Rumor: February Nintendo Direct For Anniversaries Of Mario, Zelda, Pokemon, And More

The first Nintendo Direct rumor of 2026 has dropped.

NintenTalk shared this rumor on Twitter:

Source: “Expect a Nintendo Direct in February with some anniversary announcements in the show”

Some notable anniversaries this year: Metroid, Legend of Zelda, Mario (40th), Pokémon (30th), Animal Crossing, Gamecube (25th) plus many more 3rd party franchises

Of course, 1986 was a big year for the Famicom/NES. They started the year with the 1^st The Legend of Zelda in February, followed by Super Mario Bros. 2 in June and Metroid in August. The year ended with Kid Icarus in December. Castlevania also released this year.

The Pokémon franchise started to give the Game Boy its second wind with Pokémon Red and Blue Version in 1996.

Other anniversaries include the Sonic the Hedgehog and Street Fighter II turning 35, Tomb Raider and Resident Evil both turning 30, and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion turning 20.

If this Nintendo Direct is about anniversaries, there’s an embarrassment of riches of franchises and games that can come up to the event. It certainly sounds too good to be true, but we hope it is.