Nintendo is hosting back-to-back Nintendo Direct broadcasts on the 8th and 9th. A dedicated Zelda 40th anniversary Direct will be followed by a general Nintendo Direct showcasing a variety of titles.

Nintendo announced on the 4th via its official social channels, website, and smartphone app Nintendo Today! that it will hold Nintendo Direct broadcasts on the 8th and 9th at 11 p.m. Following Sony's back-to-back State of Play and State of Play Japan presentations on the 3rd, Nintendo's event will also run across two consecutive days.

The first day's broadcast will feature a standalone Legend of Zelda Direct. Titled 'The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Direct 2026.9.8', the broadcast on the 8th will focus on 40th anniversary content for The Legend of Zelda, running for 30 minutes starting at 11 p.m. Nintendo stated that it plans to share various information related to 'The Legend of Zelda' to mark the series' 40th anniversary, but did not mention specific titles or announcements.

However, with a remake of 'The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time' previously announced for a 2026 release during June's regular Direct, attention is focused on whether follow-up news will be revealed in this 40th anniversary special. Furthermore, given rumors surrounding a new port of 'The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess', interest is high regarding potential additional game announcements.

With one of Nintendo's key first-party titles for the second half of the year moving to its own dedicated Direct, viewers can expect a broader variety of games during the Nintendo Direct on the 9th. 'Nintendo Direct 2026.9.9' will air on the 9th for 45 minutes starting at 11 p.m.

Meanwhile, this broadcast comes roughly three months after June's general Direct. Analysts note that as the Nintendo Switch 2 enters its second year, first-party and third-party games prepared during this time are entering the full stage of release preparation.

Celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, 'The Legend of Zelda' launched its first title on the Famicom Disk System in 1986, and through entries such as 'A Link to the Past', 'Ocarina of Time', 'Twilight Princess', 'Breath of the Wild', and 'Tears of the Kingdom', it has established itself as Nintendo's flagship franchise.