Latest Nintendo switch, multi-platform Game News &amp; Updates

Kingdom Hearts fans cry foul over AI-generated artwork claims

Many are accusing Square Enix of using ugly generative AI to create the box art for the new Kingdom Hearts Collection.

Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy, and Persona stole the show at Summer Game Fest 2026

The Summer Game Fest 2026 events have been dominated by JRPGs from the release date of Persona 4 Revival to a better look at Kingdom Hearts 4

🎮 Final Fantasy🎮 Persona

If You’re Not Ready For A Showcase, Nintendo, Don’t Force It

Nintendo's decision to host a Nintendo Direct(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-direct-june-2026-all-the-biggest-announcements-and-games/) this June befuddles me. The virtual showcase wasn't terrible, but it certainly didn't wow me either. Deltarune is very cool, so it was nice to see a release date for Chapter 5(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/deltarune-chapter-5-revealed-and-its-out-very-soon/), and I'm sure plenty of folks are thrilled to jump back into Pokemon Pokopia with its new expansion pass(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/pokemon-pokopia-getting-free-underwater-expansion-and-paid-dlc-and-its-all-a-little-confusing/). But the games that would have been this Direct's big hitters, Kingdom Hearts IV(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/kingdom-hearts-4-gets-a-surprise-look-at-nintendo-direct-2026/) and a remake for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/zelda-ocarina-remakes-lack-of-gameplay-did-it-a-disservice/), got extremely short teasers that didn't drum up much hype (for me, anyway). The entire Direct felt somewhat lackluster, and I wonder why Nintendo didn't just hold off on having a showcase until later this year. The current landscape of virtual game showcases owes a lot to Nintendo. While major virtual presentations being livestreamed were a major part of E3 when that was still a thing, Nintendo established the framework for how showcases should work with its Directs, starting back in 2011. Nintendo basically separated itself from E3 entirely in 2013, ditching its annual stage presentation to just host Directs. And because of that, Nintendo no longer needed to be restrained to summer for big announcements. The community understood that Directs were their own thing, and they could be hosted at any time. !(https://www.gamespot.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/nin3.png?w=1024) This has been incredible for Nintendo as it's been able to have showcases whenever there has been something to showcase. While some Directs have been far more impressive than others, most of them--especially in recent years--have done a great job of getting the audience excited and talking about at least one game. Each one felt carefully curated and well-prepared. The lack of substantial gameplay or news for Kingdom Hearts IV and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time leaves me wondering why Nintendo revealed anything about them at all. These announcements felt undercooked, like they both could have spent a bit more time in secrecy before their public unveiling to the world. !(https://www.gamespot.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/nin2.png?w=1024) Comparing this Direct to more recent June Directs paints a stark contrast. In 2025, we got a substantial gameplay reveal for Donkey Kong Bananza; in 2024, we got the announcement and gameplay reveal for The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom and both a gameplay reveal and plenty of new info for Metroid Prime 4: Beyond; and in 2023, we got the announcement and gameplay reveal for Pokemon Scarlet/Violet's two DLC expansions, the announcement and gameplay reveal for the remake of Super Mario RPG, the gameplay reveal for Pikmin 4, and the announcement and a pretty big gameplay reveal for Super Mario Bros. Wonder. When I compare those showcases to this year's Direct, it feels like night and day. Maybe something was happening behind the scenes that prevented Nintendo from being able to show what it planned to, or perhaps Nintendo thinks the mere mention of Ocarina of Time getting a remake for Switch 2 is an announcement on par with an entire gameplay reveal for Mario, Pokemon, Donkey Kong, Metroid, or any of its other first-party franchises. If anything, however, this showcase felt more like an act of obligation than anything else, as if Nintendo felt a need to showcase something, anything, to warrant being in the Summer Game Fest conversation. !(https://www.gamespot.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/nin1.png?w=1024) And, frankly, Nintendo doesn't need to be a part of the SGF conversation. It continues to draw viewership for its Directs and hype for its games, largely because its showcases for upcoming games almost always celebrate them with detailed looks at gameplay and fun insights from game directors or producers. If Nintendo somehow feels like it needs to host a Direct within the vicinity of SGF, I hope it ditches that philosophy soon. I'd much rather only have Directs when Nintendo has something it wants to show off, not when it feels pressured it has to show anything off.

🎮 Pokemon

🎮 Zelda🎮 The Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake

The Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake reveal during Nintendo Direct was a mistake

Nintendo chose to run a short teaser for a game that had already leaked, leaving too many questions hanging

Kingdom Hearts Cloud Versions Shut Down Today, And You’ll Have To Buy New Versions To Keep Playing

Prior to this week, the only options that Switch owners had to play the Kingdom Hearts franchise was via the cloud versions offered by Square Enix. However, with the new Switch and Switch 2 versions on the horizon, Square Enix has announced that Kingdom Hearts' Switch cloud versions are being delisted. The following titles will be affected by the decision and no longer playable after today, June 9. ・Kingdom Hearts - HD 1.5+2.5 ReMIX - Cloud Version ・Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue Cloud Version ・Kingdom Hearts III + Re Mind (DLC) Cloud Version ・Kingdom Hearts Integrum Masterpiece Cloud Version Separately, those game collections ranged from $40 to $50, while Kingdom Hearts Integrum Masterpiece brought them all together for $90. The newly announced digital versions of Kingdom Hearts - HD 1.5+2.5 ReMIX for Switch and Kingdom Hearts Collection I~III for Switch 2 are available for preorder now. Players who owned Switch cloud copies of previous Kingdom Hearts games are eligible to get a 50% discount on the following digital versions: ・Kingdom Hearts - HD 1.5+2.5 ReMIX - (Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 version) ・Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue (Nintendo Switch 2 version) ・Kingdom Hearts III + Re Mind (DLC) (Nintendo Switch 2 version) ・Kingdom Hearts Collection I~III (Nintendo Switch 2 version) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldMqRmTwy80 There will be a physical version of Kingdom Hearts Collection I~III for Switch 2, but the discount will not be offered for that compilation. There is one bright spot for players who owned cloud versions of these games. Square Enix has confirmed that the save data from those editions will be transferable to the Switch 2 digital versions. As for the future of the Kingdom Hearts franchise, Kingdom Hearts 4 received a surprise teaser(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/kingdom-hearts-4-gets-a-surprise-look-at-nintendo-direct-2026/) during today's Nintendo Direct(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-direct-june-2026-all-the-biggest-announcements-and-games/). That came with the news that the Switch 2 port of Kingdom Hearts 4 will arrive alongside its counterparts on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC. For now, the sequel doesn't have a release date.

🎮 Horizon

Nintendo is playing things too safe

Tuesday's Nintendo Direct showcase felt like an important moment for the company. With the Switch 2 heading into its second holiday season, one in which the hardware will be even more expensive thanks to a price hike, it was a chance for Nintendo to really sell new audiences on its latest console - but that's &8230;

🎮 Nintendo

TheNews3 months ago

I Didn’t Care About The New Star Fox Until I Found Out Who’s Making It

I never played much Star Fox as a kid. Save for maybe a few minutes here and there at a friend or cousin's house, I've basically not played the series whatsoever. So I was safely out on playing the new one arriving this summer for Switch 2. But a funny thing happened this morning: We actually learned who is making it--something that oddly doesn't happen much with Nintendo games until we can watch the credits--and the answer has completely changed my plans. The New York-based Velan Studios was delighted to announce today that it's the development team working with Nintendo on Star Fox, and that the game is built on Velan's proprietary engine, Viper. If you don't know it by name, Velan is a fairly young team, established in 2016, with several games to its name. Of those, the most important one to me is Knockout City(https://www.gamespot.com/games/knockout-city/). The 3v3 dodgeball game was an incredibly fun arcade sports game, and I've never really gotten over the game coming offline a few years ago(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/knockout-citys-closure-is-part-of-a-painful-truth-of-the-games-industry-studio-says/1100-6511390/). It's one of my favorite games ever. I've followed the team since then and have been enjoying its more recent release, Midnight Murder Club(https://www.gamespot.com/games/midnight-murder-club/), a PvP shooter set in a completely darkened mansion that demands players rely on flashlights and sounds to track down their opponents. What these two very different games have in common, beyond their novel gameplay mechanics, is their abundance of charm. Both games offer ample opportunities for players to showcase their skills, but they were also soundtracked by the frequent laughter from those playing. There's a childlike heart to both games that can't be missed--what better way to capture a youthful spirit than things like dodgeball and hide-and-seek? https://bsky.app/profile/velanstudios.bsky.social/post/3mnuig2crp225 I don't know much about Star Fox, but to me, that sounds like the perfect team to take on a Nintendo franchise where players fly through space and perform daring combat maneuvers(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZ8z9FQEQiQ) on an adventure with colorful characters. To the extent I can get away with "rooting" for a studio, a relatively small team that made one of my favorite games but has since suffered some commercial struggles seems to qualify. I assume the publisher and developer rekindled their relationship from earlier to make Star Fox happen. Believe it or not, the team's very first game was Nintendo's Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit(https://www.gamespot.com/games/mario-kart-live-home-circuit/), an augmented-reality racing game. Velan would later go on to use the same tech in a Hot Wheels(https://www.gamespot.com/games/hot-wheels-rift-rally/) game, too, and has also released a virtual-reality pinball game called Bounce Arcade(https://bouncearcade.com/). This type of portfolio suggests a team willing to try unconventional things, and to bring Star Fox back, I think you need to think outside the box. I'm excited to see Velan get called on for such a major project. As many players are surely returning to Star Fox as longtime fans hopeful for a revival that feels like it was worth the wait, I come to it from a decidedly different angle, but suddenly eager to play it, too.

🎮 Dragon's Dogma 2 Announces Dark Arisen

Dragon's Dogma 2 Announces Dark Arisen Expansion, Adding New Areas, Dungeons, And Cosmetics This October

!Game Informer News(https://www.gameinformer.com/sites/default/files/styles/bodydefault/public/2026/06/09/c2d435e8/dragonsdogma2darkarisen-announcementtrailer1-29screenshot.jpg.webp) Dragon's Dogma 2, a challenging, friction-filled fantasy adventure from Capcom, was one of my favorite games back in 2024. Today, during Nintendo's big summer Direct, we learned that the game is coming to Switch 2. What was less clear from the Direct's trailer, however, is that the Switch 2 version is actually Dragon's Dogma 2: Dark Arisen, an updated release of the game that will come bundled with the Dark Arisen expansion. That expansion is also coming as paid DLC to every other console the game is currently on, and you can see the trailer for it below: Dark Arisen's main selling point are the frozen lands of Norgan, a new icy area to the far north that players can explore for powerful relics, which can be appraised to unlock new gear and skills. The expansion also adds 12 new dungeon challenges and new hair and tattoo options to customize players and their pawns. There are also free updates on the way for the base game, and according to the new trailer's video description, the first one arrives today. "The first arrives June 9 with quality-of-life improvements, including the addition of an Eternal Ferrystone and more Portcrystals," it reads. "A second update in August brings framerate and performance improvements to all platforms, additional save slots, and many more adjustments and improvements." The Eternal Ferrystone sounds like it will remove some of the fast travel restrictions that put people off from the base game, even though I think friction makes the game better(https://www.gameinformer.com/opinion/2024/04/02/dragons-dogma-2-is-better-without-fast-travel), I don't mind an update that might welcome new players. Dragon's Dogma II: Dark Arisen is out four months from today, on October 9, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X.S, PC, and Switch 2, and if you pre-order the game, you'll get access to the Northern Attire fashion set. For more Dragon's Dogma, check out our review of the base game(https://gameinformer.com/review/dragons-dogma-2/on-the-shoulders-of-giants).

GameNews3 months ago

The Vampire Survivors Team Found The Perfect Anime To Adapt

During the June Nintendo Direct(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-direct-june-2026-all-the-biggest-announcements-and-games/), Vampire Survivors(https://www.gamespot.com/games/vampire-survivors/) developer Poncle announced an adaptation of the hit manga and anime series Jujutsu Kaisen, called Jujutsu Kaisen Rumble: Survivaton. Like Vampire Survivors, players will battle sinister forces--Cursed Spirits born from humanity's fears and anxieties--grow in power, and eventually become the strongest sorcerer on the block. The only catch is that this is a multiplayer game, and there's only room for one survivor when the clock runs out. Up to eight players can compete online, and as you cut through enemies, you'll accumulate points. The top two players will face off in a duel, and only one of them will emerge victorious. Another cool feature directly inspired by the source material is how players can add rules once they gather 100 points. This is taken directly from the Culling Games arc of the Jujutsu Kaisen series, and allows for an opponent's momentum to be disrupted while you climb up the ranks. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yffQAXMLSL0 As you'd expect, powerful bosses will also appear while you're exorcising Cursed Spirits, new characters can be unlocked by meeting certain conditions, and each sorcerer has a unique ability. Poncle says that the game roster will include over 20 Jujutsu Kaisen characters, each with their own skills and playstyle. The game launches later in 2026 for PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Switch 2. If you haven't seen Jujutsu Kaisen yet, then you've missed out on one of the hottest anime adaptations of the 2020s. The show follows Yuji Itadori after he swallows the cursed finger--no, really--of history's greatest and most malevolent sorcerer, Ryomen Sukuna, and becomes a vessel for the genocidal hedonist. Throw in outstanding animation, a killer soundtrack, and memorable characters like a talking panda, and you've got all the ingredients you need for a hit anime. Meanwhile, Poncle remains busy with other projects, like a brand-new expansion for Vampire Survivors(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/vampire-survivors-studio-is-expanding-in-a-big-way-starting-with-an-evil-twin-dlc/) and a spin-off set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. The developer also announced the formation of Survivaton, a new label dedicated to Survivors-like projects, and the formation of the studio's Japan branch.

Nintendo's new Switch 2 Joy-Con colors are a disappointment

Splatoon is normally a bright, in-your-face franchise, and Nintendo fails to capture that with its upcoming Joy-Con 2.