin for now.

The immediate news: all three mainline Xenoblade Chronicles games are getting Switch 2 Editions. Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition – Switch 2 Edition is available right now at $64, with 4K TV output, full HD handheld, new vehicles, additional voiceovers, and updated equipment designs. An upgrade pack exists for existing Switch owners.

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 – Switch 2 Edition arrives July 30. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 – Switch 2 Edition hits December 3.

For RPG fans, this represents a significant library upgrade all at once.

The First HD-2D Final Fantasy Is Real

Square Enix has applied its HD-2D art style — popularized by Octopath Traveler and the Dragon Quest HD-2D remakes — to Final Fantasy for the first time. Final Fantasy Resonance is NOT a remake. According to Engadget, it's a new entry based on the first story arc of mobile title Final Fantasy Brave Exvius, described as "extensively rebuilt as a full-fledged console-quality RPG experience."

Expect turn-based combat, airships, chocobos, and appearances from Cloud Strife and Tidus from FFX. It launches October 22, 2026 on PS5, PC, Switch, Switch 2, and Xbox Series X/S.

FromSoftware's Duskbloods Gets a Network Test

The Switch 2 exclusive from FromSoftware — The Duskbloods — is still coming in 2026. Per Engadget, a closed network test is scheduled for this summer. No release date yet.

The gothic multiplayer game pits up to eight players against each other using "blood-based powers." It's Bloodborne-esque in aesthetic. FromSoftware also has Elden Ring landing on Switch 2 on August 28.

Silent Hill Townfall Is Something Special

Silent Hill Townfall, developed by No Code (known for Stories Untold and Observation), was previewed hands-off at Summer Game Fest 2026, according to Engadget.

Set in early-1990s Scotland on a remote island, the game is played entirely in first person — a major departure for the series. The standout mechanic: a portable CRT television the protagonist carries. The development team ran actual footage through real broadcast hardware to achieve authentic analog static. Director Jon McKellan confirmed the CRT output is genuinely analog signal, not a filter.

The TV serves as a navigation tool, enemy detector (X-ray outlines through walls), and narrative delivery system. The attention to period-accurate detail — correct 1990s Scottish phone boxes, era-appropriate cars, authentic kitchen interiors — is reportedly meticulous.

Skepticism About Legacy Content

Some observers have raised a legitimate point: Nintendo is leaning heavily on legacy IP remakes and ports rather than building new franchises. The Ocarina of Time remake (a game from 1998, itself already remade for 3DS), the Xenoblade Switch 2 re-editions, and the Kingdom Hearts Collection all reflect the industry's established tendency to resell existing content.

Countering that: the Switch 2 hardware represents a meaningful generational leap, the Xenoblade upgrades include substantive new content (not just resolution bumps), and the genuinely new titles — Xenoblade Genesis, Final Fantasy Resonance, The Duskbloods, Fortune's Weave — show Nintendo and its partners moving forward as well.

Smaller Titles Worth Noting

Orbitals, the anime-inspired two-player co-op puzzle game from Kepler Interactive, has a confirmed date: September 3. It supports local and online co-op and uses Switch 2's GameShare feature — one copy, two players.

Nintendo Switch Sports Resort — 12 sports including bowling, tennis, golf, skateboarding, and yes, thumb wrestling — launches October 22. Pre-orders are open now.

Pokémon Pokopia gets a free underwater diving update in August, plus a paid Expansion Pass with three DLC packs, the first of which (Bubbly Basin, including an underwater town) also arrives in August.

Big Walk, from House House (Untitled Goose Game), is a co-op hiking-and-puzzle game for 2–12 players. It hits PC, Switch 2, and PS5 on August 4.

What's Ahead

Fall 2026 on Switch 2 is genuinely packed. September alone has Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave on the 17th and Orbitals on the 3rd, with Grand Theft Auto 6 looming in November. October adds Final Fantasy Resonance and Nintendo Switch Sports Resort on the 22nd and the Kingdom Hearts Collection on the 8th. The Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake is somewhere in there too.

For Switch 2 buyers, there's a full year of releases coming.