During this period, you can anticipate the release of a major Nintendo franchise on Switch 2 in 2021

The Nintendo Switch 2 has a good lineup of first-year games: Donkey Kong Bananza, Kirby Air Riders, and Mario Kart World are all scheduled to release this year, along with Pokemon Legends: Z-A and Metroid Prime 4: Beyond Nintendo Switch 2 Editions. However, what about Nintendo’s other franchises? Today, we’re examining potential release dates for each of the company’s major franchises.

The Mario series is the first significant franchise we will discuss. The creators of Super Mario Odyssey are probably also working on Donkey Kong Bananza. Considering that, a new 3D Mario game is most likely a few years away. On the other hand, some fans have speculated that the team may have been working on two projects concurrently. Since Donkey Kong hasn’t had a new 3D appearance in decades, it’s about time he takes center stage after a few quiet years on the Nintendo Switch. In any event, we’re perfectly happy to wait. When the upcoming 3D Mario eventually arrives, we have no doubt that it will be amazing.

Next on the list is Paper Mario. This one is pretty obvious: the next game is most likely to take place in 2028. The following Paper Mario games were released: Paper Mario: Sticker Star in 2012, Paper Mario: Color Splash in 2016, Paper Mario: The Origami King in 2020, and the 2024 remake of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. Although it’s possible that the pattern will break in the near future, it’s reasonable to assume that we’ll at least be aware of the upcoming Paper Mario game in 2028. It seems like a long time ago!

We also anticipate that Mario Sports will be available soon, even if it is only available on the Nintendo Switch 1 rather than the Switch 2. Since Mario Golf: Super Rush came out in 2021, Camelot hasn’t released a game. We assume that Next Level Games, the company behind Mario Strikers: Battle League, is currently working on the next Luigi’s Mansion. Since Super Mario Party Jamboree is getting a Switch 2 Edition with additional content, it is unlikely that a new Mario Party game will be released anytime soon. Since this is the first time that NDcube has added significant content to a Mario Party game after it was released, we firmly believe that a new entry will not be released for years. If we get another one at all, Mario and Luigi will also be out of commission for a few more years. Just last year, Mario & Luigi: Brotherhood was released.

It’s also highly unlikely that The Legend of Zelda will get a new entry anytime soon. Although Tears of the Kingdom used the same engine and some of the same graphics as Breath of the Wild, there was a significant seven-year gap between the two games. It’s likely going to be a few years before we see another major Zelda game, as we anticipate the next big one to have a new engine (even if it builds on the current one) and a new setting and art style. However, a good diversion is always a remake, and since Grezzo created their own 2D Zelda in Echoes of Wisdom, we may see more Zelda games on the Nintendo Switch 2. Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom will have to be played at 60 frames per second for the time being.

A new Kirby game for the main series is also unlikely to be released anytime soon. On the Nintendo Switch 2, Kirby fans are already enjoying Kirby and the Forgotten Land, which now has a new story and improved performance. It’s possible, though not confirmed, that the games getting Switch 2 Editions are from franchises that won’t get a new game anytime soon. Given that Kirby and the Forgotten Land is one of these, we predict that the next major Kirby game won’t come out for another year or two. There won’t be a Kirby shortage on Switch 2 in the interim because Kirby Air Riders are also coming this year.

There is no doubt that another Yoshi game could be released in a year or two. Early in 2024, Good-Feel finished Princess Peach: Showtime, and fans also noticed Yoshi’s Woolly World in official Nintendo Direct content. Although it was most likely an error, we would still like to see a port of Yoshi’s Woolly World, even if it isn’t considered a new Yoshi game. You can read our article about why Yoshi’s Woolly World merits a second chance here if you’re interested.

There is no difference between Splatoon and Animal Crossing. Crucially, neither an announcement for Splatoon 4 nor confirmation of third kits or any sort of Splatoon 3 content extension (apart from Splatfest and Big Run reruns) were made at the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct. Both the next Animal Crossing and the next Splatoon are undoubtedly in development; the only question is which will be released first and when. For cozy gamers, it would be amazing if Animal Crossing and Tomodachi Life were released in 2026, but given the focus on events like Splatfests and the like, we can see Nintendo choosing Splatoon 4 instead. That being said, we believe that the next Animal Crossing and Splatoon may be closer than we realize—certainly not this year, but perhaps next.

Without a doubt, Fire Emblem deserves a new game. Even though a new game is unlikely to be released this year, Fire Emblem Engage, which was released in 2023, is definitely a possibility for next year. There were rumors that Fire Emblem 4 would be remade for the Nintendo Switch 1, but that hasn’t happened yet. Since Fire Emblem Awakening is the game that saved the series, we believe it would be interesting to see a remake on the Nintendo Switch 1 or Switch 2. It would be a great way to honor the series with better graphics and other features.

Additionally, Xenoblade Chronicles is most likely a year or two off. In a relatively short period of time, Monolith Soft has produced a large number of excellent Xenoblade games, demonstrating their extraordinary efficiency. Seven complete Xenoblade adventures exist in the Nintendo Switch era alone, assuming you count the DLC as distinct campaigns, which they are. Monolith Soft has experience working on multiple projects at once, having contributed to Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Although it’s unlikely to happen this year, we’re eager to watch them test the limits of the Nintendo Switch 2.

It will be several years before we see Pikmin and WarioWare as well, as both of them received new games in 2023. Given how well Pikmin 4 did on the Nintendo Switch, we believe Nintendo will give Pikmin a little more attention in the future. It’s also noteworthy that Pikmin 4 was not given a Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, despite the fact that it would have benefited from increased resolution and a doubled frame rate. Theoretically, the Nintendo Switch 2 is unlikely to feature any content from the F-Zero, Golden Sun, Kid Icarus, Wario Land, Punch-Out, and EarthBound franchises.

Then comes the big question: will Super Smash Bros. get a new game? game? Masahiro Sakurai has been working on Kirby Air Riders since April 2022. Therefore, the response to that question is either “yes, but it’s being developed by a different team” or “not for a long time.”. Furthermore, there is no information regarding which of these responses is accurate. Ultimate Smash Bros. Nintendo cannot afford to overlook Super Smash Bros. because Ultimate was such a hit game. We simply don’t know when we’ll get a new one for Switch 2.

Please share your predictions for the Nintendo franchises that will be available on the Switch 2 next year in the comments section below. Even though we have a ton of titles announced for the Switch 2, there may still be some surprises left in the tank because we’ll undoubtedly get another Nintendo Direct later this year with a ton of announcements, possibly including a few straightforward remakes and ports for the Switch 1.

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