作者：Online Games VIP Editorial
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IGN's review of Nintendo's September 2026 Direct highlights Metroid and Kirby, while The Duskbloods, 3D Mario and other sought-after games were absent.
Nintendo's September 2026 Direct delivered updates for Metroid, Kirby and Mario Kart World, but several closely watched games were absent. IGN's report identifies The Duskbloods, a new 3D Mario, and other Nintendo projects as the most notable no-shows from the 45-minute presentation.
IGN also separates confirmed projects from games that fans have only discussed through expectations, rumors or leaks. That distinction matters: The Duskbloods is an announced game with a 2026 release window, while new entries in series such as Animal Crossing, Luigi's Mansion and Super Smash Bros. have not been officially announced according to the report.
According to IGN, Nintendo used the Direct to reveal or discuss several updates aimed at Switch 2 owners. Metroid Ravenous is bringing Samus back for another 2D adventure, while Kirby and the World Beyond is moving the Kirby series into another 3D game planned for 2027. IGN also reports that Mario Kart World received a substantial free update during the presentation.
The Mario Kart World update includes reimagined courses from the Super Nintendo-era Mario Kart, according to IGN. The update was released as a shadow drop and does not require payment, giving current players something immediately available to explore. IGN's report does not say that the update included new characters, costumes or original tracks, and those omissions became part of the negative reaction described in the article.
IGN's assessment is that Metroid Ravenous and Kirby and the World Beyond were the clearest highlights for players looking for new games. That is an analysis of the publisher's coverage, not an OnlineGamesVIP hands-on verdict. The source also reports that some players considered the presentation less substantial than expected as the year moves toward its final months.
The Duskbloods remains announced, but its timing is unclear
The Duskbloods was the most direct source of concern because it is not merely a rumored project. IGN describes it as FromSoftware's vampire-themed multiplayer game exclusive to Switch 2, and says it still carries a 2026 release window. The game did not appear in the September Direct.
IGN reports that FromSoftware has not changed the game's release schedule publicly, but the studio has also not provided the release date that many players expected to see. The report notes that recent details have increased public interest while the actual launch date remains unknown.
A recent network test also did not go smoothly, according to IGN. The source does not provide enough information here to establish what went wrong, how seriously it affected development, or whether it changed the planned release window. Those practical questions remain unconfirmed.
Analysis: The important point for players is that the Direct's omission does not prove a delay. IGN explicitly says there has been no confirmed delay, while also noting that a 2026 launch leaves less time for a formal announcement as the year continues. Players can therefore treat the release window as the latest reported target, not as a confirmed launch date.
IGN includes a possible new Luigi's Mansion among the games fans hoped to see, while making clear that Nintendo has not officially announced Luigi's Mansion 4. The report connects that expectation to Next Level Games, the developer associated with Mario Strikers and Luigi's Mansion. Nintendo acquired the studio in 2021, and IGN says its last headlining release was 2022's Mario Strikers: Battle League, aside from assisting with Metroid Prime 4 in 2025.
IGN also notes that it has been almost seven years since Luigi's Mansion 3. The source presents that gap and the previous game's success as reasons for continued fan interest, not as evidence that a fourth game is in development. Nothing in the supplied reporting confirms what Next Level Games is currently making.
Animal Crossing was another major absence discussed by IGN. Nintendo has not explicitly announced a new mainline Animal Crossing game, according to the report. The last formal mainline release was Animal Crossing: New Horizons in 2020, while a Switch 2 version arrived in January of this year. IGN adds that Nintendo has historically allowed long gaps between mainline entries.
Analysis: These two examples show why a Direct no-show can be easy to overread. For The Duskbloods, there is an announced game and a stated release window. For Luigi's Mansion and Animal Crossing, the evidence described by IGN is a mixture of franchise history, development context and audience demand. That can explain why players were watching, but it cannot confirm that either project exists.
IGN reports that Nintendo's hybrid sequel console is entering its second year without a new 3D Mario game of its own. The source compares this with Super Mario Odyssey, which launched about eight months after the original Switch launched. It also notes that Donkey Kong Bananza has helped fill the gap since the previous 3D Mario release, but that has not reduced demand for another game starring Mario.
A new mainline 3D Mario was never confirmed for this Direct, according to IGN. Its absence therefore belongs in the category of unmet expectations rather than a missed announcement date. The report says fans had hoped Nintendo's Yoshiaki Koizumi would share more during the presentation, but it provides no confirmed development information for a new 3D Mario.
Analysis: The practical question for players is not whether Nintendo has delayed a known Mario project, because the supplied source does not establish that one has been announced. The useful question is whether Nintendo has publicly identified a new 3D Mario at all. Based on IGN's report, the answer is no. Any schedule, platform plan or release target beyond that remains unconfirmed.
Mario Kart World was not a no-show. IGN says the Direct included one of the game's largest updates, with reworked SNES courses added for free. The source also says that some players wanted different types of additions, including new costumes, characters or original tracks.
IGN points to Mario Kart 8's later Booster Course Pass as an example of support arriving well after the original release. That history does not confirm that Mario Kart World will receive similar content. IGN's report says only that fans should not yet rule out further updates, while the timing and nature of any future content remain unclear.
Analysis: For current players, the confirmed item to watch is the free course update already discussed by Nintendo in the Direct. The unconfirmed part is everything beyond it. There is no supplied confirmation of additional character content, paid downloadable content, another course package or a schedule for future updates.
The supplied catalog includes Mario games that provide a direct way to stay with the character while Nintendo's next 3D adventure remains unconfirmed. These are not replacements for a new mainline release, and this article does not present them as related Nintendo announcements.
The clearest follow-up issue is The Duskbloods' release date. IGN says the title still has a 2026 window, but no exact date is confirmed in the supplied report. A future announcement could clarify whether that window remains intact, but the September Direct itself did not do so.
Players can also watch for official announcements before treating the other absent games as active projects. IGN says there is no confirmed new Luigi's Mansion, Animal Crossing or Super Smash Bros. game in the material covered here. The source also notes that rumors and leaks helped raise expectations around some of those names, but rumors do not establish Nintendo's plans.
Finally, Mario Kart World has a confirmed free update, while its longer-term support is unknown. IGN's coverage gives players three separate things to keep apart: content Nintendo has already shown, an announced game with an unresolved date, and popular franchises that fans want but Nintendo has not officially announced. That is the most useful reading of the Direct's no-shows without turning absence into evidence of a delay or cancellation.