New Switch 2 game leaks early as Nintendo Direct looks inevitable

Nintendo’s much rumoured next Direct looks increasingly likely, as a Switch 2 game’s announcement is posted early by accident.

Several reliable sources have claimed a Nintendo Direct is planned before the end of July, and with only one day left, there’s a nervous air hanging over every post from Nintendo.

The company recently announced the return of Mario Paint with mouse controls and released a new eight minute trailer for its 3v3 wheelchair basketball game Drag X Drive, which will receive a free online playtest on August 9 and 10, ahead of its launch on August 14.

With the Direct rumour hanging over proceedings, some believe Nintendo is rolling out these announcements now because they aren’t big enough for the presentation (or, in the case of Drag X Drive, are too long to cover) – something which has been a pattern in the past.

Beyond these announcements though, developer Nippon Ichi Software has really let the cat out of the bag. In a now deleted tweet (via ResetEra), the Disgaea studio announced a new rural life sim set for release on July 30, 2026 on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.

The game’s name seems to translate to something like The Garden Of Honolulu and is by the same team behind underappreciated survival horror series Yomawari.

While it’s unclear if the announcement is tied to a potential Direct, or if someone at the studio simply had a mishap with the social scheduling, the fact it is coming out on the Switch 2 suggests it could be lined up for the presentation.

There are other Nintendo-related rumours percolating in the ether too. Composer Manami Kiyota, who is best known for working on the music in the Xenoblade Chronicles series, posted a tweet saying she’s working on a ‘new project’ which some have taken as a hint to a new game.

‘I’m working on a new project together with wonderful creators from around the world,’ Kiyota posted on X. ‘Please look forward to the official announcement!’

Shortly afterwards, an insider on Chinese social media site Weibo posted artwork from Xenoblade Chronicles 3 with the caption: ‘This goodbye is not the end’ – a lyric used in the game’s ending theme titled Where We Belong.

However, there are some caveats to the latter. The day it was posted, July 29, was the same day as the third anniversary of Xenoblade Chronicles 3, so it’s possible this was simply a celebratory post to mark the occasion.

By that same logic though, if a Direct does happen this week, it’s possible Nintendo is planning to celebrate its third anniversary in some fashion – possibly with an upgraded Switch 2 edition in the vein of Super Mario Party Jamboree and Kirby And The Forgotten Land.

The co-director behind Xenoblade Chronicles 3 has already said any sequel will be ‘vastly different’ to previous entries, so a successor feels inevitable, but considering the third game’s DLC only came out two years ago, a brand new Xenoblade title might be a bit premature at this point. For comparison, there was a five-year gap between Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and Xenoblade Chronicles 3.

Even without a Xenoblade announcement, there’s still a lot of evidence for a Nintendo Direct. Along with the above, a retailer in Malaysia (via Nintendo Patents Watch) has reportedly outed vague details on the recently announced Splatoon spin-off Splatoon Raiders, claiming it will launch in 2025.

While it’s best to take this with a pinch of salt, it’s possible Splatoon Raiders could turn out to be Nintendo’s big Christmas game outside of Pokémon Legends: Z-A – even if it is a lot more popular in Japan than the rest of the world. However, the original trailer for Splatoon Raiders didn’t mention any 2025 window, implying it wouldn’t be released this year.

Either way, we shouldn’t have long to wait, as an announcement for the Nintendo Direct (if it is actually happening) is expected later today. Although there are rumours that it could be delayed by a week, because of today’s Pacific tsunami.

Fans have already noticed that Nintendo has delayed the annoucement of a Nintendo Switch 2 lottery in Japan from today until August 4, which could also indicate a short delay for the Direct.

Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter.

To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here.

For more stories like this, check our Gaming page.

MORE: Mario Kart World update makes the game easier but doesn’t fix biggest issues

MORE: Games Inbox: When is the next State of Play for PS5?

MORE: Playdate Season 2 full review – the best games on the weirdest console