Nintendo Developing New Smash Bros, Nintendogs, Mario Kart DLC With Star Fox, Leaker Claims
Nintendo is developing an all-new Super Smash Bros and Nintendogs, a notable leaker has claimed.
The details come from Malo932, who recently stated that Nintendo would hold two Direct presentations this week (correct), and who previously stated that a classic Star Fox, Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake, and new Switch Sports would all be announced and launched this year (all correct too).
Word of a new Smash Bros. game is enormously exciting to the fighting game series' huge fanbase, though perhaps not a huge surprise considering how well Super Smash Bros. Ultimate sold on Nintendo Switch (at 38 million copies, it is the console's third-best selling game, behind Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Animal Crossing: New Horizons). But one notable detail here is more surprising — that this is a new game, rather than a souped-up version of Ultimate. How the company plans to beat the Switch's hugely ambitious installment remains to be seen.
A fresh Nintendogs is another surprise, more than a decade on from Nintendogs + Cats, the franchise's last release back on 3DS in 2011.
Other claims made by Malo932, rounded up by Centro Leaks, include Mario Kart DLC coming next year featuring Fox McCloud, a new Star Fox Adventures game, a new Wario Land game, and a 2D Metroid. There's also mention of next year's widely-expected 3D Mario.
Many of these claims have subsequently been backed up by the more well-known Nintendo leaker NatetheHate, whose corroboration of the Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake made headlines earlier this year. NatetheHate has a strong track record of Nintendo leaks, and previously also reported the Switch 2's reveal date accurately. Now, the company appears to have a second prolific source of leaks on its hands, too.
Nintendo will likely have been "furious" to see Zelda: Ocarina of Time and other surprises leak over the past six months, two former Nintendo staff members previously claimed. The console maker relies on its ability to surprise fans as a large part of its marketing. Instead, fans now believe they have a good idea of the company's upcoming product pipeline well into next year.
How many of these titles will make it into this week's pair of Nintendo Direct broadcasts, however, remains to be seen. Nintendo will use this week to lay out its plans for the Zelda series' 40th anniversary, with a deep dive into Ocarina of Time and a peek at the upcoming live-action Zelda movie both widely expected. Beyond that? Well, we'll just have to tune in and find out. As ever, IGN will be reporting on all of the official announcements as they happen.