Nintendo really is bringing back two niche franchises for Switch in 2026

Rumours of a niche Nintendo franchise being brought back for the original Switch have proven true – in fact there’s going to be two of them.

With the Nintendo Switch 2 showcase happening next week, the annoucement of a surprise Nintendo Direct for the current Switch, on Thursday, was something of a shock.

Although, when rumours of a Switch 1 focused showcase first made the rounds last month, it was suggested that Nintendo’s big announcement would be a new entry in a ‘beloved niche franchise.’

Turns out that wasn’t entirely accurate. Not because an announcement didn’t take place, but because Nintendo is bringing back not one but two of its lesser-known franchises to Switch.

The first is Rhythm Paradise (aka Rhythm Heaven and RhythmTengoku), which is a series of quirky rhythm games that’s been around since 2006. While we’ve always prefered Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan, Rhythm Paradise is still an incredibly charming series and one deserving of a new game.

Entries have been few and far between though, with the most recent entry being 2016’s Rhythm Heaven Megamix for the Nintendo 3DS. The series was long overdue a Switch entry and now it’s getting one with Rhythm Paradise Groove.

The second comeback is even more of a surprise and something Nintendo deemed worthy of serving up as the final game reveal of the Direct: a Tomodachi Life sequel.

If you’re unfamiliar with it, Tomodachi Life is kind of like Nintendo’s take on The Sims, but with the Mii characters. It’s only ever had two games (one of which was Japanese only), with the last one coming out for the 3DS in 2014.

While amusing in places, we weren’t particularly enamoured with it due to how little interaction it offered. But it’s not without its fans and Nintendo clearly thinks there’s enough of an audience to give it a Switch sequel.

Titled Tomodachi Life: Living The Dream, it promises to retain the same wacky sense of humour, although it looks like it could have a larger scale than its predecessor, thanks to its new island setting.

At the very least, it should feature an option for same sex romances between Miis. This was something the 3DS game omitted, which drew enough controversy for Nintendo to promise it would rectify this if it ever made a sequel.

Interestingly, both games are slated for 2026, even though the Switch 2 will be out later this year, possibly in June. This just goes to show that Nintendo won’t be completely ditching the original Switch any time soon; something it had already promised beforehand.

There’s been no mention of whether the two games will see dedicated Switch 2 versions, although they probably don’t need them since they’re not the most graphically intensive of games.

Aside from these two, the only other Switch 1 games Nintendo has left are Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and Pokémon Legends Z-A. Both games also appeared during today’s Direct, but they still don’t have exact release dates.

Other surprise announcements included ports of the first two Patapon games and a new Everybody’s Golf; both of which are PlayStation franchises published by Sony.

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