Ocarina HD headlines a busy June 2026 Direct, but the big franchises stay missing
June 2026’s Nintendo Direct delivered a flood of announcements, headlined by a Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake shown without gameplay and Kingdom Hearts arriving on Switch 2 (KH4 included) alongside upgraded Xenoblade Chronicles editions and a new Xenoblade Genesis. The show also showcased various ports and updates (Pokemon Pokopia DLC, Minecraft Switch 2 edition, DK Challenge, Deltarune Chapter 5, Splatoon/Rhythm Heaven updates), but major flagship titles like Smash Bros., a new Animal Crossing, a mainline Zelda, and a proper Splatoon sequel were notably absent. The piece frames this as a cautious, gap-filling strategy with Switch 2 Editions and Online drops filling the gaps while big titles remain in development, and predicts another Direct in September while praising the ongoing monthly cadence of releases.
