Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase LIVE: Switch 2 latest as Red Dead Redemption 2 port rumoured

And that's a wrap!

And that concludes our coverage of Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase! Thank you so much for tuning in, be sure to keep it locked on indy100.com for all the latest gaming news, views, leaks, rumours and more.

See you soon!

'Perhaps the worst Direct ever?'

A post in the Nintendo Subreddit has got a lot of people talking - and it's called "perhaps the worst Direct ever?"

Kratosbutintoyoga posted: "So rather than getting a load of decent third party ports, Nintendo decided to release a short Direct with nothing of substance for the months leading up to the holiday season. We have a slate of first-party games and nothing in the way of easy ports from Rockstar, Ubisoft etc? What the hell are Nintendo doing?"

And others have been commenting with their thoughts.

STD--LOGIC-- said: "How many games is Square Enix going to make in that HD-2D style until they remake Chrono Trigger?"

HoneyswirlTheWarrior said: "Personally I really loved how make a campfire simulator got an entire section. I was really immersed. Especially when the players turned into oversized webcams that was my favourite part."

UncannyLucky said: "I'm not going to say if it was the best or worst ever but RPG fans are definitely eating good from this. Persona, Monster Hunter and a new Octopath Traveler? That's not bad."

CommandWest7471 said: "We got a new Katamari game and PVZ port. That's enough for me, at least."

Tubim said: "Lmao it's obvious you weren't there during the Wii-U end of life. Also, Ubisoft is known to always do the bare minimum on Nintendo consoles and they did: Outlaws and Just Dance."

The_Legend_of_Xeno said: "No Silksong, I'm actually cracking up at that."

All the announcements and release dates

Here's a full rundown of everything that was shown, along with their release dates:

• Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection - 2026
• Once Upon a Katamari - 24 October
• Just Dance 2026 - 14 October
• Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero - 14 November
• Plants vs Zombies Replanted - 23 October
• EA Sports FC 26 - 26 September
• Pac-Man World 2 Re-Pac - 26 September
• Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles - 30 September
• Persona 3 Reload - 23 October
• Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment - Winter
• MADDEN NFL 26 - 14 August
• Chillin' By the Fire - today (31 July)
  
• Apex Legends - 5 August
  
• Hela - 2026
• Star Wars Outlaws - 4 September
  
• Cronos: The New Dawn - 5 September
• Yakuzi Siwama 2 - 13 November
• Goodnight Universe - 11 November
• NBA Bounce - 26 September
• Hello Kitty Island Adventure: Wheatflour Wonderland - Autumn
• Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven - today (31 July)
• SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance - 29 August
• Borderlands 4 - 3 October
• The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales - 2026
• Octopath Traveler 0 - 4 December

That's it!

And those are all the announcements Nintendo have for us from third-party developers!

We'll have a full recap of all the announcements shortly along with reaction to them all.

Looking at the comments on the YouTube chat, it doesn't seem to have gone down massively well...

Octopath Traveler 0

Another Square Enix game - this one is Octopath Traveler 0.

It's another 2D-HD game and is out on 4 December.

The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales

Square Enix is back with a new HD-2D action RPG. Action gameplay looks quite tactical and varied with seven weapon types.

It has that unique 2D-HD charm. It's called The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales.

A demo is out for it now and it releases in 2026.

Final quickfire run

• Goodnight Universe
• NBA Bounce
• Hello Kitty Island Adventure: Wheatflour Wonderland
• Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven
• SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance
• Borderlands 4

Yakuza Kiwami 2

Yakuzi Siwama 2 has been shown and it's releasing on 13 November, along with a remaster of the original game.

Cronos: The New Dawn

Bloober Team's Cronos: The New Dawn is releasing on Switch 2. The studio released the critically acclaimed Silent Hill 2 remake towards the end of 2024.

Cronos: The New Dawn is set in an alternate reality in the throes of The Change, a cataclysmic event that changed humanity forever, and the steelworks are ground zero for it.

Players take on the role of a heavily armoured Traveler who must survive a brutal, post-apocalyptic world filled with gruesome monsters that can merge into more powerful foes to find rifts to travel back in time to 1980s Poland to extract and save key people.

Decisions made in terms of who to save and not affect how the story plays out.

A release date has been given too of 5 September which was previously unknown.

Check out our full preview of the game here.

Star Wars Outlaws

Now this is a big one in terms of what the Switch 2 will be able to handle - Ubisoft's Star Wars Outlaws is heading to the console.

This is a massive game in scope and tech experts have previously said this will be even more of an acid test for the Switch 2 than Cyberpunk 2077.

It's out on 4 September.

Yet more quickfire announcements

• MADDEN NFL 26 by EA Sports - MADDEN is heading to Nintendo on 14 August.
• Chillin' By the Fire by Oink Games - this is a cosy fire building game where players can make fires by the beach. Marshmallows can be roasted and fireworks set off. It's out on Switch 2 later today.
  
• Apex Legends from EA - the popular first-person shooter is available on 5 August.
  
• Hela from My.Games - players take on the role as a mouse and it looks like a very cute 3D platformer. Ingredients must be gathered to find a cure for an enchantment. It's out in 2026.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment

A new trailer for Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment has been shown.

Now that's a surprise.

An action-packed trailer shows Zelda and companions taking on foes in a number of different settings. It seems there's another iconic soundtrack to boot.

It's out in Winter.

More quickfire announcements

• Pac-Man World 2 Re-Pac from Bandai Namco - it includes co-op and is out on 26 September.
• Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles from Square Enix - the game is now fully voiced with new dialogues between characters. That releases on 30 September.
• Persona 3 Reload from SEGA - there's been a lot of hype for this and it's out on Switch 2 on 23 October.
  

EA Sports FC 26

A trailer for EA Sports FC 26 has been shown.

That;s out on 26 September.

Plants vs Zombies is back

Plants vs Zombies is back!

The original 2009 tower defence game returns with Plants vs Zombies Replanted on 23 October.

This time, it can be played in co-op and PvP.

Quickfire announcements

• Once Upon a Katamari from Bandai Namco - players have to roll through the world as a Katamari, taking on a number of different puzzles and online play. It's out on 24 October.
• Just Dance 2026 from Ubisoft - there are 40 new tracks for players to dance to, including 'Houdini' by Dua Lipa and 'Hung Up' by Madonna. There's a new co-op mode called Party Mode. That's available on 14 October.
• Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero from Bandai Namco - Dragon Ball's fighting game is back, including Goku, where players can recreate iconic Dragon Ball moments. Fighters, stages and dialogue can be chosen to create unique scenarios too. It's out on 14 November.

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection

First up is Capcom with a new trailer for Monster Hunter Stories 3.

An action packed trailer shows the main protagonist taking on a number of different monsters and a bit of background about its setting.

It's out in 2026 on Switch 2.

Here we go...

The Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase is underway.

Let's see what Nintendo has in store for us.

What could be announced during Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase?

To recap what could be announced shortly, rumours of a Red Dead Redemption 2 port have picked back up again following the confirmation of the Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase.

A next gen port for RDR2 has been widely speculated for a while now, along with a release on Switch 2, given that Red Dead Redemption released on the Switch in August 2023.

Renowned insider NateTheHate said there's "always a chance" a RDR2 port could appear at the Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase.

There are rumours Xbox could be bringing a number of its games across to Nintendo given the success it has enjoyed by releasing a number of its titles on PlayStation.

Xbox has six of the 10 most downloaded games on the PS Store in the second quarter of 2025.

Hollow Knight: Silksong could also make an appearance, given that it has a playable demo through Xbox at Gamescom and is releasing on both the original Switch and Switch 2.

Elden Ring has been announced for the Switch 2 but that's it so far, so there could be news on that. FromSoftware could also provide an update on The Duskbloods.

Activision could make an appearance as there hasn't been much about Call of Duty making its way to Nintendo consoles since the publisher confirmed it's working on it.

There have also been rumours of Assassin's Creed Shadows making its way to the Switch 2 as well.

None of this has yet been officially confirmed.

30 minute countdown

Just 30 minutes to go until the livestream gets underway.

You can stream it live at the link above.

One hour to go

There's just one hour to go until the Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase stream gets underway.

Be sure to keep it locked for all the latest as it happens.

Gamers share thoughts on Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase

Gamers have been sharing their thoughts on the upcoming Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase in the Nintendo Subreddit.

Visual-Ad960 said: "Guess we're waiting til the September Direct for first party stuff. I imagine Prime 4 or Hyrule Warriors will get their release date announced for September via the Nintendo Today app like Drag x Drive did."

3ehsan said: "Hoping Square Enix and Capcom have good showings."

TotalNonstopFrog said: "Silksong date incoming?"

TheMasterOfSas said: "Atlus please, Persona 3 Reload and Metaphor."

Shadowlanen said: "My hope for this is the Halo franchise... But it is highly unlikely."

What else could be announced?

There are rumours Xbox could be bringing a number of its games across to Nintendo given the success it has enjoyed by releasing a number of its titles on PlayStation.

Xbox has six of the 10 most downloaded games on the PS Store in the second quarter of 2025.

Hollow Knight: Silksong could also make an appearance, given that it has a playable demo through Xbox at Gamescom and is releasing on both the original Switch and Switch 2.

Elden Ring has been announced for the Switch 2 but that's it so far, so there could be news on that. FromSoftware could also provide an update on The Duskbloods.

Activision could make an appearance as there hasn't been much about Call of Duty making its way to Nintendo consoles since the publisher confirmed it's working on it.

There have also been rumours of Assassin's Creed Shadows making its way to the Switch 2 as well.

None of this has yet been officially confirmed.

Red Dead Redemption 2 port rumoured for Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase

Rumours of a Red Dead Redemption 2 port have picked back up again following the confirmation of the Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase.

A next gen port for RDR2 has been widely speculated for a while now, along with a release on Switch 2, given that Red Dead Redemption released on the Switch in August 2023.

Renowned insider NateTheHate said there's "always a chance" a RDR2 port could appear at the Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase.

This has not been officially confirmed.

What time does Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase start?

Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase starts at 2pm BST (9am ET / 6am PT).

Nintendo has said the stream will last for around 25 minutes.

How can I watch Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase?

The Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase will be streamed on Nintendo's official feeds, including at the YouTube link above.

The link is already live and fans can wait in it ahead of the livestream starting.

Good morning!

Hello and welcome to the indy100 live blog covering the Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase!

We'll have all the latest from the event as it happens, plus we'll be building up to it ahead of it starting and have a roundup of everything that's announced, plus reaction, after the event.

Be sure to keep it locked through the day for all the latest and everything you need to know.