One Iconic Nintendo Franchise Was Notably Missing At The Latest Nintendo Direct

The recent Nintendo Direct featured many upcoming games to get excited about. Princess Zelda is finally headlining her own adventure in, a game few knew was in development. There was also gameplay footage of the hotly anticipated . Even the series is getting its first installment in nine years with, coming to the Switch this November. From JRPGs to first-person shooters, Nintendo’s June 2024 Direct boasted a stellar lineup coming to the Switch, even as the console enters the twilight of its life.

That being said, as stacked as Nintendo's lineup of announcements was for this month’s Direct, there were some major franchises that noticeably went unmentioned. Of course, not every franchise can churn out one new game after another, nor should they. Yet, there are some series under the Nintendo umbrella that have gone untouched for the entirety of the Switch’s shelf-life, specifically one franchise. A beloved property that has largely gone radio silent since its last installment on the Wii U console, one that was once considered a tentpole Nintendo IP. The franchise in question is none other than.

Nintendo's latest Direct presentation was massive, and it hints that some new games might not be exclusive to the Switch after all.

When the original was released on the Super Nintendo in 1993, it was both a critical and commercial success. With the help of the Super FX processing chip, featured polygonal 3D graphics and was only the second game on a Nintendo console to do so at the time. Four years later, the game would be reimagined on the Nintendo 64 with, another critical and financial success. Both games still frequently appear in «greatest of all time» lists. Yet, since peaking on the N64, the series has been on a slow but definite decline.

Recent leaks point towards new games in the works for the Nintendo Switch 2, including new and titles.

Neither Nintendo’s Wii or Switch consoles ever saw a release on their platforms, and why the Switch was never home to a title is