Nintendo Direct June 2026 Roundup

Okay, I was dead wrong about this Nintendo Direct. And I certainly have hyped myself up here too much; my expectations were too premature. The main reason was that I was truly expecting Nintendo to start the 40th Anniversary of The Legend of Zelda with this Nintendo Direct, but instead they are still going with the Super Mario Bros. anniversary for now.

Specifically, they are adding even more FOMO events to the Donkey Kong Bananza DLC. I've recently managed to finally catch up with the newer 3D Mario games, having completed both Super Mario Odyssey and Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury, where now would be the perfect time to get into Bananza, but all these mobile game shenanigans really are a downer. The leaked challenges for the Nintendo Switch Online games are even tied to this as well, with some Donkey Kong-focused time-limited event, the "DK Challenge".

Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave is looking good and will launch on September 17th. Like its predecessors, it's getting a Special Edition, the "Dagdan Collection", with a world map, an artbook, art cards, and a steelbook. Nintendo used to do a lot of these for Nintendo Switch games, but not in the recent years. I think the last one was actually for Tears of the Kingdom three years ago...

Monolith Soft is cooking, but not with the Ocarina of Time remake, but with Nintendo Switch 2 Editions of the entire Xenoblade Chronicles trilogy. And with a new Xenoblade game, called Xenoblade Genesis. I still have to catch up with the series as a whole and may use those Switch 2 Editions to do so, but there's only so much time...

Anyway, the big finisher was a teaser trailer for the Ocarina of Time remake. I've been a doubter at first, then I've embraced the idea of Monolith Soft developing a re-imagining (which isn't the case), and now we have this. More on that in a separate post.

But it looks to me like the 40th Anniversary of The Legend of Zelda got postponed to the September Direct. There is also the chance that they may not celebrate the anniversary at all, but with this remake and the movie coming, I doubt that they will skip it. They probably just want to keep it closer to the movie. So, most of the things that I said yesterday are still a possibility, it's just not going to happen (yet).

Nintendo Direct June 2026 Predictions

This blog awakens from a week-long slumber. But starting tomorrow, there will be a lot more to talk about, because Nintendo has announced a Nintendo Direct and a Treehouse Live for June 9th. This was once more predicted by NateTheHate, who has been quite certain about there being an Ocarina of Time remake, coming to Nintendo Switch 2 this Christmas.

In any case, the Nintendo Switch 2 is one year old now and in desperate need for some news, where it's likely that Nintendo has waited for this particular anniversary to make further announcements. We will be getting the Star Fox remake later this month, which likely will be showcased in the Treehouse Live session. And there is one title from the last Nintendo Direct left, Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave, which is probably going to be the Direct's opener. Luigi's Mansion 4 could be another big title for this fall, but the biggest topic of the Nintendo Direct will be...

The 40th Anniversary of The Legend of Zelda

It is now time. The 40th Super Mario Bros. anniversary is fading out and the Super Mario Galaxy Movie was a big hit, where Nintendo will shift their attention towards Zelda for the rest of the year and the first half of 2027, until the launch of the Zelda movie. "Same thing in green," as we like to say in German.

They have wrapped up filming and even moved the movie's launch date one week ahead, to April 30th. So, they might show us a first teaser trailer, like they did for the Super Mario Galaxy Movie in the last Direct. In the very least, Miyamoto will remind us that this movie is coming and that we can look forward to it.

With that in mind, I wouldn't expect any news about a new 3D Zelda for now. Aonuma will likely mention that one is in development and that they are working very hard on it, but they probably want to transition from the movie into the new, big Zelda game in one year, in the June 2027 Direct.

This doesn't mean that we won't be getting anything else, but for the 40th Anniversary we will be looking at remakes and other side projects. And there are a couple possibilities, all coming from different development studios:

• Ocarina of Time Remake / Re-Imagining (Monolith Soft)
• The Legend of Zelda (NES) Remake (GREZZO)
• Shrine Maker (Nintendo EPD)
• Age of Imprisonment Expansion (Koei Tecmo)

The Ocarina of Time remake, as already mentioned, is looking to be the hottest candidate for tomorrow, based on all the recent rumors. This would certainly make some waves, because you have all those middle-aged people out there, who used to love Ocarina of Time in their childhoods, but who have lost interest in Nintendo or gaming due to different reasons. Such a remake, in combination with the Zelda movie, could rekindle that interest. No other Zelda game holds this much power in nostalgia, not even A Link to the Past.

It's also possible that the movie will be somewhat based on Ocarina of Time, because that's where Miyamoto was still heavily involved with the series and he is calling the shots for the movie. And if it's true that Monolith Soft has been developing this remake (or re-imagining), then we could be getting something truly special here, not just some warmed up Ocarina of Time 3D for the sake of it.

As for Grezzo, they are certainly working on another top-down Zelda game, where this still a lot of juice left with their current toy-like style. This could lead into a new coop title, following Echoes of Wisdom, or a remake of the Oracle games. In either of these cases, I wouldn't expect this to be revealed and released before 2027, maybe even 2028, but there is one possibility where they could have cooked up something for this year: a remake of the first Zelda game, also in the Link's Awakening style.

If all those Ocarina of Time rumors turn out to be a bust after all, then I will put my money on this idea, because this is the best fit for the 40th Anniversary. Of course, both these remakes can co-exist, especially if they are made by completely different teams and if Ocarina of Time is more of a re-imagining.

A remake of the first game could even be shadow-dropped right after the Nintendo Direct, similar to Metroid Prime Remastered, so we already have something to play until Ocarina of Time comes out later this year. It could also still be available on the Nintendo Switch, with a prettier version for the Nintendo Switch 2, so that the Zelda fans who haven't migrated yet aren't left out entirely during the anniversary.

It could also be a free download, as a gift for the anniversary (Nintendo could still make money from selling physical copies via the Nintendo Store). A remake of the first Zelda game makes a lot of sense for this occasion and in the current top-down style, but it's not exactly a crowd-pleaser, unlike Ocarina of Time.

Now, the modern Breath of the Wild brand also wants to be served as a slice in the 40th Anniversary birthday cake, where this could go into different routes. The Super Mario Maker was originally made for 30th anniversary of Super Mario Bros., where now it could be Zelda's turn with an equivalent in 3D.

Alternatively, Age of Imprisonment could be getting some paid DLC. Keep in mind, though, that the free updates have made the game very much definitive, where there is even a special reward for clearing every mission in the Forbidden difficulty mode (see here). So, the probability that Koei Tecmo will expand the base game even further goes towards zero. However, they could add a whole new game mode for a Ganondorf campaign, where playing as Ganondorf has been a very common request from fans (and they listen). Call it "Rise of the Demon King", or something like that, which would be entirely separate from the main game.

Finally, the 40th Anniversary itself may come with some other goodies and events. They could revive the Zelda concerts, release more amiibo, reveal some new merchandise, or even a special-themed Nintendo Switch 2. And the anniversary itself should get a fancy logo, which is something they had skipped with the 35.

 

Better on Nintendo Switch 2 

In other news, an ever-green topic are always free updates of Nintendo Switch games and Nintendo Switch 2 Editions. There could even be some ties to the 40th Anniversary of The Legend of Zelda, where Skyward Sword HD hasn't gotten an update yet. But similar to Donkey Kong Country Returns HD, they could drop this at any time, so I wouldn't necessarily expect any news tomorrow.

Age of Calamity is left as well, where Koei Tecmo may have been working on a Nintendo Switch 2 Edition of the game, instead of an Expansion for Age of Imprisonment. Or maybe we will be getting both...

But as for other Nintendo franchises, the biggest candidate is easily Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Sakurai's team at Bandai Namco has finished working on Kirby Air Riders last year and is likely working on a new Smash Bros. game next, but it will take years for this one to come out. And a Nintendo Switch 2 Edition of Ultimate could keep things afloat until then, which is a similar situation to Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

Don't expect any major new contents with that one, however, because they will need to keep the online multiplayer backwards compatible with the Nintendo Switch playerbase. Maybe they will add some more stages and/or Echo Fighters, but those should be part of a free update. A Switch 2 Edition on the other hand could add a new game mode exclusive to the new hardware.

 

Metroid?

Let's not forget that Metroid will be getting 40 later this year as well. However, Nintendo has yet to celebrate an anniversary of this franchise, so I wouldn't hold my breath, especially when they are busy with Zelda. It's also too early for Metroid Prime 5, though I'm sure the rumors about it being in development are true, despite the lack of success of Metroid Prime 4.

But MercurySteam may have been cooking in the meantime. They are not doing so well, with lay-offs announced just some weeks ago (see LinkedIn), where they could certainly use another hit. And Metroid Dread was one of their biggest hits. We could be looking at a Super Metroid remake, where this would be a lot of remakes in 2026, or potentially even Metroid 6. Even an HD remaster of Metroid: Samus Returns would be fine at the moment.

 

Retro Challenges 

Instead of releasing another "Nintendo World Championships" title, it looks like Nintendo will update the Nintendo Switch Online apps to include similar, NES Remix-style challenges (source). Select titles in the NES, Super Nintendo, and Game Boy collections will receive such challenges, which already got installed with the latest update of these apps. And this will probably unlock tomorrow, after the Nintendo Direct.

 

Conclusion

There have been boring Nintendo Directs in the past, but this won't be one of them. I haven't been as excited about a Nintendo Direct in years and I'm 100% positive that Zelda fans will be feasting good tomorrow. Stay tuned for a busy month on Hyrule Blog.

Nintendo Music: A Link Between Worlds Added

The Zelda additions to the Nintendo Music app have generally gotten more sparse, but maybe they are saving some for the upcoming 40th Anniversary celebrations. In any case, A Link Between Worlds is a good one. It comes with a total of 105 tracks, including the Nintendo 3DS start screen jingle and all the different Milk Bar performances.

This is entirely based on the soundtrack CD, which was one of the last Club Nintendo rewards here in Europe, back in 2015. But it features the exact same tracks, just in a different order. And it's a real treat, even though the Hyrule Hotfoot theme is still haunting me in my dreams, because that's what also gets played during the Endless Cucco Rush.

But tracks like the Lorule theme make me want to play the game again right now. And I've always been a fan of how the Lorule dungeon theme is played in a different style in each dungeon. It was the masterful entry of Ryō Nagamatsu to the series, where it's such a shame that he has left Nintendo. At least they still have the rights to his music for these games, which can't be said for everything.

Not sure they will ever add Oracle of Ages & Seasons, Four Swords, or The Minish Cap, because these were the Capcom productions and Nintendo doesn't seem to have the music rights in this case. They couldn't be included into the Symphony of the Goddesses and aren't featured in the music selection of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. So, don't expect these to be added... ever. If the Oracle games are remade, they may even have to get new music for the most part (they can still re-use some of the tracks from Link's Awakening). 

Anyway, we still haven't gotten Link's Awakening, neither the original, nor the DX version, nor the remake. Majora's Mask and Twilight Princess are absent as well, where I expect the latter to be added alongside the GameCube title for Nintendo Switch Online, maybe later this year. And then you also have Four Swords Adventures, Spirit Tracks, Tri Force Heroes, and Echoes of Wisdom left. So, they won't run out of Zelda soundtracks to add anytime soon, with or without the Capcom titles.

Tears of the Kingdom – Mineru's Contruct amiibo Revealed

On this day three years ago The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom was released for the Nintendo Switch. And Nintendo is still not entirely done with the game, where today they have given us the release date for the upcoming amiibo of Mineru's Construct: it's going to be September 17th.

Similar to the Guardian amiibo from Breath of the Wild, you will be able to bend its arms to your liking. You can even do the shield pose with the crossed arms. So, this is certainly going to be one of the more sophisticated and bulkier amiibo, one with a heftier price tag.

And like all the other amiibo around Zelda, this one will give you a unique fabric for your paraglider, the Sage of Spirit Fabric. It has a very subtle glow-in-the-dark effect, where the third eye will light up.

This fabric is already in the game. It came with version 1.4.0 last year, which added the features for the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition and the other four Sage Fabrics. So, you can technically already get it with the right NFC chip.

Re-Imagining Ocarina of Time

The recent rumors had me thinking... What if they are not remaking The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, like Grezzo did on the Nintendo 3DS? What if Monolith Soft (or whatever studio is set on this hypothetical project) is actually working on a complete re-imagining of the game? What would that look like? And what could this lead to?

The Ocarina of Time Remake Rumors Gaining Traction

Well, I have been in doubts about the rumored Ocarina of Time remake, but I may stand corrected. Nintendo has just announced a Star Fox remake last night, which was another big part of the same rumors. It felt a bit too convenient after the Fox McCloud cameo in the recent Super Mario Galaxy Movie, since these projects should be entirely unrelated (they even said that the idea came from Illumination, not from Miyamoto himself), but here we go.

Anyway, the Ocarina of Time rumors are getting a lot more support now, mainly from Nash Weedle. My biggest question always has been about the development team, because it seemed unlikely that the main Zelda team or GREZZO have had the time to be working on this. And apparently it's Monolith Soft, the studio behind the Xenoblade Chronicles series, who helped creating the world of Breath of the Wild. I hope they are ready to work on Majora's Mask right afterwards, making them a third Zelda team for years, but first let's see how their version of Ocarina of Time is going to look like.

Nash even had the idea that they are going to split the game up, similar to the Final Fantasy VII remakes. One game for young Link and one game for adult Link. But this makes me only doubt that he has ever played Ocarina of Time before in his life. If something like that were the case, then switching between past and future would mean switching between games, similar to how Oracle of Ages & Seasons worked on the Game Boy Color. And no one wants that. Plus, it makes no sense even from a technical standpoint, since a majority of the game world gets shared between young and adult Link with only a few differences.

However, it could indeed be that we're not dealing with a faithful remake here, but some crazy re-imagining that has only the name and characters in common with the original. A new game based on the classic ideas, with a much bigger world and all that. It's interesting to think about, where this could give the project a whole new appeal, for old and new fans alike. But it would be also at risk at losing the original charm.

Let's see. Like everyone and their mothers, I'm expecting there to be a Nintendo Direct in early June, which is hopefully going to put an end to all these rumors. It's time for the 40th Anniversary of The Legend of Zelda to kick in, where I'm sure that it's going to feature some remake next to the upcoming movie.

25th Anniversary of Animal Crossing

Nintendo is being weird today, because they are celebrating one of their anniversaries on point. On April 14th 2001, Dōbutsu no Mori was released in Japan for the Nintendo 64, which would later be known as "Animal Crossing". The series has a long crossover history with The Legend of Zelda, where earlier this year we got the 3.0 update for Animal Crossing: New Horizons with Tulin and Mineru as new villagers, as well as various Zelda items.

Today we got a new update (version 3.0.2), which adds a postcard themed after the original game, as well as the "Leaf Statue" item, which serves as a lamp. They've also added the first game's soundtrack to Nintendo Music. It's certainly nothing amazing, but better than nothing

Still, this will make many people wonder what happened to the 40th Anniversary of The Legend of Zelda, which Nintendo has yet to acknowledge in any way or form. But keep in mind that this is normal... at least when it comes to the Zelda anniversaries.

The main difference is that Nintendo has never done any extensive anniversary campaigns for Animal Crossing. It was just another artwork for the 20th Anniversary, for example. The only two series where Nintendo has done extensive campaigns are Super Mario and Zelda (Pokémon is handled by the Pokémon Company). And Zelda always has to wait a little, so it doesn't clash with Super Mario's.

But the Super Mario Galaxy Movie is in the cinemas now and we will get Yoshi and the Mysterious Book next month, so we're getting there. Expect to hear about the Zelda anniversary in a Nintendo Direct in June. And in the meantime, go play some Animal Crossing. It's chill.