Category: IGN

The original art director of Magic: The Gathering, Jesper Myrfors, has once again taken to social media to offer some interesting behind-the-scenes insight into the early days of the game, this time explaining his efforts to ensure Magic “celebrated female empowerment along with male empowerment” through a simple rule: “No babe art!”

In a Facebook post over the weekend, Myrfors spoke at length about his intentions for inclusivity in card art, and his efforts to hire women artists for the game. He says he wanted to ensure that Magic was appealing to women and men, particularly in the midst of a wider gaming environment that was often “less appealing for women” in no small part due to portrayals of female characters as “window dressing”.

Here’s how Myrfors put it:

When I was art directing Magic, one of my rules was “No babe art!” That is no artwork that shows a scantily clad woman in a subservient or weak position. I really did want Magic to appeal to a broader group than traditional fantasy. My gaming groups had included women for years, I saw the things about gaming that made it less appealing for women first hand. I also firmly believe that women have a bigger role in fantasy than window dressing. I made a point of hiring a lot of women artists on the game because I wanted magic to have it’s own look and I figured in a male dominated industry, the voices that are not as often heard would provide that look easily. While we leaned on tropes I wanted to avoid clichés. I wanted this to be a world that celebrated female empowerment along with male empowerment and not just portray women as damsels who needed rescuing.

Was this “Woke?” If you think so you are probably an idiot. Seriously, get help.

This game was meant for all people. I did not want to just create another male power fantasy. There is nothing wrong with male power fantasies. They are fantasies. People are allowed to have fantasies. I grew up reading the Conan books and I enjoyed them greatly but I wanted a bigger audience. I wanted an inclusive power fantasy that did not favor a single sex. If the word “inclusive” sounds “woke” to you I once again suggest that you may be an idiot. I have had female friends my entire life, they have always been included in what I am doing. This was normal for me, not “woke”. “Woke” is a term weak men use derogatorily to hide the fact that they see inclusion of anyone other than themselves as a state of victimhood. It’s frankly embarrassing. We all see your weakness for what it is, you are not fooling anyone but yourselves.

Myrfors goes on to acknowledge that the No Babe Art rule was not 100% enforced, referencing the infamous example of Earthbind:

Matt Firor, the former studio head and founder of ZeniMax Online Studios, has confirmed his resignation from the company as a direct result of the cancelation of the studio’s unannounced game, Project Blackbird.

In a LinkedIn post today, Firor reflected on the last year and confirmed his departure back in July, which had already been rumored after he stepped down from his leadership role last year. “Project Blackbird was the game I had waited my entire career to create, and having it canceled led to my resignation. My heart and thoughts are always with the impacted team members, many of whom I had worked 20+ years with, and all of whom were the most dedicated, amazingly talented group of developers in the industry.”

Firor also made clear he is not involved in any of the projects that have been started by former ZeniMax Online members who were laid off from the company around this time. He added that he is advising some of them “informally” and confirmed they were “in good hands.”

He concluded by stating that while he doesn’t know what he’ll do next, he’s currently both advising some projects and startups unofficially, as well as investing in some small teams. “But I have not yet seriously contemplated spinning up a new development studio.”

Project Blackbird was an unannounced MMORPG that was in development at ZeniMax Online Studios, but was canceled by Xbox in the summer of 2025 as a part of the layoff of hundreds of individuals at Xbox Game Studios, and thousands Microsoft-wide. Blackbird would have been a brand new, sci-fi IP that had been in development since 2018. In July, sources speaking to IGN told us that the project was going well and was about to move into full production with Xbox’s approval to scale up the team. Blackbird’s cancelation led to the layoffs of every member of the team.

Firor founded ZeniMax Online Studios under ZeniMax Media in 2007 after 10 years at Mythic Entertainment, where he was a founding employee. There, he oversaw the creation of The Elder Scrolls Online, which launched in 2014 and continues to be supported, with the most recent major expansion Gold Road releasing in January 2024. Firor was also in charge when parent company ZeniMax Media was acquired by Microsoft in 2021.

Following the cancelation of Blackbird, ZeniMax Online Studios remains in operation, continuing work on The Elder Scrolls Online under the leadership of Joseph Burba, a 13-year veteran of the studio.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.

Super Meat Boy, the hard-as-nails platforming classic where dying dozens of times per level comes as standard, has now been played from start to finish in a perfect run.

It’s been 15 years since Super Meat Boy originally released for Xbox 360, and it has taken all of those 15 years for someone to pull off this frankly astonishing feat.

Step up shredberg, a Nintendo speedrunner with a particular soft spot for Super Meat Boy, who livestreamed his deathless completion of the game just before the end of 2025. The achievement quickly drew congratulations from Edmund McMillen, the game’s co-creator, who dubbed shredberg as “awesome” for being the one who finally managed it.

For anyone who’s played and struggled with Super Meat Boy over the years, particularly its later levels which simply look impossible when you first see them, it’s hard to not watch the full video of shredberg’s run and be impressed at the calm way he leaps, slops and slides around each level just pixels away from sawblades, meat grinders and explosions.

“Let’s go,” shredberg said calmly, upon completing Super Meat Boy’s final level after more than 2000 attempts and over 1000 hours of gameplay. “Let’s go dude! I cannot believe it, I’ve been doing this too long. I got to go to work tomorrow.

“I’ll be honest, I’m not going to say I wasn’t nervous, because I was very nervous at the end there… but I was way more nervous just in Dark Cotton,” he continued, referencing an earlier level. “Once I got past Dark Hell 2, I was relatively fine. I got super nervous whenever I had any minor slip-up.”

“I’m going to be emailing everyone,” shredberg added. “Kotaku, IGN, CNN, Chef’s Illustrated, they’re all going to hear about it. I will unironically email IGN.”

Over the years, Super Meat Boy has launched on every major console from Nintendo Switch to PlayStation Vita, though no one else has managed this feat — something many players thought was impossible. A sequel to the game, Super Meat Boy Forever, launched in 2020. Next up for the series is Super Meat Boy 3D, due for launch early this year.

And for shredberg? The second he completed his run, one viewer had a suggestion for what he should play next. “I have to play Silksong now?” shredberg said, reading the inevitable comment. “Yeah… I’m so glad it’s over. Not even in a ‘this wasn’t even fun’ kinda way, because it was. But, man.”

Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social

Walmart has dropped Battlefield 6 to just $40 for both PS5 and Xbox in the 2026 New Year sales. That’s almost 50% off, and pretty close to its outstanding Black Friday deal I was raving about not so long ago ($35 for a limited time only).

If you’re looking for a traditional boots-on-the-ground multiplayer shooter to play in 2026, this is it, and it’s the best price we’re likely to get on it right now. Snap it up ASAP, as I don’t see this deal lasting the rest of the week, especially since Walmart is already indicating that stock is running low.

A new year is upon us, and if you’re looking for some new games to stock up on to keep you busy in these early months, Amazon is the place to look.

Though the holidays and their seasonal sale events may be behind us, the retailer is kicking off 2026 with some worthy video game deals. This includes a 50% price drop on Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 for PS5 and Xbox.

“Anime Souls” is a term often used to describe the original Code Vein. And while that is a very simple but fair descriptor – it is after all one of the very few soulslike games with an undeniably anime aesthetic – it also doesn’t really describe what was actually cool about the 2019 action RPG. For instance: the emotional storylines of your companion characters, delivered in these excellent sequences where you relive their most tragic memories; the phenomenal score by the wonderful Go Shiina; the flexible Blood Code system that allowed players to switch up their stats and playstyle without having to respect their whole character while also being able to pick and choose skills from other “classes.” There was certainly room for improvement in the core combat and level design, but it had great ideas, and would benefit from some refinement and iteration.

And that’s what Code Vein 2 seems to be all about: Refinement and iteration. Based on the three or so hours that I’ve played, Code Vein 2 felt familiar, but altogether much more confident and focused on the strengths of the original, while also getting off to an immediately more interesting start thanks to a brand new story with some intriguing time travel twists.

Like the first game, at the heart of Code Vein 2’s plot is a catastrophe that occurred many, many years ago. This time around, it’s known as the Resurgence, a calamity that corrupted everything it touched and gave rise to a new being known as a Revenant. Somehow, the Revenants managed to seal the Resurgence, but the victory was short-lived, as soon after, the Resurgence… well, surged again. This led to a battle that became known as the Upheaval, in which several heroes gave their lives to seal the Resurgence once again. One hundred years later, that seal is weakening, causing existence-erasing explosions all over the world, and this time, the means to save everything exists not in the present, but in the past.

And thus the stage is set for Code Vein 2’s time-hopping story that sees the nameless protagonist teaming up with Lou Magmell, a Revenant with the power to jump back and forth through time as they link up with the heroes of the past to try and find a way to stop the imminent world-ending threats of the future.

It’s a pretty good hook! As someone who never really got invested in the world of Code Vein 1, outside of learning more about my companions, I was pretty happy that I was immediately invested this time around. I looked forward to seeing how the heroes of the past fought back against the Resurgence and what ultimately brought about their fates. I got a chance to ask Code Vein 2’s director, Hiroshi Yoshimura, if he looked to any specific sources of inspiration with regards to their interpretation of time travel, or the rules that govern it, and he said, “I wouldn’t say there’s one film or work in particular, but one golden rule that we had within the development was that once the player has observed or seen something happen within the game, then that becomes truth, or that becomes locked in the sense that it can’t be overturned.”

Thicker Than Blood

On the gameplay side of things, much of the core of Code Vein 1 is still intact in the sequel. It’s still a stamina-governed combat system with a big focus on special abilities tied to various Blood Codes, which essentially determine your class or playstyle. Switching to a new Blood Code changes your stats, defense, and your max Ichor, which is essentially the mana that powers your special abilities. One of the interesting new twists of Blood Codes is that they also now come with a series of traits that can dramatically affect how you approach combat. For example, traditionally, the way combat works is you attack an enemy to inflict stacks of bleed, and then use a special technique known as a jail attack (previously known as “Drain Attacks”) to collect that blood, which then gets converted into the Ichor that you use to use your special skills.

But if that doesn’t sound like your style of play, you could instead use Josée’s Blood Code, which lets you gain Ichor simply by attacking, but that boon comes with a catch. If you gain more than your maximum Ichor, you take a significant chunk of damage. This was my preferred method of play, as it meant that I didn’t have to fish for opportunities to use my jail attacks to regain my Ichor, and it helped me be extra vigilant about using my abilities regularly so I didn’t end up overflowing with Ichor. Of course, my attention would occasionally wane, and this would occasionally be the death of me, but regardless, I appreciated the added twist to the gameplay.

In fact, pretty much every aspect of Code Vein 2’s combat is more customizable than before. While Drain Attacks used to be tied to your Blood Codes, they’re now got their own equippable slot in your inventory, and there are a ton of different types. You’ve got the returning Ogre claw for a fast and short ranged option; Hounds for a powerful two-hitting mid-range attack; Stinger to nail enemies from afar; and then you’ve got a handful of completely new attacks like Ivy, which caused spikes to emerge from the ground and can be placed by charging the attack and moving the targeting circle; Bat, which causes you to grow wings and sends out a swarm of bats, and Reaper, which is a scythe that can be swung around to hit enemies in an AOE.

In addition to Jails, you can also equip powerful subweapons known as Bequeathed Formae, and you can also choose a Defensive Formae as well.. With regards to the Bequeathed Formae, I only got to see two of these in my demo: a Battle Axe known as Idris’s Conceit, and a Longbow called Statesman’s Longbow. I opted more for a strength build throughout most of my demo time, so I primarily used the Battle Axe, and it certainly was a difference- maker in fights where I would get swarmed by enemies. All I needed to do was create some space to account for the lengthy windup, and boom. Once it hit, it would create a temporal field that slowed everything down, making it easy to clean up the survivors.

As for the Defensive Formae, you’re able to basically choose whether you want a standard block, a parry, or a dodge, with a couple of others thrown in there with some slight differences in how they perform. Im a huge fan of all these changes, as they allow even finer tuning of a build to your personal preference without becoming too overwhelming or complicated.

The Big Question

One of the most common things that always gets discussed anytime there’s a new soulslike in town is how difficult it is, so let’s talk about it. For the most part, I got through this demo without much issue. Granted, this was a provided save, so it’s hard to say how things would have been if I got to this point on my own playthrough with my own loadout, but Bandai Namco was very generous in giving us a wide selection of weapons, Blood Codes, and jails, and I never felt like I was particularly under- or overlevelled.

Code Vein 2 also smartly lets you decide on whether you want your companion to follow you and participate in combat like an AI coop partner, or whether you’d prefer to have them be assimilated into you, providing you with specific buffs, but without giving you the benefit of another body to deal damage or distract enemies. It’s a great trade-off that allows Code Vein 2 to maintain the companion element that makes it such a distinct soulslike in the first place, while also allowing players who enjoy tackling these challenges as a solo player to do so without feeling like they’re being severely punished.

Where the difficulty really turned up several notches was in the two boss battles that I got to experience. These were true tests of skills and reflexes and took nearly half of my allotted three hours of playtime, and that’s without even delivering the final blow against the second one. The first boss could simply wipe out my health with just one or two hits, while also afflicting me with the acid status effect, which would deal damage over time. My windows to punish were very small, making me opt for a strength-oriented build so I could land a powerful and chargeable overhead slash with my greatsword to make the most out of those opportunities. Eventually, I prevailed, only to be hard stuck against the second boss. This boss was fast, had an extremely dangerous second phase that I didn’t get to see enough of to really learn its new attacks, and had the nasty habit of electrifying the floor and inflicting bind on me, which would paralyze me long enough for the boss to land another free attack.

Despite the difficulty spike, I loved both these encounters, and while I’m a bit salty that I couldn’t finish the job at the preview event, I’m looking forward to the runback once I get the full game in my hands and can attempt the boss with my own personal build. Overall, Code Vein 2 is shaping up to be a marked improvement over the original in just about every area. We’ll see if Bandai Namco is able to stick the landing when this soulslike sequel releases on January 30, 2026 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.

Mitchell Saltzman is an editorial producer at IGN. You can find him on twitter @JurassicRabbit

Red Dead Redemption 2 fans are searching for answers to a newly-discovered mystery that’s been hidden within Rockstar’s cowboy sequel since its original release.

After more than seven years, a group of Red Dead aficianados recently realized they’d stumbled on something no one had reported previously — a series of mysterious spiderwebs that began spawning on eight telegraph poles throughout the game’s vast world, each during a specific hour of the night.

Two weeks on, more clues have now been found, and it’s become clear that this is a deliberate secret included by Rockstar within the game, which players are now rushing to uncover the full meaning of.

Similar to Red Dead Redemption 2’s quest involving dreamcatchers (and a familiar spiderweb mystery in GTA 5), players discovered in late December 2025 that these newly-found spiderwebs contain a feather which can be shot free — though the webs themselves only appear for one hour of in-game time each night.

An initial video on the mystery by Rockstar fan channel Strange Man credits this discovery to a trio of fans, goldenplaysterraria, pariah87 and u/FL4VA-01, while comments on the video from others say they’ve checked and discovered this secret really has been there since the game’s original launch — all the way back in 2018.

Fast forward to last week, and a fresh update detailed a second phase of the mystery’s unravelling. Here, players discovered that the various spiderwebs lead to one central web that contained a cryptic direction in its web design: “N” and a symbol for another telegraph pole. Heading north (as directed by “N”) leads to another wooden pole which, once found, can be shot at to reveal yet another direction under its bark.

All of that brings us pretty much up to date, and up to a new video published just yesterday which details where the mystery is at now. Currently, players are following one final cryptic telegraph pole message that depicts a final direction, and the symbol for a guitar.

Where is this all leading? Players are not sure, but the sense is that there’s definitely more to this mystery to solve. Players are now hurriedly searching the Fort Wallace location — which holds the nearest guitars to the mystery’s most recent clue — and are mapping every other guitar found in the game, in case it sparks some new revelation.

With this secret having existed for so long, there’s little chance that Rockstar itself is teasing anything big or new at the end. (Though, what a way to reveal single-player DLC this would be!) For Red Dead Redemption 2 fans, though, this is an exciting moment — something new to ponder at last in their beloved game, as the wait for news of a re-release or new content stretches on.

Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social

Resident Evil 4’s helpless companion character Ashley was once planned to star in a newly-designed intro made for Capcom’s acclaimed remake.

Everyone knows by now how Resident Evil 4 opens: with fan-favorite character Leon S. Kennedy thrown into the action as he investigates the abduction of Ashley Graham, the U.S. president’s daughter. And in the final version of the brilliant Resident Evil 4 Remake, this is again how the game begins.

But Capcom planned — and at least partially built — a new introduction sequence dubbed Chapter 0 which would have seen players sneak around as Ashley, before she’s finally dragged off by brainwashed ganados. And now, a fresh video showing some of the mission has been put together.

Ashley’s Chapter 0 would have taken place in an expanded version of the forested area outside the game’s main village, close to where Leon is ultimately seen creeping along at the beginning of the remake. A snippet of this survived in a trailer for the remake, where Ashley witnesses a grisly ritual sacrifice prior to getting captured.

The non-combat mission sees Ashley sneak along, hiding from a patrolling ganado, and spotting another who is carrying Luis — presumably to the basement where Leon finds him later. But, ultimately, we all know Ashley is going to get captured — something that, after a brief chase sequence, we then see play out.

If you’re keen to see the remains of this mission in action, modder Michael “Thekempy” Kemp has a video of its surviving elements — though it seems like much of the mission was unfinished, or removed from the game’s final version.

While Resident Evil 4 remake features plenty of extra sequences not found in the original Resi 4, it’s easy to see why this one fell by the wayside. It’s hard to imagine anyone being surprised by Ashley’s capture, since that sets up the whole game, and the character already has her own short sections of gameplay later on.

And then there’s the fact that Ashley is, well, not loved by some Resident Evil fans. The Resi 4 remake goes some way to making her less of a damsel in distress, but it’s perhaps unsurprising that Capcom ultimately chose not to open the game with her, rather than simply letting players jump straight in to Leon’s mission.

“The Resident Evil 4 remake is the series’ most relentlessly exciting adventure rebuilt, refined, and realised to the full extent of its enormous potential,” IGN wrote in our Resident Evil 4 Remake review, scoring it 10/10.

Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social

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2025 finally saw the long-awaited arrival of Nintendo’s next console: the Switch 2. But now, it’s time to turn the page to 2026 and talk about what’s in store for Switch 2’s sophomore year. Nintendo already has a pretty fleshed out release calendar for both Switches, a blockbuster movie set to hit theaters, with plenty of surprises surely in store as well. Here’s what to expect from Nintendo in 2026.

Nintendo in 2026: What’s Already On the Books

Before we get into wild speculation, here’s a recap of what we already know is coming to Switch and Switch 2 in 2026. There’s already a lot to look forward to, as Nintendo remains very consistent in pushing something out pretty much every single month.

That pattern begins this month, as we’ll all return to our weed-infested islands and face the wrath of our neglected villagers when Animal Crossing: New Horizons gets a free update on the original Switch and a Nintendo Switch 2 edition on January 15. New Horizons 3.0 is available to players on both Switches, and it comes with a new hotel to customize, a bunch of Nintendo items, and tons of little quality of life updates like upgraded item storage. Meanwhile, if you buy the Switch 2 Edition or the $5 upgrade pack, you can access improved resolution, mouse controls, 12-player multiplayer, and more.

Just a few weeks later we’ll see the first brand new Switch 2 exclusive of the year with Mario Tennis Fever’s launch on February 12. The big hook this time is the Fever Rackets that grant special abilities like freezing the court or duplicating yourself. Fever will also feature 38 playable characters, including Donkey Kong’s refreshed design and – for the first time ever – Baby Waluigi.

If you love collecting ridiculous Nintendo products like I do, you might be looking forward to Virtual Boy joining the Nintendo Switch Online library on February 17. You need one of two headsets to access this forgotten library from Nintendo’s biggest failure – either a plastic replica or a cheaper cardboard option. That’ll be available on both Switches.

Pokémon meets Minecraft (or more accurately, Dragon Quest Builders, but that’s not as catchy) in Pokémon Pokopia on March 5. This Switch 2 exclusive will task you with using Pokémon moves and materials to design your very own town. I expect Pokopia to be an enormous hit this year: Pokémon and Minecraft are two of the biggest things on the planet, and after everyone’s done poking around the new Animal Crossing update, this looks like the perfect game for that audience to shift to next. Amiibo are trudging on in 2026 as well, and March 5 will also see the launch of the Meta Knight and Shadow Star figure from Kirby Air Riders.

Pokopia is the last firm release date we have, but Nintendo has a few games slated for Spring. Super Mario Bros. Wonder – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Meetup in Bellabel Park is an enhanced port of the 2023 platformer, and one part of Nintendo’s ongoing celebration of Super Mario’s 40th anniversary. It adds cooperative and competitive multiplayer minigames, and we’ve seen a small glimpse of what appears to be a new side story in more traditional levels. I predict this will arrive on April 2, the same day as the new pair of Super Mario Galaxy amiibo and just a day before The Super Mario Galaxy Movie hits theaters, putting a new Mario game on store shelves at the exact moment Mario Mania kicks in.

The other pair of Spring releases is Yoshi and the Mysterious Book on Switch 2 and Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream on Switch 1. Yoshi’s illustrated art style looks really nice, and Tomodachi Life is an exciting return for a 3DS cult classic with a hilarious out-of-left-field personality that you really have to see for yourself.

There’s even more coming later in 2026: Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave will mark the strategy RPG’s first outing on Switch 2, Nintendo and FromSoftware are teaming up for The Duskbloods as a Switch 2 action-RPG exclusive, while Switch 1 players can look forward to Rhythm Heaven: Groove, the return of Nintendo’s quirky rhythm minigame series for the first time in a decade. Finally, Pokémon Champions is a competitive battle-focused game coming to Switch and Mobile this year. We know it will be used at the Pokémon World Championships in 2026, meaning it should be out before that event kicks off in late August.

On the third-party front, Switch 2 is getting a lot of major games on day one, including huge support from Capcom with Resident Evil Requiem on February 27 (along with Resident Evil 7 and 8 on the same day), Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection on March 13, and Pragmata on April 24. Plus, all three of those games are getting their own amiibo figures. There’s a lot beyond Capcom, too, like Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade, Dragon Quest VII Reimagined, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, 007 First Light, and more. Hopefully we’ll see cleaned up versions of games delayed out of 2025 as well, like Elden Ring Tarnished Edition and Borderlands 4.

Pokémon’s 30th Birthday Bash

A huge element of Nintendo’s 2026 will no doubt be Pokémon, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. You can safely expect a Pokémon Presents around February 27, and – as we move firmly into the speculation part of this yearly preview – I think it’s going to be a big one. I predict Pokémon’s 10th Generation will be 2026’s November release for Switch 2, and that we’ll get our first look at them here. I don’t think there’s any chance Pokémon misses out on its 30th anniversary without a new pair of mainline games.

But that’s not all: I think 2026 is finally the year that Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow come to Switch. I don’t think they’ll join the Nintendo Switch Online subscription library – it’ll make you buy them separately – but similar to how the Gen One games were dropped on 3DS to celebrate the franchise’s 20th anniversary in 2016, I think Nintendo will run the same play here and shadowdrop them the day of the presentation. The Pokémon Company is also planning to open PokéPark Kanto in Tokyo, Japan, on February 5, the first-ever Pokémon theme park.

What Else Could Nintendo Have In Store?

We’re in an interesting spot where Nintendo has already shown a lot of its cards for 2026, but I still think there are a few things we don’t know about. There is Splatoon Raiders, the single-player Switch 2 spinoff announced last year, but Nintendo hasn’t committed to that launching in 2026 at all, and it feels more fitting as an early 2027 release to me at this point.

With November likely taken up by Pokémon, that leaves October open for a Nintendo franchise fitting for spooky season: Luigi’s Mansion. Next Level Games has been quiet since 2022’s Mario Strikers: Battle League (except for a small assisting role on Metroid Prime 4: Beyond), and given its usual three-year turnaround time on Nintendo games, I think it’s time for Luigi’s Mansion 4. The last in the series was a huge sales success, so a sequel is a no-brainer. Just for fun, I’ll guess that the setting will be a haunted cruise ship Luigi has inherited for some strange reason.

2026 also marks the 40th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda. With a movie on the way in 2027, and Nintendo’s general pattern of launching at least one Zelda game every year, it’s a safe bet to say something Zelda-related will come out this year. I don’t think a new 2D or 3D Zelda game is close to being ready, so it’s probably time for another remake or remaster. I’ll guess fans will finally get the Ocarina of Time HD remake they want, but it won’t be perfect: it’ll be a touched up HD remaster of the 3DS remake that comes to both the original Switch and Switch 2, rather than the gorgeous 4K reimagining we all dream about.

On the smaller side, I have to imagine Nintendo is prepping DLC for Mario Kart World, and all signs point to it centering around Donkey Kong. DK and Pauline strangely only have one costume apiece in World, there are no Jungle-themed DK tracks, and Nintendo’s wider push for DK would lend itself to a DLC pack themed around him. And, I’d like 2026 to be the year we finally get answers surrounding Nintendo’s mysterious Switch Online Playtest program that’s been running since 2024.

I think that’s about all the room we have for 2026’s calendar, but Nintendo will announce a few games this year we won’t see until 2027. Xenoblade developer Monolith Soft hasn’t released a brand new game since 2022, and I have a feeling we might get a quick tease at what they’re working on in the September Nintendo Direct.

And, my boldest call of them all is that we’ll get a tease this year for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition to launch sometime in 2027. I believe Ultimate could get the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe treatment this generation, with an enhanced port that carries us through the next several years rather than an entirely new entry. Smash Bros. director Masahiro Sakurai wrapped up Kirby Air Riders a few months ago, and it’s entirely possible he’s already hard at work bringing Ultimate over to Switch 2 with a few new characters. Ultimate noticeably hasn’t received a Switch 2 performance patch like Super Mario Odyssey, the open-world Zeldas, and plenty of other best-selling Switch 1 games, and combined with the fact that a new Smash game almost always hits within the first two years of a new Nintendo console, it feels like a prime candidate for a Switch 2 Edition.

Nintendo Will Continue Expanding Beyond Games

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie will hit theaters on April 3, three years after the original made over a billion dollars at the global box office. I think Nintendo will waste no time in announcing its next animated partnership with Illumination, given they’re likely very confident this movie will perform extremely well like the first one did. I’m expecting a formal announcement of an animated Donkey Kong movie sometime before the end of 2026. You should also expect to see the first trailer for The Legend of Zelda movie before the year is over.

Finally, in a bit of a bummer prediction to end on, I’m expecting a Switch 2 price increase sometime after March. Nintendo has essentially committed to keeping the price where it is through the end of its fiscal year – which concludes March 31 – but there are no guarantees after that. We’ve already seen increases on the original Switch, as well as Switch 2 accessories, so it feels like it’s only a matter of time before Switch 2 follows suit.

And that’s everything we expect from Nintendo in 2026. What game are you most excited for? Have you picked up a Switch 2, or are you still happy with the original? Let us know in the comments.

Logan Plant is the host of Nintendo Voice Chat and IGN’s Database Manager & Playlist Editor. The Legend of Zelda is his favorite video game franchise of all time, and he is patiently awaiting the day Nintendo announces a brand new F-Zero. You can find him online @LoganJPlant.