Nintendo's Direct: a new Metroid, an open-world Kirby, and a Switch 2 calendar that fills up fast
Metroid Ravenous, Kirby and the World Beyond, Mega Man Dual Override, and a wall of Switch 2 dates. What Nintendo confirmed, and what it means.
Stated by the maker, publisher, or platform holder.
Nintendo ran a roughly 45-minute Direct this week, and unlike the Zelda-only anniversary show that preceded it, this was the traditional grab-bag: first-party reveals, third-party ports, and a stack of Switch 2 release dates. Two brand-new games headline it, and the rest is a calendar filling in fast for Nintendo's new console.
Here's what was confirmed, cut down to what matters.
The two big reveals
These are the tentpoles. A new 2D Metroid is always an event, and an open-world Kirby is Nintendo pushing one of its gentler franchises into the exploration-heavy design that's dominated the last decade. Both are Switch 2 exclusives — Nintendo using its biggest names to sell the new hardware.
The dated releases worth noting
The bulk of the Direct was dates, many of them third-party games finally landing on Switch 2:
- Mega Man: Dual Override — the 12th mainline Mega Man, with Mega Man and Proto Man as distinct
playstyles. Spring 2027, and it's multiplatform (PC, PS5, Xbox, Switch, Switch 2), not a Nintendo exclusive.
- Monster Hunter Wilds on Switch 2 — 4 December 2026, with local co-op; the Ascendance expansion
follows in 2027.
- Resident Evil 2, 3, and 4 remakes — digitally on Switch 2, 16 October.
- The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered — coming to Switch 2 among other platforms.
- Persona 4 Revival and Persona 6 both appeared.
- Final Fantasy VII Revelation shown running on Switch 2, still dated 8 April 2027.
- Nintendo Switch Sports Resort — Switch 2 exclusive, 22 October.
- Danganronpa 2x2 — 14 January 2027.
- A Mario Kart World free update landed the same day, adding ten classic SNES-era courses and two new
Knockout Tour routes.
What it tells you about the Switch 2
Notice the pattern: a lot of this is third-party catch-up — Resident Evil, Witcher 3, Monster Hunter, Final Fantasy — games that already exist elsewhere finally arriving on Switch 2. That's exactly what a new console needs a year into its life: proof the big publishers are porting their catalogues to it.
The first-party reveals were lighter — a new Metroid and Kirby, but no new 3D Mario, which some fans noticed. Nintendo appears to be pacing its own heavy hitters while leaning on third parties to keep the release calendar full, a sensible strategy for a console that launched in mid-2025 and needs a steady 2026–27 lineup rather than everything at once.
For where this sits against everything else landing this autumn, our release rundown tracks the full calendar. The short version: even Nintendo is scheduling around the 19 November wall.