Gaming Influence: Predictions - Summer Game Fest 2026 ~ Nintendo

Hello everyone, 

Welcome to Gaming Influence, a reboot of the same name I created in WrestleCorp. I will be sharing my thoughts on certain video games and video game series, as well as video game movies, video game anime, and video game digital presentations.

For this edition of Gaming Influence, I'll be giving my predictions for Summer Game Fest 2026, which starts on June 5 and continues over the next few weeks. For the predictions in this article/editorial, I'll mainly focus on Nintendo.

Anyway, let's get started!

For further details on what the Summer Game Fest is, check out this article/editorial here: Summer Game Fest Predictions 2024: Nintendo

I'll be giving my predictions for a few video game companies on which game announcements will happen during Summer Game Fest, and I'll do one for each company before the show starts, outlining what I think will happen and what I want to happen.

For these predictions, I will be talking about Nintendo, so let's get to it!

Thinks

With the rumored Nintendo Direct happening during Summer Game Fest month, mid-June, I expect this game to show up as Nintendo would probably promote this game one more time before its release. I still can't believe that we're getting a new Star Fox after eleven years, which is crazy to me. With the help of the Super Mario Galaxy movie showcasing Fox McCloud from Star Fox, I really hope the game sells well so the Star Fox series can continue with new original games. Either way, we'll definitely see this game again in the next Nintendo Direct to give it one final push before its release.

I still can't believe that this game exists, but we're getting it anyway, which will come out on July 2, 2026, which I'm very excited for. I expect that we will get one more trailer for this game with gameplay, and Nintendo will give one final push for this game before its release. It's crazy that we got a new Rhythm Heaven game after a decade, but happy to see it, and I'm sure that we'll see this game again at the next Nintendo Direct.

Nintendo announced this game last year with barely any information about it, and after a year, they finally revealed more details about the game, and it'll be released on July 23, 2026. I expect another trailer for this game with gameplay, the story mode, and to show how multiplayer and online work for this game. It's very cool to see that Splatoon will get a spin-off game, and the fact that it's coming out soon is awesome. We'll definitely see this game again in the next Nintendo Direct for Nintendo to give one final push to the game.

Just like with Star Fox, if the rumored Nintendo Direct is happening mid-June during Summer Game Fest month, I expect Nintendo and Square Enix to promote and hype this game up before its release on June 18, 2026. Every time we see this game, I continue to be impressed, as this game has a lot of potential to be incredible from the demos that they've released so far. I'm looking forward to the final product when it's released, and I expect Nintendo and Square Enix to market this game one final time at the next Nintendo Direct.

This game was announced back at the Game Awards last year, and the last time we saw this game was back at the Nintendo Direct: Partner Showcase earlier this year in February. With this game supposedly releasing this summer, I expect it to show up at the next Nintendo Direct. This game is pretty much like It Takes Two and Split Fiction, but in an 80s anime art style, which I can totally get behind. When we see this game again at the next Nintendo Direct, we're going to get the release date for the game for sure.

This is one of my most anticipated games this year, and the last time we saw anything about this game was back at the Nintendo Direct last September. With this game supposedly being released this year, I expect it to show up at the next Nintendo Direct. Once we do see it again, I expect we will get a new trailer with gameplay and a bit of story, along with a release date for the game. Hope to see more of this game and we'll probably see it at the next Nintendo Direct.

It's been more than a year since they last showcased this game, and if it's still planned to be released this game, I expect that we'll see it again at the next Nintendo Direct. When they first showcased this game, it blew my mind as I didn't expect Nintendo to get an exclusive FromSoftware Soulslike game similar to Bloodborne, which is insane. Everything we've seen of this game looks to have so much potential, as I definitely want to see more of it for sure. Once we do see it again, I expect another trailer with more gameplay and a release date. It's another game I'm really excited about, and we'll definitely see it again at the next Nintendo Direct.

Normally, this game would show up at a Pokémon Presents, but sometimes during the E3/Summer Game Fest season, when there's a Nintendo Direct, Pokémon games tend to show up, and I expect that to be the same when it comes to the next Nintendo Direct during Summer Game Fest month, which is rumored for mid-June. I don't expect a release date for the game, but I do expect another trailer with more gameplay, and they might show the legendary Pokémon as well as the box art for the game as well. They may showcase this game again at the next Pokémon Presents, but I predict that we'll see it again at the next Nintendo Direct during Summer Game Fest month.

This is a game that is heavily rumored to get a remake, and honestly, we'll probably not get a new original 3D Zelda at least until 2028 or 2029, so having a remake of one of not only the best Legend of Zelda games of all time, but one of the best games of all time in general wouldn't be a bad idea at all. If it does happen, it'll happen at the next Nintendo Direct during Summer Game Fest month, which is rumored for mid-June. If it's a remake of Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, I hope it's a reimagining like the Final Fantasy Remake Trilogy and the Resident Evil Remake games to make it a completely new experience overall. I hope it happens, and if the rumor is true, we'll see it at the next Nintendo Direct during Summer Game Fest month.

It has been nine years since we got a new original 3D Super Mario platformer, and I feel like it's about time that we get one. Showcasing it in the next Nintendo Direct during Summer Game Fest month, which is rumored to be in mid-June, would be the place to do it. Whether the next 3D Super Mario platformer is similar to Super Mario Odyssey or Bowser's Fury in Super Mario 3D World, we're going to be in for a treat regardless. Either way, we'll definitely see a new original 3D Super Mario platformer from Nintendo at the next Nintendo Direct during Summer Game Fest month, and I feel it. 

Monolith Soft has been one of Nintendo's best video game studios and continues to do so with the Xenoblade Chronicles series, as well as being a support studio too. Even though Xenoblade Chronicles X Definitive Edition came out last year, I think Monolith Soft will showcase their next game that they've been working on for a long time, and I have a feeling we'll see it from Nintendo at the next Nintendo Direct during Summer Game Fest month, which is rumored to be in mid-June. No matter what the game might be, it's going to be amazing, and I'm sure that Nintendo will showcase it at the next Nintendo Direct during Summer Game Fest month.

Wants

Alright, that's all I think will happen at Summer Game Fest for Nintendo, but let's go over what I want from Nintendo. Now, these games that I want might happen or have no chance at all, but hoping for it to happen, so let's get started.

This is a game that was showcased at the Nintendo Direct: Partner Showcase back in February earlier this year, and the game is being released on July 16, 2026. I would expect Nintendo and Nihon Falcom to promote and market this game one last time before its release. However, I expect Nintendo to promote and market other games, but would love to see it at the next Nintendo Direct during Summer Game Fest month, which is rumored to be in mid-June, even though it won't likely happen.

It's unbelievable that this game is getting a remaster with additional content, which is insane. With this game being released this fall or winter, I would expect Nintendo and Spike Chunsoft to promote this game one last time before its release. Despite that, I don't see it at the next Nintendo Direct during Summer Game Fest month, rumored to be in mid-June, but I would love to be wrong. We'll see.

This is one of the indie games that was showcased in a Nintendo Direct last year that caught my attention, as I do enjoy the art style that this game has and the gameplay it has. However, I don't think Nintendo will give a big spotlight to a game like this during a big event like Summer Game Fest in a Nintendo Direct, but I would love to be proven wrong. I just don't see it happening.

The last time we saw anything from this game was back at the Nintendo Direct: Partner Showcase earlier this year in February, and with it releasing this year supposedly, you would think we would see more of this game during Summer Game Fest month. However, I personally don't think it will show up at either a Nintendo Direct during Summer Game Fest month or Summer Game Fest itself. I would love to be proven wrong, but we'll have to wait and see.

Another franchise that hasn't been seen for a long time is Kid Icarus and Kid Icarus: Uprising, which was the last game of this series on the Nintendo 3DS back in 2012. This series has the potential to be as big as the other Nintendo franchises, but with no new game in the series for fourteen years, I just don't know if it will happen at this point. However, I hope I'm wrong, as I would love to see the series make a comeback, but I just don't see it happening anytime soon.

Like every other franchise I mentioned here, the last game in the series was Golden Sun: Dark Dawn on the Nintendo DS back in 2010, so it's been sixteen years since then. Even though we got Golden Sun and Golden Sun 2: The Lost Age on Nintendo Switch Online on the GBA app, I still want a new original Golden Sun from Nintendo. It probably won't happen, but I can dream.

Yep. This will never stop until it finally happens, dang it! We want Mother 3 in the West as it got released on Nintendo Switch Online on the GBA app in Japan, so come on, Nintendo! Give us Mother 3! Thank you.

Well, those are my predictions for Nintendo at the Summer Game Fest.

What do you think Nintendo will show during the Summer Game Fest?

What do you want Nintendo to show during Summer Game Fest?

Let me know in the comments below, and thank you for reading.