Stop everything you are doing. A brand-new Super Smash Bros. game for the Nintendo Switch 2 just got teased by the one leaker who keeps getting things right, and buried in the same rumor drop is an even wilder claim: Nintendogs, the cozy DS-era dog simulator Nintendo left for dead over a decade ago, is apparently coming back. Yes, really.
The rumors come from malo932, a leaker who has quietly built one of the most accurate track records in the Nintendo scene this year. This is the same person who correctly called the Nintendo Direct presentations days before they were announced, nailed the Ocarina of Time remake buzz before NateTheHate got the credit, and predicted Nintendo Switch Sports Resort before anyone else. When this person talks, it is worth listening.
A Brand-New Smash Bros. Is Reportedly in Development
According to malo932, a brand-new Super Smash Bros. title is in development, and it is safe to assume it is targeting the Nintendo Switch 2. Not a port of Ultimate. Not a deluxe re-release. A genuinely new entry. That single sentence is enough to send the entire fighting game community into overdrive, because Super Smash Bros. Ultimate closed its DLC cycle with Sora back in 2021 and fans have been starving for news ever since.
Masahiro Sakurai himself has been busy with Kirby Air Riders, which many assumed meant Smash was years away. But Nintendo works on long timelines, and with the Switch 2 now on shelves and hungry for system sellers, a new Smash reveal could be the trump card Nintendo plays when the moment is right. If the game is real, a reveal could land as a show-closing megaton in a future Direct.
Nintendogs Is Coming Back?!
The stranger and arguably more delightful part of the leak is the Nintendogs revival. The leaker teased it with a cryptic message: cozy weird games are strong at Nintendo, and maybe another forgotten cozy weird Nintendo series is coming back, barking. Wink wink, woof woof.
For anyone who missed the phenomenon, Nintendogs on the Nintendo DS sold over 24 million copies and turned an entire generation into virtual pet owners. Shigeru Miyamoto designed it as a showcase for the DS touchscreen and microphone, and it became one of the best-selling handheld games of all time. A follow-up, Nintendogs plus Cats, launched on the 3DS in 2011 and then the series went silent for 15 years. The timing for a comeback could not be better: cozy games like Animal Crossing New Horizons and Stardew Valley proved the market is massive, and the Switch 2 hardware could do adorable things with a modern pet sim.
The Leak List Gets Even Wilder
malo932 did not stop there. The same rumor drop includes a Star Fox adventure game, a Super Metroid remake that is reportedly close to completion, a new Wario Land title possibly landing in 2027, a new 3D Mario game likely in 2027, and Mario Kart DLC arriving in 2027 that may feature a Star Fox crossover. Add in DanielRPKs claim that the first trailer for the live-action Legend of Zelda movie drops soon, and September 2026 is shaping up to be one of the craziest months in Nintendo history.
Some of these are safer bets than others. A new 3D Mario and a Metroid remake have been rumored for months through multiple channels. But a Nintendogs revival is exactly the kind of left-field Nintendo move that nobody would invent, which makes it feel oddly credible.
Why This Actually Makes Sense
Think about Nintendo’s position right now. The Switch 2 launched with strong momentum, and the September 2026 Nintendo Direct just delivered Fire Emblem Fortunes Weave, Metroid and Kirby news, and the Eternal Anima RPG reveal. But Nintendo always keeps one or two megatons in reserve. Super Smash Bros. is the ultimate reserve weapon: Ultimate sold over 35 million copies and became a cultural event every time a new fighter dropped. A new entry built natively for Switch 2 hardware, with rollback netcode and a fresh roster, would sell consoles by itself.
And Nintendogs fits Nintendo’s current cozy-game push perfectly. With the company leaning into family-friendly comfort experiences and the Switch 2 sporting a built-in microphone and improved touchscreen, a modern Nintendogs practically designs itself. Imagine barking voice commands at your virtual Shiba Inu in HD. Fans would melt.
What Do You Think?
So here is the big question: if a brand-new Smash Bros. is really coming to Switch 2, who is your most-wanted newcomer? And be honest, would you actually buy a Nintendogs revival on day one, or is your virtual-pet era behind you? Drop your takes below, because if even half of these rumors are true, Nintendo fans are about to eat very well.
Related reading: check out our coverage of the Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Switch 2 Edition announcement, the Resident Evil remakes coming to Switch 2, and the Eternal Anima RPG reveal from the Nintendo Direct.
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