Nintendo Direct timing and Zelda note
Multiple outlets say Nintendo likely won’t hold a major Direct until June while also signaling Nintendo may be sharing game news outside the Direct format — and Nordbayern reports the next official Zelda project is not for Switch 2 and is expected in about one year. (9to5toys.com) (nordbayern.de)
Nintendo’s next big all-company Direct is increasingly expected in June, not April, as Nintendo keeps using smaller showcases and its own app to drip out news. (insider-gaming.com) The June timing traces back to claims from Nate the Hate, which were amplified by outlets including Insider Gaming, GoNintendo and 9to5Toys over the past two weeks. Nintendo has not announced a general Direct for April 2026 on its official archive or news pages as of April 15. (gonintendo.com) Nintendo’s most recent official presentation was a Partner Showcase on February 5, 2026, billed as roughly 30 minutes of upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch games. That format focused on publishing partners, not Nintendo’s full first-party slate. (nintendo.com) Nintendo has also built a second channel for announcements. In a March 27, 2025 Direct, the company introduced the Nintendo Today! mobile app and said Switch 2 information would appear there directly after the April 2, 2025 hardware presentation. (nintendo.com) The app remains live in 2026 and Nintendo describes it as a free smart-device service with daily updates tailored to a user’s interests. That gives Nintendo a way to post trailers, dates and smaller reveals without waiting for a one-hour Direct. (nintendo.com) That shift fits Nintendo’s recent schedule. Its archive shows a March 27, 2025 general Direct, an April 2, 2025 Switch 2 presentation, a February 5, 2026 Partner Showcase and several game-specific broadcasts in between, rather than one fixed monthly cadence. (nintendo.com) A separate report from Germany’s Nordbayern says the next official Zelda project is due in about one year and is not planned for Switch 2. The outlet framed that as a continuation of the franchise outside the new console’s launch window. (nordbayern.de) Nordbayern’s report cuts against the louder rumor cycle around a Switch 2 version of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. 9to5Toys collected those claims this week, but presented them as leak and rumor chatter rather than confirmed Nintendo plans. (9to5toys.com) For now, the confirmed facts are narrower than the speculation: Nintendo has not scheduled a general Direct for April 2026, it has kept using segmented formats, and it now has an official app built to carry news between broadcasts. If a June Direct happens, that is where Nintendo can settle what is real and what is not. (nintendo.com)
