A 60-minute show built around Mario’s 40th
Nintendo used its September 12, 2025 Nintendo Direct to do two things at once: celebrate 40 years of Super Mario Bros. and signal where the company is headed with Switch 2. The hour-long showcase was dense, brisk, and timed to the day before the original Super Mario Bros. launched in Japan on September 13, 1985.
Shigeru Miyamoto opened with a nod to the history that built modern Nintendo and then flipped straight into new releases. The big headline for fans: Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2 are both coming to Nintendo Switch on October 2, 2025. These are not simple ports. The duo arrives with sharper resolution, a cleaned-up interface, and optional Assist Mode that gives extra health and safety nets for tricky falls. For anyone who bounced off the motion controls back in the Wii era, the new setup lets you choose how to play—buttons, stick, or motion—without losing the feel that made Galaxy special.
Nintendo also tucked in fresh Storybook content that expands the Lumas’ backstory. Galaxy veterans will remember Rosalina’s storybook as the emotional heart of the first game. Extending that lore across both releases suggests Nintendo sees these as definitive versions, not placeholders, and it adds a bit of new mystery for returning players.
There was a screen-to-screen moment, too. Miyamoto confirmed the next animated film is titled The Super Mario Galaxy Movie and is scheduled for April 2026. After the last Mario film shattered box office records for video game adaptations, a Galaxy-themed follow-up makes obvious sense. The brand now runs across games, parks, and movies, and this announcement ties the whole push together in a single theme that’s easy to market.
The presentation didn’t live only in the past. Switch 2—Nintendo’s next console—featured throughout. Mario Tennis Fever is the first first-party sports game announced for the system, dated for February 12, 2026. The Mario Tennis series has quietly become a reliable showcase for Nintendo’s take on online play and motion, and moving it to Switch 2 early is a signal that multiplayer will be one of the platform’s launch pillars. Nintendo also highlighted several upgrade editions of existing titles for Switch 2, continuing a pattern that worked when the original Switch absorbed the best of Wii U’s library. That cross-generation approach helps early adopters fill their libraries fast while giving current Switch owners a reason to hold on to their games.
From there, the Direct widened out. Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave marked the next mainline tactical entry from Intelligent Systems. Nintendo kept details close, but planting a flag now keeps the drumbeat going after Fire Emblem: Three Houses and Engage found large audiences on Switch. The series has become one of Nintendo’s most consistent sellers, and a new title in the launch window of new hardware is a predictable—and smart—play.
Third-party presence was clear, too. Capcom revealed Resident Evil Requiem for Nintendo platforms, adding a new chapter to a franchise that has lived on nearly every gaming device over the past two decades. Supergiant’s Hades II also got the nod, confirming a Nintendo release alongside other platforms. Hades became a breakout hit on Switch, and seeing its sequel on the docket suggests indie and mid-sized studios will keep treating Nintendo as a first-tier platform rather than an optional port.
Nintendo packed the middle of the show with a quick-cut montage that teased more games in development for both Switch and Switch 2. The reel didn’t dwell on any single project for long, but the message was blunt: the pipeline is active across generations. If you own a Switch, you’re not being left behind. If you plan to jump to Switch 2, you won’t be waiting for content.
For all the hype, there were also notable absences and light-touch updates. Industry chatter had built around possible updates to long-announced projects like Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, but the Direct didn’t dwell there. Nintendo tends to keep certain franchises for their own moments—especially when the main story of a show is anchored elsewhere. With Mario’s 40th front and center, the company kept the spotlight tight.
Timing matters here. Dropping the Galaxy duo on October 2 sets up a clean pre-holiday beat, with the film reveal priming a second wave of attention in spring 2026. Slotting Mario Tennis Fever for February 12, 2026 positions Switch 2 with an early-year multiplayer anchor—handy for new hardware owners looking for a showpiece game that doesn’t require a massive time investment.
- Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2 (enhanced) — Nintendo Switch, October 2, 2025
- The Super Mario Galaxy Movie — Animated feature, April 2026
- Mario Tennis Fever — Switch 2, February 12, 2026
- Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave — New tactical RPG entry, platform(s) within the Nintendo ecosystem
- Resident Evil Requiem — New Capcom title for Nintendo platforms
- Hades II — Confirmed for Nintendo platforms
- Multiple Switch 2 upgrade editions — Enhanced versions of existing games
One more read on the format: the hour-long runtime gave Nintendo breathing room to show a near-term roadmap across two systems without drowning any single announcement. The company has found a steady rhythm with quarterly or semi-annual Directs, and this one felt like the closer for 2025—heavy on clear dates through early 2026, light on deep dives for projects that aren’t ready.
What the strategy says about Switch 2—and what’s next
Nintendo didn’t spend time on specs, pricing, or a Switch 2 launch date. The silence doesn’t mean the company is unsure; it means the pitch today is about software and continuity. By putting enhanced editions on the table, Nintendo is telling current Switch owners that their libraries still matter. By spacing out first-party anchors—Galaxy in October on Switch, Mario Tennis in February on Switch 2—the company avoids crowding its own calendar while keeping attention rolling from fall into spring.
Cross-generation launches can be messy, but Nintendo has done this dance. When Switch replaced Wii U, the company used a stream of upgraded hits to keep momentum while new projects ramped. Doing that again for Switch 2 makes sense. Upgrade editions also create an easy on-ramp for third parties to improve performance and features without committing to ground-up rebuilds, which in turn helps fill the Switch 2 release list in its early months.
The Galaxy remasters are doing more than filling a slot. Galaxy 2 never appeared in the Super Mario 3D All-Stars collection, and fans have been asking for a clean way to play it on modern hardware. Pairing it with Galaxy 1 and adding control options fixes the friction point that kept some players away from the originals. The Assist Mode and expanded Storybook content show Nintendo understands both ends of its audience: newcomers who need a softer landing and veterans who want a reason to revisit.
On the film side, the April 2026 date is smart. It gives the Galaxy games time to breathe on Switch through the holiday, builds anticipation during awards season chatter, and then hits theaters as families look for a spring break event. The last Mario film proved that Nintendo can turn game nostalgia into a filmgoing habit. A Galaxy-themed sequel leans into the imagery and music people remember, while leaving room for new characters and locations.
Fire Emblem’s return signals something else about Switch 2: core strategy and RPG players are part of the day-one conversation. That matters in a cycle where Sony and Microsoft often lean on shooters and open-world action as showcase experiences. Nintendo’s lane is different. Tactical depth, bright art, and systems you can play on the couch or on the go—that’s the identity that turned the original Switch into a phenomenon. Keeping that identity intact will be key as Switch 2 arrives.
Third-party alignment looks steady. Hades II showing up is a vote of confidence from an indie studio that found a huge audience on Switch. Capcom naming Resident Evil Requiem for Nintendo platforms signals ongoing support from a major publisher that has invested heavily in multi-platform pipelines. When a platform has both, it usually means a healthy flow of releases across budgets and genres.
What wasn’t said is as interesting as what was. Nintendo didn’t outline how Switch 2 upgrade editions will work—whether there will be free upgrades, paid paths, or save transfers. It didn’t explain how motion, HD rumble, or joy-con equivalents evolve on the new hardware. And it didn’t date the console itself. That restraint keeps expectations in check and leaves room for a hardware-focused briefing later.
Expect the company to parcel out the remaining big beats in separate moments. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is the most obvious candidate for its own showcase once the team is ready to lock in dates and show extended footage. The same goes for other first-party staples that didn’t show here. Nintendo rarely throws every card on the table at once; it stages attention across the calendar.
For players, the takeaway is simple. If you’re staying on Switch, you have fresh Mario in October and a slate of third-party and first-party titles rolling into 2026. If you’re eyeing Switch 2, you know a sports headliner is dated for February and that upgrade paths are part of the plan. And if you’re a Mario fan across games and movies, the Galaxy theme will carry you from fall play sessions to a spring theater seat.
Nintendo wanted this Direct to feel like a turning point that honors the past without getting stuck in it. Anchoring the show to Mario’s 40th birthday did the job emotionally. Filling it with concrete release dates and cross-gen signals did the job strategically. Now the company has a clean runway into the holidays and a clearer pitch for the first months of 2026—all without saying more than it wanted to say about the hardware everyone’s waiting to see.