In a 45-Minute Livestream, Nintendo Laid Out an Entire Year of Cards — Including Two Names Nobody Guessed
Nintendo held a 45-minute Direct on September 9. Within the first 30 seconds, many viewers thought they'd clicked the wrong link. The official announcement was strictly by the book: this Nintendo Direct focused on "Switch 2 games for this winter," roughly 45 minutes long. The first half followed the script — Monster Hunter Wilds for Switch 2 dated December 4, including all updates released on other platforms, with the Ascendance expansion following in 2027; Final Fantasy VII Requiem arrives April 8, 2027; Crisis Core: FFVII Reunion hit the Switch 2 eShop the same day. Layer one: two new names saved for the final minutes. One is Metroid Ravenous, a brand-new 2D Metroid, shipping January 2027; the other is Kirby and the World Beyond, an open-world Kirby, spring 2027. Neither had appeared on any prior leak list. Layer two: Japanese RPGs collectively come home. Persona 6 confirmed for Switch 2, release date TBD; Persona 4 Revival on Switch 2 lands May 20, 2027, slightly later than other platforms. Xenoblade Genesis — a new beginning for the Xenoblade series — 2027, details undisclosed. Plus Nintendo Switch Sports Resort on October 22 (12 events including thumb wrestling, skateboarding, and power cruising), Pikmin 4 Switch 2 Edition on November 12 (adding Dandori Academy with 72 levels released in batches), and Professor Layton and The New World of Steam on December 10. Ubisoft's Rayman Legends Retold on October 1, and FromSoftware's Switch 2-exclusive The Duskbloods still in the queue. Layer three: the two that actually make people open their wallets. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remaster on October 22 (European pre-orders from €51.49), and Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave on September 17 — just six days away. The ordering of this presentation says a lot. Nintendo put third-party blockbusters (Monster Hunter, FF7, Persona) up front to anchor expectations, its first-party aces (Zelda remaster, Fire Emblem) in the middle to drive pre-orders, and the two brand-new IPs at the very end to generate buzz. It no longer needs to sell consoles on "we still have surprises" — it's selling a calendar: from September 17 to May 2027, Switch 2 has a reason to be powered on every single month. Compare the neighbor. Sony's early-September State of Play leaned mainly on the GTA 6 two-tone DualSense controller ($85, pre-orders September 10, shipping with the game November 19) and third-party DLC, with no new first-party titles. Nintendo is selling software rhythm; Sony is selling hardware emotion. But the fact that the leak list didn't pan out is itself a signal. A well-known leaker had claimed Nintendo was working on a brand-new Super Smash Bros., a new Nintendogs, and a Mario Kart DLC with Star Fox — none appeared. Treat "boy who cried wolf" leakers with half-belief. Another risk is price: the UK Switch 2 rose to £419.99 on September 1, coinciding exactly with Sony and Microsoft's hikes. No matter how luxurious the lineup, the entry barrier is getting higher. This one left me with mixed feelings. Nintendo's strength remains the same — it knows how to make people "want to buy now," not "think about it later." Of the two new IPs I'm more excited for Metroid Ravenous; 2D Metroid has been idle far too long, but January 2027 really is a ways off. Honestly, without those two new names, this Direct would have been a competent year-in-review — nothing more. In Nintendo's calendar, which one do you most want to play first? The Zelda remaster, Fire Emblem, or Kirby, who hasn't even shown his face yet? Come discuss in the [Gghubs](https://www.gghubs.com/en/) comments.