The Super Mario Galaxy movie is still fresh in theaters, and eagle-eyed fans caught something in it: a Star Fox cameo that felt a little too deliberate to be a throwaway Easter egg. Now, trusted leaker Nate the Hate is adding fuel to the fire, claiming a brand-new Star Fox game for Nintendo Switch 2 will be announced before the end of April.
What the leaker actually said
Nate the Hate first dropped the Star Fox rumour at the end of March, alongside a claim that a remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is also heading to Switch 2 this year. Then, on April 8, he went further. Responding to questions on X (formerly X), he stated directly: "I said StarFox will be announced this month via Nintendo Today or X."
When followers pushed back asking whether "this month" still meant April given the original claim came in March, he confirmed it did. As for whether a Partner Showcase might be tied to the reveal, Nate the Hate said he had "nothing to share" on that front.
The key here is that this would not be a traditional Nintendo Direct announcement. Nintendo has been increasingly willing to drop major news through the Nintendo Today app and its social channels, bypassing the Direct format entirely. Oblivion Remastered's shadow drop last year followed a similar pattern, and Nate the Hate correctly called that one in advance, which is a big part of why his Star Fox claim is getting serious attention.
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Nate the Hate's track record includes correctly predicting Oblivion Remastered's existence and shadow drop, but all leaks carry uncertainty until Nintendo makes an official statement.
Why this one feels different from the usual rumour mill
Star Fox has been dormant since Star Fox Zero launched in 2016 to a mixed reception, and the series has been conspicuously absent from Switch. A decade without a mainline entry is a long time for one of Nintendo's most recognizable franchises, and the appetite for something new is real.
The timing adds another layer of plausibility. That Star Fox cameo in the Super Mario Galaxy movie reads less like a fun nod and more like a calculated setup, the kind of brand reinforcement Nintendo tends to deploy right before a reveal. Nintendo rarely does things by accident.
According to reporting from Insider Gaming, the announcement is expected to arrive through Nintendo's social channels rather than a dedicated broadcast event, which aligns with how Nintendo has been handling lower-key reveals in recent months.
The broader Nintendo picture in April
Star Fox is not the only major rumour circulating right now. The Ocarina of Time remake claim from the same leaker is arguably even bigger news, and 2026 marks the 40th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda series, which gives Nintendo a natural reason to do something significant with that IP this year.
Separately, Star Fox veteran Giles Goddard (one of the original developers on the SNES classic) has been working on a spiritual successor called Wild Blue, which he has described as something fans of Nintendo's franchise will enjoy. That project is independent of whatever Nintendo may have in development internally, but it signals there is genuine creative interest in this corner of gaming right now.
For more on everything Nintendo is doing with Switch 2, keep an eye on the latest gaming news as April develops. If Nate the Hate's timeline holds, Fox McCloud's return could be just days away, and Game Rant's breakdown of the reveal timing suggests the announcement could land well before the end of the month. Make sure to check out more:
