It has been ten years since Star Fox Zero limped onto the Wii U, and almost twice that since the franchise had a release that the wider gaming world genuinely cared about. That dry spell may finally be ending. According to multiple insider claims gathering steam through the first half of April 2026, Nintendo is preparing to announce a brand-new Star Fox game for Switch 2 before the end of the month — and the rumour mill is unusually unanimous about it.
Where the Rumour Started
The original report came from NateTheHate, the leaker who has built one of the more reliable track records in the Nintendo space over the past few years. Nate has stated that the next Star Fox is locked in for an April reveal, with the most likely venue being the Nintendo Today app — the publisher's relatively new mobile companion that has quietly become the channel of choice for surprise announcements that don't warrant a full Direct.
His framing has since been echoed by several other industry voices, including RPGSite editor-in-chief Alex Donaldson, who has heard independently that the new entry is in late development and that its tone is, in his words, "really funny." That last detail has raised a few eyebrows. Star Fox has always had a streak of self-aware silliness — Slippy's voice alone is a load-bearing element of the franchise's identity — but a comedic emphasis would be a notable shift from the more straight-faced presentation of Star Fox Zero and Star Fox Assault.
What the Leaks Claim About the Game Itself
Several details have leaked alongside the announcement timing claim. Whether they all hold up remains to be seen, but the picture being painted is consistent across sources:
A campaign structured like the classics. Insiders have described the campaign as following the branching mission structure of Star Fox 64 rather than the more linear, on-rails design of Star Fox Zero. That alone would address one of the most common complaints about the series' last decade — that Nintendo kept reinventing what didn't need fixing.
An online multiplayer mode. Multiple leakers have mentioned a multiplayer component that is supposedly genuinely fun. Star Fox 64's split-screen dogfights are still fondly remembered, and an online evolution of that idea is the kind of obvious-in-hindsight feature that the series has avoided for some reason.
Strong visuals. The leaks describe the graphics as "very good" and "very satisfying," though there is no consensus yet on whether the art direction leans modern, retro, or somewhere in between. Switch 2's hardware has so far been used to push higher resolutions and frame rates rather than dramatic stylistic leaps, so a glossy realistic Star Fox would be slightly out of step with the platform's house aesthetic.
A Summer 2026 release. Nate's framing puts the launch window between June and September of this year. That would slot the game into Nintendo's traditionally quieter summer months, where it would have considerable breathing room ahead of whatever the company is saving for the holiday quarter.
Why a Star Fox Now?
The timing makes sense. Switch 2 has had a strong but cautious first year, leaning heavily on remasters and ports while Nintendo's first-party studios ramp up. A new entry in a dormant franchise — particularly one with the kind of name recognition Star Fox carries — is exactly the sort of mid-year surprise that keeps a console's narrative momentum going between bigger events.
It also fits a pattern. Nintendo has spent the Switch 2 era cautiously reviving a number of franchises that had gone quiet during the original Switch generation. The same leak cycle that produced this Star Fox claim has also surfaced reports of a new Metroid in active development and a Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake, suggesting Nintendo is comfortable opening more vaults than it has in years.
How Seriously to Take This
NateTheHate is far from infallible — no leaker is — but his hit rate on Nintendo specifically has been strong enough that an announcement window this specific is worth taking seriously. The fact that other insiders are independently corroborating both the timing and the tone is the most encouraging part of the rumour cycle. When multiple sources start describing the same unannounced game in the same vague terms, it usually means something is genuinely in motion behind closed doors.
That said: "this month" rumours have a way of slipping. Nintendo's announcement schedule is notoriously controlled by Nintendo, and the company has been known to push back reveals for reasons that have nothing to do with whether the game is ready. If the end of April comes and goes without a Star Fox reveal, the leak isn't necessarily wrong — just early.
What to Watch For
If you want to keep an eye on this in real time, Nate's own framing points to the Nintendo Today app as the most likely venue. A Twitter announcement would be unusual but not unprecedented for a single-game reveal. A surprise Direct is also possible, though Nintendo tends to save those for slates of multiple announcements rather than a single headline.
Either way, the next two weeks are the window. After a decade of Star Fox living mostly in nostalgic conversations and Smash Bros. crossovers, Fox McCloud may finally be getting the comeback the franchise has been waiting for.
