The Switch 2 has had plenty of great games, but nothing quite on the level of the Switch 1’s first year, which included some of the best entries ever in two of its biggest franchises. Is Nintendo keeping its powder dry or racing to fill in gaps as game development times continue to increase? The company hinted at its strategy during a recent investor Q&A and suggested we might not yet have seen the last big first-party Nintendo release for the original Switch.
“While it would be ideal to release many new titles at regular intervals, it’s true that software development time has increased compared to before,” Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa said during the company’s latest earnings call when asked if it would be difficult to match the steady stream of releases for its previous console. “Even so, we are taking various measures to adjust our development framework and processes so that there will be numerous titles for consumers to play on Nintendo Switch 2.”
He continued, “We are working on a variety of new titles for Nintendo Switch 2, and not just so-called major titles. For the lineup for the second half of this year, we are preparing new titles in addition to those we have already announced and will communicate the details at the appropriate time.”
That “appropriate time” could be a summer showcase as Nintendo has historically done in the past, its big annual September Nintendo Director, or, as has increasingly become the case, the company might just continue announcing stuff through random lowkey posts on X, YouTube, and its Nintendo Today news app.
Ocarina of Time might not be the only big fall Switch 2 game
Based on what appear to be increasingly reliable leaks from mystery podcaster NateTheHate, at least one of Nintendo’s big games for this fall is a remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Depending on the scale of the overhaul, and whether it incorporates elements of the more modern Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom entries, it could be the company’s best-selling game of the year.
But Nintendo often has at least one bigger first-party release per month for the fall period. We know Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave is expected to arrive at some point in 2026, leaving spots for potentially two other Nintendo releases in the second half of 2026. Given Ocarina of Time is a remake, it would be neat if at least one of these potential mystery games was a completely new franchise exclusive to Switch 2.
But don’t count the original Switch 1 out just yet either. With the AI-fueled RAM shortage and tariffs pushing hardware prices higher, Nintendo is expecting to sell fewer Switch 2s in 2026 than it otherwise might have. This means the transition from Switch 1 to the new hardware will be slower than expected, making that older platform, which is the second-most popular console ever, still important.
“I believe it is important that we consider how to expand the entire software business, including titles for both Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2, instead of focusing only on sales of Nintendo Switch 2 software,” Furukawa said during last week’s meeting. While that’s not a promise that the company will continue to support the Switch 1 with first-party releases, it’s certainly gestures at that possibility.
We’ve seen last-gen versions of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and Pokémon Legends: Z-A be big sellers for Nintendo, and Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream certainly sold well enough to make a strong case for continuing to support last-gen. Rhythm Heaven Groove, out July 2, is the only Switch 1 Nintendo game currently confirmed, but I’m betting it won’t be the last.
