June has only just arrived, but the rumour mill has already started turning with rumblings of an upcoming Nintendo Direct (thanks, Nintendo Everything).
It all started last month, when Giant Bomb’s Jeff Grubb made the groundbreaking prediction that there would be a Nintendo Direct by “mid-June” on an episode of the Giant Bombcast, though he didn’t know whether it’d be a ‘full’ or a Partner Direct at the time.
Grubb later got more specific on his Last of the Nintendogs podcast, where he said that a Direct will land on 9th June — that’s next Tuesday, before you open your calendar.
Grubb’s track record is a little hit and miss when it comes to predictions (anyone else remember the big “Zelda Blowout” claim?), so we were taking things with an almighty pinch of salt at the time. But now others are chiming in with similar theories.
The biggie comes from NatetheHate — a leaker who, again, isn’t always right, but has had some big claims proven true in recent months, like some Switch 2 info and the Star Foxannouncement. In his latest podcast, Nate also claimed to have heard that a “general” Direct will take place next week, though he wasn’t more specific with the date.
As ever, we’re still treating all of the above as nothing more than a rumour for the time being, and will be keeping an eye out for the official word from Nintendo before getting our hopes up. That said, a mid-June Direct would hardly be all that shocking.
Looking back at every Direct to date, Nintendo has hosted a showcase of some kind every June from 2022 onwards, and it was the yearly E3 presentations that took the slot before that. These have varied in form (last year’s was focused on Bananza, 2020 and 2021’s were all about Smash Bros. DLC, 2022 only had a Mini Showcase) and the vast majority take place in the third or fourth week of the month, but we suppose as early as next week isn’t completely out of the question — the June 2019 show happened on the 11th, for example.
In short, keep those expectations tempered, but maybe have an eye on those Nintendo Today! feeds, too.
Do you think there will be a June Direct this year? Will it be as early as next week? Let us know in the comments.
Pokémon Champions has been out on Switch for a couple of months now, and in the coming weeks, it’ll launch on mobile too.
The Pokémon Company has announced that the battle-focused game will arrive on iOS and Android on 17th June, with pre-registrations going live today. Cross-save support is available in this one, for those who have been putting in the hours on Switch, so don’t worry about losing your precious ‘mon.
To mark the occasion, all those who log into the game from its mobile launch day until 2nd September will be rewarded with a Raichu and its two Megastones. You’ll find the Electric Type and its accompanying Raichunite X and Y stones in your in-game mailbox, after your first log-in during the event period.
For those wondering about these Mega ‘mon’s abilities, Mega Raichu X comes with Electric Surge, while Mega Raichu Y carries the No Guard ability.
It’ll be good to see the game reach a larger audience after TPC has had some time to work on it. Champions launched in a less-than-perfect state on Switch back in April, with us calling out its “convoluted monetisation, disappointing performance, and inexplicable bugs” in our 5/10 review.
Will you be checking out Pokémon Champions on mobile in the coming weeks? Let us know in the comments.
When we initially heard about the Zelda live-action movie, there was a group of us that firmly believed Link’s big-screen debut would be better suited to animation. At the time, we meant something hand-drawn or otherwise Ghibli-esque, but now we take that all back. A Legend of Zelda movie should be full stop-motion claymation. And set in Wigan.
This burst of inspiration is all thanks to a fan-made parody, ‘The Hero of Cheese‘, from the YouTube channel ultratom07, which mashes up the worlds of Zelda and Aardman’s Wallace & Gromit in the best way imaginable.
Made entirely in Blender, the four-minute short sees Link Wallace and Navi Gromit set out on a quest to save the princess hunt down some cheese. It’s packed with enough references to both series that if you happen to fall in the middle of the ‘Wallace and Gromit X Zelda’ fan Venn diagram (like most of us here at Nintendo Life), then we challenge you to watch along without a cheesy grin on your face.
The animator released a ‘Koopa Komforts‘ parody (a crossover between Mario and Aardman’s much-missed Creature Comforts series, for those wondering) earlier this year, which is equally worth a watch if the above scratches a particular itch for you. Let’s hope that Aardman’s official Pokémon offering can do the same next year.
So, are we still excited for The Legend of Zelda Movie next year? Of course we are. Is there a large part of us that would rather watch a feature-length stop-motion version instead? No comment.
What do you make of this fan-made mash-up? Let us know in the comments.
Last year, the casual footwear maker Crocs teamed up with Nintendo to release a special Animal Crossing-themed line.
Now, in a new announcement, it’s revealed the Crocs x Super Mario Collection will be coming to the US next month on 15th July 2026. This collection will have footwear for adults and children and features the “Classic Clog” in a range of different styles (Super Mario, Mario, Yoshi, Bowser and Peach).
“Designed for fans of all ages, the Crocs x Super Mario™ collection showcases the Mushroom Kingdom with Crocs’ signature comfort and self-expression in a world where imagination and everyday life collide. The collection features elevated design elements including custom backstraps, three-dimensional graphics and exclusive co-branded Jibbitz™ charms.”
The Super Mario Core Classic Clogs are priced at $69.99 (available for $54.99 in kids), the Mario, Yoshi, Bowser Classic Clogs cost $79.99, and the Peach “Platform Women’s Clogs” will be $89.99. There will also be standalone 5-Pack Jibbitz Charms for $19.99. You can view the designs on Nintendo’s store page.
Image: Nintendo / Crocs Image: Nintendo / Crocs
Would you be interested in any of these Crocs? Let us know in the comments.
Yacht Club Games previously mentioned how Mina The Hollower was “make-or-break” for the indie developer, and it seems the game’s lengthy development cycle has officially paid off.
In an update after last week’s launch, the team has now revealed Mina has officially sold 300,000 copies in its first three days on the market. The title has not only been made available on the Switch and Switch 2, but also PC, PlayStation and Xbox platforms.
Speaking to Bloomberg, studio co-founder and director Sean Velasco said the strong sales would allow the developer to continue operating without having to make cuts or take outside investment, at least in the foreseeable future.
Velasco mentioned last year how 200,000 sales of the new title would be “really, really great” and 500,000 sales would be “golden”. More recently, he revealed his ambitious goal of shifting one million copies, claiming he would even be “disappointed” if Mina didn’t reach that amount.
With Mina The Hollower now in the hands of players, Yacht Club plans to spend its time marketing the title, fixing some bugs and patching Mina’s adventure. If we hear any significant updates about the game’s sales, we’ll let you know.
Have you contributed to the overall sales of this title? How are you finding the game so far? Let us know in the comments.
In a sense, the arrival of eFootball on Switch 2 is something of a homecoming for Konami, whose long-running football series started off as a Nintendo exclusive decades ago.
Whether you want to start the timeline with NES game Konami Hyper Soccer or the legendary SNES title International Superstar Soccer, the path is the same: the ISS series would eventually make its way to the Nintendo 64, PS2, and GameCube, while also spinning off to the PS1 as ISS Pro.
ISS Pro would eventually become ISS Pro Evolution, then Pro Evolution Soccer (or Winning Eleven in Japan), which would see annual editions for two decades before switching to a free-to-play model in September 2021.
This free-to-play game, eFootball, was roundly mocked for being frankly awful at launch, but has been continually upgraded and improved in the five years since then. Konami recently claimed that it had passed an astonishing one billion downloads worldwide across all platforms, but even though these platforms included iOS and Android, eFootball has yet to appear on a Nintendo system.
Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Handheld/Undocked)
That finally changes — sort of — with eFootball Kick-Off, which marks the return of Konami’s football series to Nintendo for the first time since Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 was released 14 years ago on the Wii. It’s not exactly the game available on other platforms, however.
Before you jump to Amazon and order an industrial-sized pitchfork sharpener, fearing a repeat of EA’s length Switch FIFA saga, be aware that the situation here could actually be considered a good thing depending on what you want from your football games.
The FIFA games on Switch were objectively stripped-back, mode-light versions of the game that treated Nintendo players like second-class citizens until the series was renamed EA Sports FC, at which point EA finally gave Switch Switch 2 players full feature parity. eFootball Kick-Off, on the other hand, doesn’t ‘remove’ modes as such: instead, it offers completely different ones.
Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Docked)
Basically, while the main eFootball game on other platforms is a long-running live service game which is mainly focused on online play with only a handful of offline modes, eFootball Kick-Off is the complete opposite: it’s almost entirely focused on offline play, with an online mode seemingly just tossed in for completion’s sake.
The most obvious sign of this is World Tour, a mode entirely exclusive to the Switch 2 version of the game which will take many hours to beat. The mode starts you off with a team of average players — long-running PES fans will recognise them as the old Master League roster, including the likes of Castolo and Minanda — and has you travelling the world in search of new players for your squad.
The world map is split into groups of five club teams: one group, for example, is called Asian Leagues and has you playing against five randomly chosen teams from leagues in Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, and the AFC Champions League. Each time you beat a team, you get to choose one of their players to add to your squad, meaning as you play progressively better teams, your squad will organically improve with new, more skilled players as a result.
Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Handheld/Undocked)
Once you beat a group for the first time, you can choose to take on that group again but rather than getting five random clubs, you can now specifically choose which five teams to play against, meaning if you have your eye on specific players, you can select the teams they play for.
Winning a match also earns you coins, split into Forward, Midfielder, Defender, and Goalkeeper currencies. These can be spent in the Hall of Players, a special in-game store with some of the best players in the world. What’s more, each time you clear a regional five-match group for the first time, a few Legend Players will be added to the Hall of Players, meaning you can eventually buy a bunch of retired greats and build your squad with the likes of Beckham, Adriano, Dennis Bergkamp, and chums.
World Tour is hardly revelatory — similar modes have been done in a handful of football games in the past — but for long-suffering Pro Evolution veterans who have hated seeing the series going almost entirely online for the past half a decade, it’s just nice to have a lengthy single-player mode with clear progress markers to work towards.
Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Docked)
It’s not quite the return of PES’s once-popular Master League mode — while the default squad may have returned, there’s no scope here for the likes of training your players, because the aim is to keep replacing them rather than improving them — but it’s still a substantial single-player PES for the first time in years.
There’s also an International Cup mode in there, as if it wasn’t already clear why the game’s releasing in June. Just to drive the point home, the default groups are exactly the same as those in the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026 (so Scotland’s in there with Brazil, Haiti, and Morocco while England have Croatia, Panama, and Ghana), though you can rearrange them should you wish.
The offline focus includes local multiplayer, and you can play with one to four players, including GameShare. Brilliantly, the World Tour and International Cup modes also support multiplayer, allowing you to take on each of these single-player modes in a co-op fashion. A wide range of per-player assist options also ensures players of all skill levels can play together.
Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Docked)
On the pitch, the game — crucially — plays well. As I said, the free-to-play eFootball was a complete shambles when it originally launched in 2021, but Konami’s continuous updates have meant it certainly plays a much better game of football than it previously did.
The Switch 2 version is a faithful port of the others, running at a relatively smooth 60fps during gameplay (there are a few stutters here and there, but nothing game-breaking), and stringing together a smooth series of passes is truly satisfying when everything comes together.
There are a few little quirks in there for the Switch 2 game, including speech bubbles that have the players talking to each other — calling for passes, trying to motivate each other, and the like — but these can be turned off if you’re a purist.
One thing you’ll also want to turn off is the commentary, which is also retained from the main free-to-play version of eFootball. Peter Drury is perfectly fine as the lead commentator, but Jim Beglin’s co-commentary is among the worst you’ll ever hear in a football game. It’s quite clearly being read out, and he frequently leaves big pauses halfway through sentences in a way that’s wildly off-putting once you notice it. Thankfully, the commentary can be muted.
Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Handheld/Undocked)
Obviously, there’s a big EA-shaped elephant in the corner, and some will continue to swear blind that EA Sports FC still plays a better game of football. Certainly, in some respects — the number of game modes, the sheer number of officially licensed leagues and clubs in there — EA’s game blows Konami’s out of the water, but some were disappointed that EA FC on Switch 2 only runs at 30fps, so eFootball Kick-Off at least has the edge if smooth gameplay is particularly important to you.
The main advantage Konami has is price. eFootball Kick-Off is a digital release costing $19.99 / £15.99, making it a much cheaper option than EA’s game. You could argue that you get what you pay for, but if you don’t care about things like EA’s Ultimate Team and are just looking for a football game for playing on the train or having a local multiplayer with your mates on the couch, the lower price makes Konami’s game a viable contender.
There are, of course, people who do love the free-to-play eFootball game — a billion downloads can’t all be wrong, after all — and will be disappointed that this isn’t just a straight port of the live service offering. If it can play on mobile, there’s no technical reason why Switch 2 couldn’t play it, so it appears that this is a conscious decision by Konami to focus more on offline content for Nintendo’s system.
Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Docked)
Who knows, maybe the ‘Kick-Off’ in the title is referring to the fact that this is a low-cost introduction to the series for Nintendo players, and that a Switch 2 port of the ‘proper’ eFootball might come further down the line if there’s enough appetite for it. For now, anyone hoping for online play on the Switch 2 version is limited to basic Quick Match, Ranked Match, and Friend Match options.
The servers weren’t yet turned on during the review period, so I wasn’t able to test online matches, but given that there’s almost certainly going to be no crossplay multiplayer here, you might have to go into this game assuming the online player base will be very small, and that you shouldn’t buy it unless offline play is the main draw for you.
Koei Tecmo and Omega Force have shared an update about Dynasty Warriors 3: Complete Edition Remastered. After a delay earlier this year, it’s now been confirmed the remaster will be released for the Switch 2 on 1st October 2026.
Alongside this announcement, Koei Tecmo has also announced this title will no longer be releasing on the original Switch. Here’s the confirmation about this via its official social media account – noting how this version can no longer be purchased.
Koei Tecmo: “Notice: DYNASTY WARRIORS 3: Complete Edition Remastered will no longer be available to purchase on Nintendo Switch.
“We sincerely apologize for this news and hope you can still experience this release on other platforms, including Nintendo Switch 2.”
When this remaster arrives on the Switch 2 in October, fans can expect not only all the content from the original game and Xtreme Legends expansion, but also refined graphics and controls, new features and scenarios, two-player offline (including co-op and head-to-head), and over 40 officers from the original roster, alongside Dynasty Warriors: Origins protagonist Ziluan.
If you do pre-order this game before 30th September 2026, you’ll also receive the “Retro-Style Red Hare Saddle” as a free bonus item. The deluxe edition also includes some extra goodies, which you can check out in the overview trailer below.
Will you be getting this when it arrives on the Switch 2? How do you feel about the Switch version being dropped? Let us know in the comments.
Kirby Air Riders on the Switch 2 might not be getting the support it once was, but it’s still receiving updates for its amiibo line.
The next pair of amiibo to be made compatible with Air Riders include Sword Kirby & Dragoon and Noir Dedede & Hydra. These amiibo were originally announced for the game earlier this year in March, but don’t have an official release date yet.
Here’s a bit about their function and below this are the full patch notes for Kirby Air Riders Version 1.3.3, according to Nintendo’s official support page:
“Your Main Menu Figure can be updated to match the rider & air ride machine combo of your figure. These can also be used to play with a figure player (FP) in certain modes, matching the combination you scanned, which can be trained through gameplay. Unique rewards are unlocked the first time you scan these amiibo.”
Kirby Air Riders: Ver. 1.3.3 (Released June 2, 2026)
General
The following amiibo figures are now supported.
Sword Kirby & Dragoon
Noir Dedede & Hydra
Note: Ver. 1.3.3 may not be compatible with replays from Ver. 1.3.2 to Ver. 1.3.0. Ver. 1.3.3 is not compatible with replays from Ver. 1.2.0 and earlier. Convert replays you want to keep to video files by selecting Record on the playback-settings screen within Cached Data and Data Replay before downloading the update. (Note: A microSD Express card is required to use this function.)
As noted, this latest update for Kirby Air Riders may not be compatible with replays from previous versions of the game. So, you’ll want to back up any videos before performing this latest game update. Version 1.3.3 follows a previous update in March 2026, which included multiple bug fixes.
If you haven’t played Kirby Air Riders on the Switch 2 yet, be sure to check out our review here on Nintendo Life. Nintendo also previously confirmed the Dedede & Tank Star would be releasing on 2nd July 2026.
Have you downloaded this update yet? Notice anything else? Let us know in the comments.
In case you missed the news in the Rayman Legends Retold announcement post, this enhanced version of Origins will be included with the standard and deluxe editions of Retold, and is releasing on 1st October 2026.
This version of the “iconic 2D platforming adventure” will feature 4K, 60 FPS, new collectibles and rewards, and new modern enhancements as well as new quality-of-life features. Here are some more details from the Xbox store page, which is now live:
When the Glade of Dreams is overrun by “nefurrious” Darktoons, the Fairy Council summons Rayman to save the day. Joined by his best friend, Globox, and two crafty wizards, the Teensies, this unlikely team must restore balance before their world fades away like a bad dream.
TIMELESS PLATFORMING Make your way through over 60 handcrafted levels filled with hidden paths, evolving abilities, and memorable boss encounters, from a giant pink monster with hundreds of eyes to a possessed mountainous golem or a carnivorous daisy. Hunt down secrets and collectibles to unlock new rewards and complete your journey.
THE DEFINITIVE EXPERIENCE Enjoy Rayman Origins like never before with 4K resolution, 60 FPS, and modern enhancements, including new quality-of-life features. Discover 60 hidden Relics across the adventure and track your progress in the Snoring Tree.
A VIBRANT 2D MASTERPIECE Explore the Glade of Dreams, brought to life with a unique hand-drawn art style and a colorful cast of over 100 characters across diverse, wildly imaginative worlds.
4-PLAYER CO-OP Work together, compete for rewards, and turn every level into a shared, unforgettable adventure, as you play in up to 4-player couch co-op.
Ubisoft’s Rayman Origins first arrived on the Wii, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in November 2011. It also received a 3DS version in 2012.
Switch 2 box art for Rayman Legends Retold, includes Rayman Origins: Enhanced Edition — Image: Ubisoft
Will you be revisiting Rayman Origins? Let us know in the comments.
Here’s a sentence we had presumed we’d never write again: we’ve made it to the release month of the next Star Fox game!
Star Fox flies onto Switch 2 on 25th June, bringing another (another) remake of the wonderful Star Fox 64 to modern audiences. As that release date nears, we’ve got our first idea of how this one holds up on the latest hardware, and spoilers, it sounds really rather good.
The first wave of previews has gone live today, with several outlets sharing their early hands-on impressions. Here at Nintendo Life, we had a wonderful time with what we’ve seen so far, with the movement and new visuals being particular standouts:
If Nintendo were set on remaking Star Fox 64, I’m not sure if they could’ve done a better job than what I’ve experienced so far
Let’s see what a handful of other outlets are saying about this one, eh?
Things were equally positive over at Game Informer, with the preview giving a shoutout to the new cutscenes and their contextualising power:
In the campaign, I get a chance to see the call between Fox and General Pepper in the lead-up to the first mission on Corneria. The mission briefing is much more organic and grants significantly more context about what’s happening in the galaxy.
There were more positive vibes from VGC, even if some of the squad’s new characterisations might take some getting used to.
While these scenes look fantastic, I wasn’t 100% convinced they enhanced the snappier arcade flow of the original game, and they also present character traits that feel quite at odds with what I remember.
Polygon‘s preview says the Switch 2 release “may very well be the best version of a beloved game yet”, with an “intense” new Pilot and Gunner mode to boot:
It’s an intriguing twist on Nintendo’s brand of two-player co-op, and I think it will be an unexpectedly beloved new addition to some familiar Star Fox gameplay.
For something a little less rosy, TechRadar‘s preview argues that, regardless of how neat the new version is, all of these Star Fox 64 remakes are getting silly now:
With its release, almost half of the series’ nine mainline games will be some version of Star Fox 64, and when there hasn’t been a new game for almost a decade, surely now is the time for something more new and exciting.
It was back to positivity with IGN, which describes this fresh take as being “like ‘A New Hope’ for the franchise:
Its stages certainly don’t feel old or out of place by comparison: its crisp graphics, snappy controls, and majestic orchestral soundtrack match the grand scope Nintendo appears to be aiming for.
Are you more excited for Star Fox after reading these first impressions? Let us know in the comments.
