If someone had shown you this lineup five years ago…
You probably wouldn’t have believed it.
A Nintendo Direct…
Packed with Xbox games.
And some of the biggest RPG announcements of the year.
Welcome to gaming in 2026.
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One of the night’s biggest surprises came from Kingdom Hearts IV.
After years of silence, Square Enix finally showed a new teaser, confirming that Sora’s next adventure is also heading to Nintendo Switch 2, alongside PlayStation, Xbox and PC.
For fans, the wait is finally over.
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But that wasn’t the only Final Fantasy surprise.
Square Enix also unveiled Final Fantasy Resonance, the franchise’s very first HD-2D adventure, bringing together classic heroes, turn-based combat and a nostalgic art style inspired by the series’ golden age.
A completely new direction for one of gaming’s biggest franchises.
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And then came the biggest trend of the entire showcase.
Xbox.
Everywhere.
From Stellar Blade and Lies of P Complete Edition to Rise of the Tomb Raider, Kingdom Hearts IV and multiple Square Enix titles, Microsoft’s ecosystem was impossible to ignore.
The old console wars suddenly feel very far away.
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Because something fundamental is changing.
Studios no longer want to sell games to one platform.
They want to sell them to everyone.
PlayStation games arrive on PC.
Xbox games land on Nintendo.
Square Enix abandons exclusivity.
The walls between ecosystems are slowly disappearing.
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For players, that’s fantastic news.
More choice.
More accessibility.
More ways to play the same adventures.
The winner is no longer a console.
It’s the gamer.
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And perhaps that’s the biggest lesson from this Nintendo Direct.
It wasn’t just a showcase for Switch 2.
It was a glimpse into the future of the industry.
A future where exclusives become rarer…
And legendary franchises are shared across every platform.
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One thing is certain.
The gaming industry is changing faster than ever.
And after this Direct…
The line separating Nintendo, Xbox and PlayStation has never looked thinner.
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So here’s the debate: are console exclusives becoming a thing of the past, or do you still believe every platform needs its own iconic games to stay unique?
