What are Nintendo working on... A look at their studios
2025 was really Nintendo’s year, sure there were other games released, but new hardware always gets the spotlight and Switch 2 bucked the Nintendo trend of being different for the sake of being different.
While Nintendo focused a lot of their efforts last year on Switch 2, Switch kept plugging along in the back ground with a number games released from the Big N across the year, including the release of Metroid Prime 4: Beyond.. finally. Nintendo also made their fifth acquisition in five years, which is starting to be concerning, as they often shied away from those moves.
Studios acquired:
Bandai Namco Studios Singapore - Will be renamed to Nintendo Studios Singapore
These are the games that were published in 2025, with those titles that are bolded being original releases:
Donkey Kong Country Returns HD - Nintendo Switch
Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition - Nintendo Switch
Mario Kart World - Nintendo Switch 2
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition - Nintendo Switch 2
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition - Nintendo Switch 2
Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour - Nintendo Switch 2
Donkey Kong Bananza - Nintendo Switch 2
Super Mario Party Jamboree – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV - Nintendo Switch 2
Drag x Drive - Nintendo Switch 2
Kirby and the Forgotten Land – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Star-Crossed World - Nintendo Switch 2
Fire Emblem Shadows - iOS | Android
Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2 - Nintendo Switch
Pokémon Legends: Z-A - Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment - Nintendo Switch 2
Kirby Air Riders - Nintendo Switch 2
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond - Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2
If you are curious to see how we did in years past, you can find our 2025, 2024, 2023 and 2022 Previews here.
Over the previous 12 months, these are all the showcases that Nintendo hosted:
Nintendo Direct - Mar 28 - ~37mins
Nintendo Direct: Nintendo Switch 2 - Apr 2 ~63mins
Nintendo Direct: Mario Kart World - Apr 17 - ~17mins
Nintendo Direct - Donkey Kong Bananza - Jun 18 - ~18mins
Nintendo Direct: Partner Showcase - Jul 31 - ~28mins
Indie World - Aug 7 - ~16mins
Nintendo Direct: Kirby Air Riders - Aug 19 - ~48mins
Nintendo Direct - Sep 12 - ~65mins
Nintendo Direct: Kirby Air Riders - Oct 24 ~62mins
The Super Mario Galaxy Direct - Nov 13 - ~8mins
NINTENDO ENTERTAINMENT PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT
Locations: Minami Ward, Kyoto | Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Known for: Mario, Zelda, Splatoon & more | Last game released: Donkey Kong Bananza
Production Group No. 2 - Oversees Kirby, Xenoblade Chronicles and Fire Emblem series
Last year we said that new games for Kirby and Fire Emblem were likely in 2025 and we were right, sort of. Kirby got an expansion on Switch 2 and a new Fire Emblem game hit mobile devices, so yay us? This year we know that a new Fire Emblem game is coming with Fortune's Weave expected sometime in 2026. Beyond that though, there are no other details, if we see the game in the February Direct, as there usually is one, then expect it by June, if not, I would guess October.
Production Group No. 3 - Develops mainline entries for The Legend of Zelda
Both mainline Zelda games from the Switch got updates onto Nintendo Switch 2 last year, but there is no word on if those were done internally or via another team. Given mainline Zelda games take around 5 years to make, odds of a new one this year are slim, but a reveal is likely. What I would imagine this year will see is a either a remake or port of an older game, and while I would love Wind Waker HD, I could see a Link’s Awakening style update to the Oracle games.
Production Group No. 4 - Known as their experimental/smaller titles studio, ie: Nintendo Switch Sports and Labo
This group is being weird, well weirder for Nintendo, as they have been doing that bizarre online test thing over the past year and change and there is still no word on what it is all about. The group were also the lead for Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, for those who wanted to know where that came from. For 2026, I would like to think an updated Nintendo Switch Sports is coming for Switch 2, but there is nothing to support that, except my dreams.
Production Group No. 5 - Develops Splatoon and Animal Crossing games
This group could have quite the busy year, we learnt last year that Animal Crossing is getting a 3.0 update and a Switch 2 Edition of the game. But that is not all as Splatoon Raiders is still happening, though it has been very quiet since it was announced. There is no release date for the latter game, but even if its not this year, you have to imagine they have plans to share more details about it.
Production Group No. 6 - Oversees Paper Mario, Metroid Prime and Luigi’s Mansion series
This is perhaps one group that might not be super active in 2026. We got a Paper Mario Thousand Year Door remake in 2024, along with Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD and of course Metroid Prime 4 Beyond just recently. Now while I would love to see new games in the first two coming, Intelligent Systems will be working on Fire Emblem and Next Level Games could have something new, so I suspect this will be a soft year for this group.
Production Group No. 7 - Oversees 2D Metroid titles
Metroid Dread was the last 2D Metroid game, but it is now 4 years old and the series has had a 2D resurgence over the past few years. Does that mean a new game is on the way? It is hard to say, the developer of the past two 2D games is MercurySteam and they did just ship their own original game last year, Blades of Fire, but the studio has a lot of staff. Yoshio Sakamoto is the producer on the Metroid series and has stated he wants to do more, but given how Metroid Dread wrapped up the known Samus storyline, there is no telling if it is a new entry or a remake of one of the others. If a remake is on the cards, would you want Metroid from the NES or Super Metroid from the SNES, to be the game up for grabs?
But don’t forget Switch, you know the console that is about to enter its 12th year. This year will see it get two games in Rhythm Heaven Groove and Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream, with both series generally overseen by the same folks who oversee Metroid. Development for the first one is being done by TNX, who has been the studio who has made the other games as well. This was announced back in March 2025, but we have not heard about it at all since then. Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream got another trailer in the September 2025 Direct, but it has a release window of Quarter 2 of 2026, so April to June. I fully expect Tomodachi to release in early April, with Rhythm Heaven to ship in late May.
Production Group No. 8 - Develops 3D Mario titles
Last year, we guessed that we would see this teams next title within six months of the Switch 2 release and we were right on that, but we just were wrong on the character, as Donkey Kong got the spotlight treatment. The team are doing pointless statue updates in the DLC, which will last for however long they decide to support it, but is that all for the team? Honestly, yes. The team is not a large one and they tend not to produce more than one game at a time, so having a 3D Mario game coming this year is very unlikely.
Production Group No. 9 - Develops Mario Kart titles
Mario Kart World released last year and unless the team have DLC plans, then I doubt we are getting anything else from them this year. If you watch the credits on that game, they are extensive, so I suspect it was an all-hands on deck project towards the end, so don’t expect ARMS 2 to be announced any time soon.
Production Group No. 10 - Develops 2D Mario titles and Pikmin
With Mario Wonder now a few years old, you might think a new game is on the way and you would be right, sort of as a Switch 2 Edition version is coming, with new multiplayer focused stages. The team have also recently released a patch for Pikmin 4, adding new photo options, new Pikmin type and two new difficulty options. Now when Super Mario Party did that, a new game was announced soon after, so is Pikmin 5 happening? I don’t think so, a proper Switch 2 Edition of Pikmin 4 is more likely. Of course, a rating reveal for Pikmin 3 for Nintendo Switch 2 came out late last year, so maybe 3 is getting some love before 4.
Nintendo European Research & Development
This group of NERDs, because that is what their name shakes out to mean, had a pretty busy 2025. They not only released the GameCube app for Nintendo Switch Online, at the release of the Switch 2, but they also updated most of the other NSO apps to include the new Nintendo Classics name and added some extra features.
There is a good chance that this is the team doing the Virtual Boy app, which is launching next month, though that is not 100% confirmed. The studio also acts as a giant think tank for Nintendo, coming up with new patents and such, like their video upscaling solution from 2023. Over the years they have come up with some amazing ways of doing things in games, but they also create more tech ideas. The problem is that until a game is released, we tend not to know if NERD are involved until the credits roll, simply due to how quiet they are. Case in point, there will be some one there working on some new method of rumble or something else, but we won’t know about it until 2028, when they release their research paper.
NINTENDO SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGY
Known for: 1080 Snowboarding, Metroid Prime Hunters | Last game released: Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2
After a few busy years with F-Zero 99 in 2023 and then the remake of Mario vs Donkey Kong in 2024, NST had a fairly decent 2025. They were still working on F-Zero 99 last year, with a few fairly large updates released for it, one of which come out at the start of December. The team were also listed as being the folks behind the Switch ports of Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2, which were decently received by folks. But that was then, what about now?
There are a number of roles that the team are looking to fill, which is fairly standard for them. The only real issue is that none of them give any indication as to what is going on with them. Some of the roles are for director levels, with one simply saying “authoring concept art and designing for stylized environments.“ Which does not really explain what else they could be working on. Given the studio has made a number of games in a number of series, I would love to see them create a new Metroid game, but if I had to choose a new Wave Race for Switch 2 would be my hope. For now we just need to wait and see.
MONOLITH SOFT
Locations: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo | Kyoto City, Kyoto
Known for: Xenoblade Chronicles, Baten Kaitos | Last game released: Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition
The Monolith Soft group had a nice 2025, they managed to get Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition out on Switch and then they went silent, or were they? The studio has three teams, one of which works on the Xenoblade series, one works on Zelda and other major Nintendo games and the other is most a support studio for Animal Crossing and Splatoon. We learnt late last year that Animal Crossing is getting a 3.0 this month, alongside a Nintendo Switch 2 Edition. It is also possible that the team had something to do with the updated Switch 2 Editions of both Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, but there is nothing in the credits for those version, just the original ones still.
As for 2026, there is no word on what the studio is working on, but I know many folks want to see some Switch 2 Editions of the Xenoblade games. The company has a massive recruitment page on their website all about Zelda, now there is nothing to indicate if this is for a specific game, or just general hiring for the series as a whole, but given that we know a new mainline Zelda game is in development, I would expect it to be for that. Beyond that, there really isn’t much else known about their plans, the few roles they have open not for Zelda are just generic in their description. Given 2025 was sort of busy for them, I could imagine them taking a year off in 2026, outside of Zelda work.
Nintendo Cube
Known for: Mario Party | Last game released: Super Mario Party Jamboree - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV
Last year I said that unless this group made DLC for Jamboree, we would not hear from them in 2025 and what a surprise, they went ahead and released DLC for the game, as part of a Switch 2 release. With the team usually having a game ship every few years, I can’t see them having something new to ship in 2026, but a tease for an early 2027 release, that I could see.
NEXT LEVEL GAMES
Known for: Luigi’s Mansion, Mario Strikers | Last game released: Mario Strikers: Battle League Football
Next Level Games generally release a game every 3 years, with last year being the first time in a long time where they did not do that. Actually, they did pop up in the credits for Metroid Prime 4 Beyond, but it was only around some design work, which would not have taken up the full studio to do. So, what have they been working on? I wish we knew as most of their open roles listing are just devoid of anything specific, as all Nintendo applications are. Now while I could see a new Luigi’s Mansion coming from the team, I have to imagine that they are cooking up something new, they don’t need 4 years for Luigi’s Mansion 4 after all.
So what would I like to see them do? Well part of me thinks they could make a great F-Zero game, but I really want them to make something new. I don’t mean a new Mario sports game, but something completely original. They have had the time to cook, so getting something big on Nintendo Switch 2 is what I expect, I just hope I am right.
Shiver Entertainment
Known for: Mostly ports of games | Last game released: WWE 2K25
Shiver Entertainment is Nintendo’s most recent game development studio buy, with the company coming on board in 2024. The studio was reported to be the ones who brought WWE 2K25 to Nintendo Switch 2, which aligns with the promise of them being used to port games to Nintendo platforms. Shiver Entertainment, when they were bought, were told they would be allowed to create games for multiple platforms and that seems to be holding true.
The problem is that as a porting studio, we often don’t learn about the work being done by them, until the credits roll on a game. Reports last year pointed at the studio doing something in the action game space, which could have just been content for Mortal Kombat 1, but that is unlikely. With WWE 2K25 being their most recent game, it is possible they might help out with this years release, but I doubt it. The studio does not list their roles open, you just email your CV to them, so there is no insights that we can find on what they might be doing next, but if I had to hope, it would be founder John Schappert using his EA connections to bring Mass Effect Trilogy to Switch 2.
RETRO STUDIOS
Known for: Metroid Prime, Donkey Kong Country Returns | Last game released: Metroid Prime 4 Beyond
It finally happened, Metroid Prime 4 Beyond released. Now last year I guessed that a Nintendo Switch 2 version of the game would be announced, but I incorrectly guessed that it would release on the same day as the console, Mario Kart World got that honour. So what is the studio working on now?
I would imagine a few patches, but mostly enjoying the break of having shipped a game. The studio does not only work on Metroid Prime, though given it was 8 years between original releases, you might think that. The studio also acts as a support studio for various Nintendo games, they have assisted with the Mario Kart games before. I would honestly think that their name shows up this year in another game, but as for their next game, that is years away. If they wanted to prove me wrong by releasing Metroid Prime 2: Echoes Remastered, I would be ok with that.
1-Up Studio
Known for: Mario series | Last game released: Donkey Kong Bananza
Mostly known for their support work on the various 3D Mario games over the years, 1-Up Studio is a name that most people don’t know. The studio was quite busy in 2025 aiding development of both Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza. Given their supportive nature, I can’t see their name showing up as the lead for something new, but hey I am happy to be proven wrong.
Second Party
Those above are all the studios that are owned by Nintendo, the following are studios not owned outright, but Nintendo either have part ownership of or a very tight working relationship with them, such as Camelot below being allowed to use Mario characters for sports games. So we will take a look at the following studios as well.
CAMELOT SOFTWARE PLANNING
Known for: Mario Tennis, Mario Golf, Golden Sun | Last game released: Mario Golf: Super Rush
Last year we said that Camelot would be developing a new Mario sports game, but it would not release in 2025 and we were right, as Marion Tennis Fever has been announced and is coming next month. With the studio working on that and only that for now, I don’t think we will see their name beyond this in 2026, baring some DLC releases.
GAME FREAK
Known for: Pokemon | Last game released: Pokémon Legends: Z-A
For Nintendo fans, Pokémon is what Game Freak is known for and they did just release Pokémon Legends: Z-A at the end of 2025. The game already has DLC, but there is no word on if there is any more planned. Past games have been given two DLC drops, but the Mega Dimension DLC only has the one story drop and some outfits. Pokémon Friends was a new game that released last year for Switch and mobile devices and was just a fun little puzzle game. Just for a reminder, the second season of Pokémon Concierge also released last year, so check that out if you have not done so.
Game Freak are working on a souls-like game called Beast of Reincarnation, but that is not expected to come to Nintendo Switch 2. There is normally a Pokémon Presents in February of each year, which gives us a better idea of what to expect for the next 12 months from the world of Pokémon, but right now the only game we know to be coming this year is Pokémon Champions. I would expect we will learn either a full date or a month for that game in the Pokemon Presents, but will there be a new game for Switch 2? I don’t think so, if only because the game engine that the team are using is prehistoric at this point and I think they are going to take time to create a new one, if only because reports are the last game underperformed.
GOOD-FEEL
Locations: Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo | Kita-ku, Osaka
Known for: Yoshi’s Woolly World, Kirby’s Epic Yarn | Last game released: Princess Peach: Showtime!
Good Feel had a quiet 2025, having put the spotlight on Peach back in 2024. Now it has not been announced who the developer of Yoshi and the Mysterious Book is, but given Good Feel have made the last few Yoshi games, then odds are good it is them. That game is expected to arrive this year, but we will likely learn more in the next Direct.
The flip side will be if these guys are not the ones developing the game, what else could they be working on? Well, they are currently recruiting for a number of roles, which does lend some credence to them not being the developers of the game. The problem is none of those roles give any real indication about what they are working on, they are just generic listings. It is possible that Good Feel are going to sit out 2026, if they are not behind Yoshi’s next adventure, that that would be ok with me.
GREZZO
Known for: The Legend of Zelda, Miitopia | Last game released: The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
2024 saw this group lead the charge on the original game Echoes of Wisdom, which put players in charge of Zelda for the second time, though we don’t talk about the first one. The studios production timeline is all over the place, sometimes they do two titles a year, sometimes there is a year between games and some times they do more. With Echoes of Wisdom releasing in 2024, and nothing in 2025, then 2026 could be a year we hear from them again, right?
Well, they do have something cooking as there are a number of job listings available and some do talk about boss battles and sound effects and jingles, they could honestly be for any number of things. If a new Zelda remake is happening, I would be very surprised if Grezzo are not involved, but if they are making something original again, that would be ok as well.
HAL LABORATORY
Known for: Kirby, Adventure of Lolo | Last game released: Kirby and the Forgotten Land + Star-Crossed World
This is one of those studios that tends to make one thing and it is Kirby. If you adore the pink puff, then last year’s release of Kirby and the Forgotten Land + Star-Crossed World would have made you happy. If of course you had your fill of that game back in 2022, then it would not have done much for you. Kirby was back in 2025 a second time with Kirby Air Riders, but that was not made here.
The studio has a lot of open roles they are looking to fill, which likely means they are staffing up for a new game. Now of course, Kirby is going to be the likely candidate, by I personally hope that Adventures of Lolo gets a new game. The characters Lolo and Lala popped up in Kirby Air Riders and I am sure plenty of folks had no idea who they were. Given it has been now 3 years since their last full original game, I think we might see something released this year, but if not a tease of what is next at least.
INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS
Known for: Fire Emblem, Paper Mario, WarioWare | Last game released: Fire Emblem Shadows
This is the only one that we can say for sure will have a game this year, as the have a game every year. Intelligent Systems has released a game every year since 1998, though technically they missed 2022 but only by like 3 weeks, so I am counting it. Last year saw the studio release one unique game in Fire Emblem Shadows, a brand new mobile game, which joins the only other actively supported mobile game from Nintendo, Fire Emblem Heroes, both games are gacha filled.
We learnt in September 2025 that Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave is coming this year from the studio, but when is up for debate. Games in the Fire Emblem series, outside of Engage, often release around the middle of the year, so I would imagine this would be the same. The only real question is will it be May or August?
There we go, our guesses at what Nintendo could be up to in 2026. Of course, Nintendo is very hard to pin down, as they are so mysterious with their reveals and details. We have had a fairly decent track record on things, so I don’t think we are gonna be too far off the mark, just gotta wait to see how far off we were.
But what do you think? What games are you hoping to see from Nintendo this year?
