Nintendo begins two days of announcements on September 8 with a 30 minute Direct devoted to the 40th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda. The Zelda 40th Anniversary Direct starts at 7 a.m. PT and 10 a.m. ET, followed at the same time on September 9 by a 45 minute Nintendo Direct focused on Switch 2 games coming this winter.
Zelda already gives Nintendo plenty to talk about. A new Ocarina of Time for Switch 2 is confirmed for 2026, the live action Zelda movie is in production for 2027, and leaked images have pointed toward anniversary hardware. The September 9 presentation has a different purpose. Nintendo still has several Switch 2 games without firm release dates, and the console now costs $499.99 in the United States after a $50 price increase that took effect only one week before the Direct.
What Nintendo Confirmed for September 8?
Nintendo has described the September 8 show broadly, promising information related to the 40th anniversary rather than publishing a list of games in advance. Thirty minutes is enough time for more than an anniversary video, and Nintendo already has one major Zelda release waiting for a proper update.
The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time for Switch 2 was announced during the June Direct with a 2026 release window. Nintendo calls it a new version of the Nintendo 64 game for Switch 2, but the company has not yet explained the full scope of the project.
What remains unclear is how far Nintendo is going with it. We have not seen a full breakdown of gameplay changes, technical upgrades or new content, and Nintendo has not put a date on the calendar. Those are the questions the anniversary Direct can answer.
The original Ocarina of Time arrived on Nintendo 64 in 1998 and became one of the defining games of the series. It also appears in our list of video games that kept players coming back for years.
The Zelda Movie Could Finally Get a Proper Update
Nintendo also has a Zelda project that has nothing to do with a console release. The live action movie is scheduled for April 30, 2027, with Wes Ball directing and Nintendo working with Sony Pictures Entertainment.
Nintendo announced the film with Shigeru Miyamoto and Avi Arad as producers, and the company is financing more than half of the production, according to the original Nintendo announcement. Production has since moved forward far enough that the anniversary Direct gives Nintendo a useful place to show footage, production images or another casting update.
More background on the production, release date and people involved is available in our Zelda live action movie guide.
The Zelda Hardware Leak Deserves Attention, but Not a Confirmation Label
Special Zelda hardware is the biggest rumor attached to the September 8 show. The Verge reported on leaked images that appear to show a Switch 2 system and controller carrying Zelda 40th anniversary branding.
The timing fits. Nintendo has sold Zelda themed systems and controllers before, and a dedicated anniversary presentation would be the right place to reveal another one. The leak also concerns the kind of product Nintendo can announce and release quickly without months of software marketing.
There is still an important limit to what can be said. Nintendo has not listed the system on its store, published specifications or announced pricing. The images are evidence that a product may exist, not proof that it will appear during the September 8 broadcast. Until Nintendo puts the hardware on screen, we can only see it as a rumor.
Wednesday Is About the Next Switch 2 Games
The September 9 Nintendo Direct runs for about 45 minutes and focuses on Switch 2 games coming this winter. Nintendo Treehouse Live follows the presentation with longer gameplay demonstrations from selected titles, according to the Direct schedule.
The June Direct already gave Switch 2 a sizeable list of upcoming games. The more useful question now is which ones are actually close to release.
| Game | Current release information | What Nintendo still needs to clarify |
|---|---|---|
| The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time | 2026 | Exact date, price and full details of the new version |
| Fire Emblem Fortune Weave | September 17, 2026 | Release is already close |
| Nintendo Switch Sports Resort | October 22, 2026 | Already dated, more gameplay could appear |
| The Duskbloods | 2026 | Exact release date and broader gameplay details |
| Xenoblade Genesis | 2027 | Exact date and a fuller gameplay presentation |
| Kingdom Hearts IV | 2027 | Exact release date and more Switch 2 information |
The official June Nintendo Direct recap included Ocarina of Time, Fire Emblem Fortune Weave, Xenoblade Genesis, Nintendo Switch Sports Resort and The Duskbloods among its major Switch 2 announcements.
Nintendo Switch Sports Resort is already locked for October 22. The official product page lists 12 motion controlled sports on Wuhu Island, including boxing, archery, bowling, basketball, skateboarding and power cruising. Fire Emblem arrives even sooner on September 17.
That leaves space in the September 9 show for more than reminders about games that already have dates. The Duskbloods still needs a firm launch date, and Nintendo has other projects sitting further into 2027.
Nintendo Has Already Said More Games Are Coming
Expectations for new announcements are not based only on online wish lists.
Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa told investors in May that development resources were shifting toward Switch 2 and that additional software was being prepared beyond the games already announced. Nintendo did not name those projects at the time.
That makes fresh first party announcements on September 9 a reasonable expectation. It does not confirm a new Mario, Metroid or any other specific franchise. Predictions around those names remain predictions until Nintendo shows them.
A 45 minute presentation would feel unusually thin if it relied entirely on updates for Fire Emblem, Sports Resort and games already pushed into 2027. Nintendo has already told investors that more software is in development, so the real question is how much of it is ready to be shown now.
The New Switch 2 Price
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Nintendo raised the US retail price of Switch 2 from $449.99 to $499.99 on September 1. The consumer announcement from Nintendo described the reason only as changes in market conditions expected to continue over the medium and long term.
Nintendo gave investors a much clearer explanation in May.
In its financial results briefing, Nintendo said its forecast included around 100 billion yen in combined pressure from rising component prices, particularly memory chips, and tariffs. Furukawa also pointed to foreign exchange movements and oil prices when explaining why the company expected higher costs to persist.
Nintendo was careful not to say that one tariff or one component caused the $50 increase. The company described several pressures arriving at the same time. Memory costs affect the hardware itself, tariffs raise the cost of moving products into affected markets, exchange rates change the value of overseas revenue when converted into yen, and higher energy or transport costs can work through the supply chain.
The price decision also gives the September 9 Direct more weight. Nintendo is now asking US buyers to spend $499.99 on the base system before buying a game. Furukawa acknowledged during the same investor briefing that higher hardware prices create a larger barrier for consumers and argued that attractive software is one of the ways Nintendo can overcome it.
That puts the company in a straightforward position. Better margins explain why the hardware price moved. Games have to explain why a customer should still buy it.
Nintendo Is Also Changing the Value of Its Hardware Bundles
Nintendo has already started adjusting the packages sold around Switch 2. A new Mario Kart World bundle is due in late September for $549.99 and includes the system, the game and three months of Nintendo Switch Online. Nintendo says the bundle saves $37.98 compared with buying those items separately.
A Nintendo Switch Sports Resort bundle follows on October 22 for $529.99 and includes the game plus the same three month online membership. Nintendo values that package at a $27.98 saving compared with separate purchases.
Adding software to the box is now one of the easiest ways to make the higher price look better without reversing the price increase itself.
Last Words
Nintendo already has enough known software to fill a trailer reel. That would not tell us much that we do not already know.
A useful Direct would put dates on the remaining 2026 games, show longer gameplay from projects that were only briefly introduced in June and reveal at least some of the unannounced Switch 2 software Nintendo discussed with investors.
The wider holiday calendar also matters. Major releases outside Nintendo are competing for the same money and attention, including GTA 6, which is currently scheduled for November 19. Nintendo does not need to chase every large third party release, but a $499.99 console benefits from having a clear list of games that cannot be played elsewhere.
That is also why another upgraded original Switch game would not carry the same weight as a completely new Switch 2 release. Backward compatibility makes the new console easier to buy, but exclusive software is what gives people a reason to move away from hardware they already own.
