A new Smash Bros rumor and Nintendogs Switch 2 rumor are spreading from leaker malo932, but Nintendo has only confirmed its September 2026 Directs, not either game.
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A Nintendo rumor caught fire right before the September Directs
The strongest confirmed development here is not a new Super Smash Bros. announcement. It is that multiple Nintendo-focused outlets are now tracking claims from a YouTube commenter, malo932, who previously posted accurate information about Nintendo’s September 2026 Direct schedule before the company confirmed those presentations. That timing has turned a pair of sparse comments into one of the louder Nintendo leak September 2026 stories.
The claims themselves remain unconfirmed. VICE reported that malo932 says a new Super Smash Bros. game is in development for Nintendo Switch 2, and that the same account has teased a return for Nintendogs. Nintendo Everything, My Nintendo News, ComicBook.com, and other aggregators have also covered the claims, but none of the provided source material includes confirmation from Nintendo, a developer, a store listing, a rating board, screenshots, a trailer, a release window, or a title.
That distinction matters for anyone searching for a Super Smash Bros new game announcement today. What is confirmed is that Nintendo has September Direct activity on the calendar, according to Nintendo Everything’s reporting on the two announced presentations. What is not confirmed is that either Smash Bros. or Nintendogs will appear there.
What the new Smash Bros rumor actually says
The Smash claim is narrower than the chatter around it. According to VICE, malo932 replied to a YouTube user asking about a Switch 2 edition of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate by saying, “No, a new Smash is in the works.” Nintendo Everything described the implication similarly: if the claim is accurate, it points to a brand-new entry rather than a port or enhanced version of Ultimate.
That is the part generating attention. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate already functions like a nearly impossible act to follow, with a huge crossover roster and years of downloadable character additions behind it. The rumor does not explain how Nintendo would approach roster cuts, returning fighters, mechanics, online infrastructure, single-player content, controller support, or compatibility with existing Ultimate owners. It simply claims that Nintendo is developing something new.
ComicBook.com also notes the lack of detail. Its report says the leaker does not provide much about either project beyond saying the Smash game is not simply Ultimate on Nintendo Switch 2. That means readers should treat any speculation about launch timing, guest characters, rollback netcode, amiibo support, or whether Masahiro Sakurai is directing as outside the sourced reporting provided here.
The Nintendogs Switch 2 rumor is even softer, but more surprising
The Nintendogs side of the story is built on a tease rather than a direct product claim. Nintendo Everything quoted malo932 as writing, “Cozy weird games are strong in Nintendo, and maybe another ‘forgotten’ cozy weird Nintendo series is coming back, barking. Wink wik, woof woof.” VICE and other outlets interpreted that as a hint toward Nintendogs, while Tech Insider noted that the account did not type the word “Nintendogs” outright in that comment.
That makes the Nintendogs Switch 2 rumor easier to misread. The reporting supports that malo932 teased a barking, forgotten cozy Nintendo series, and that outlets have connected the tease to Nintendogs. It does not support saying Nintendo has announced a Nintendogs revival, nor does it establish a final name, feature set, release date, or whether the project would be a full retail game, a smaller release, or something tied to Switch 2 hardware features.
The reason the hint resonates is obvious. ComicBook.com summarizes the series history as beginning on Nintendo DS in 2005, with the first Nintendogs selling over 23 million copies and becoming the second-best-selling Nintendo DS game behind New Super Mario Bros. It also notes that Nintendogs + Cats followed on 3DS in 2011 and sold four million copies, with a lower Metacritic score than the original. Within the provided reporting, that gives the rumor a clear tension: the first game was enormous, the follow-up was smaller, and Nintendo has left the series dormant for roughly 15 years.
Why malo932 is being watched, and why that still is not confirmation
The leaker track record is the reason this story exists, but it is not the same as evidence from Nintendo. VICE reported that fans recently found malo932 comments that appeared to precede NateTheHate’s March reporting on The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake and Star Fox Switch 2 remake claims. My Nintendo News similarly says malo932 leaked the Ocarina of Time remake and the upcoming double Nintendo Direct before NateTheHate. Nintendo Everything reports that malo932 indicated presentations for Zelda and Nintendo in general days before the two Directs were announced.
Those reports give malo932 more credibility than a random account with no history, but the sources also flag limits. VICE says it is unclear where malo932 gets their information. ComicBook.com says the leaker has had leaks, including being first to leak the two Directs, but is not known as an “s-tier” source and does not have the most robust track record. Shattered likewise frames the account as a YouTube commenter with no verified industry credentials.
That is the line readers should keep intact. A recent accurate timing record can justify paying attention. It cannot turn a YouTube comment into a confirmed Nintendo software roadmap. If the new Smash Bros rumor is true, the first official proof would still need to come from Nintendo, a partner, a public listing, a rating, or another verifiable source.
The Direct timing raises expectations, but the leak does not promise a reveal
The calendar is doing a lot of work in this rumor cycle. My Nintendo News says perhaps more will be heard during the Nintendo Direct on Wednesday. ComicBook.com writes that with a Nintendo Direct set for September 9, there is a decent chance one or both rumored games could be announced, but adds that the leak does not indicate that either will appear there.
That caveat is important. A game can be in development without being ready for reveal. A tease can refer to a project further out, a prototype, or something that never becomes public in the form fans expect. The sourced reports do not give a trailer timing, a fiscal-year target, or a claim that Nintendo will show Smash or Nintendogs during the September presentations.
For players, the practical guidance is simple: watch the Directs if you are already interested in Nintendo’s next software slate, but do not treat these rumors as a reason to expect a guaranteed Smash reveal. If nothing appears, that would not automatically disprove the claim that work is underway. If something does appear, the details to scrutinize will be whether it is truly a new game, whether Nintendo names a developer, and whether the Nintendogs tease resolves into a full revival or a different cozy project entirely.
The craft questions are bigger than the headline
A new Smash game would face a design problem that Ultimate made unavoidable. Ultimate’s appeal came from scale, history, and a roster that felt like a museum with frame data. A follow-up cannot be judged only by whether it adds names. The real craft question is whether Nintendo would try to rebuild that maximalist structure, reset expectations with a smaller roster and sharper mechanics, or change the format enough that direct comparison becomes less useful. None of that is answered by the leak, but it is the design pressure hidden inside the phrase “a new Smash.”
Nintendogs has a different challenge. Its original magic was tied to the DS as an object: touch input, microphone interaction, portability, and the novelty of caring for a tiny creature that lived in a device you carried around. A Switch 2 revival, if real, would need a new reason to exist beyond nostalgia. The sourced reports do not say whether it would use touch controls, camera features, online sharing, voice interaction, or any new hardware function. Until Nintendo speaks, the mechanics are a blank space.
That blank space is where rumor tends to inflate fastest. The responsible read is smaller and cleaner: malo932 has made claims that outlets are watching because of recent accurate timing around Nintendo Directs and other reported Nintendo projects. Nintendo has not announced a Super Smash Bros new game or a Nintendogs revival. The September 2026 Directs may clarify the picture, but for now this is an intriguing leak trail, not a confirmed launch lineup.