Nintendo GameCube Series Reportedly Returning, But Not in Time for Nintendo Switch 2 Launch

A Nintendo series that got its start on the Nintendo GameCube is reportedly getting a new installment on Nintendo Switch 2 at Next Level Games, however, it looks like it will not be ready for the Nintendo Switch 2 release date. In other words, it won’t be a launch game. In fact, if the report is accurate the game — Luigi’s Mansion 4 — won’t even be a Nintendo Switch 2 launch game, which is to say release in 2025. Rather, it is said to be targeting a first half 2026 release date.

According to the report, one of the reasons it may not be ready for the release of the Nintendo Switch 2 is because the game is apparently “incredibly ambitious,” at least by the standards of the series. To this end, the report claims it “is easily the biggest and most expensive game Next Level Games has ever made.”

The report continues by noting that Nintendo fans should expect “absolutely mind-blowing visuals and animation.” Giving a specific reference post, the report evokes 2021 PS5 game Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart and notes that Luigi’s Mansion 4 “blows it out of the water.”

All of this information specifically comes the way of Zippo, a source with a fairly inconsistent track record, but who has proven reliable and reputable at times in the past. Previously, it was unclear if this game was going to release alongside the Nintendo Switch 2 because there was no word of when the next Nintendo console itself would release. Now that it is expected to release this year we can rule out Luigi’s Mansion 4 popping up at the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2, assuming this report, and the 2026 date, are accurate.

RELATED: Nintendo Switch Games Price Increase Sends Warning to Nintendo Switch 2 Buyers

For those unfamiliar with the series, Luigi’s Mansion debuted back in 2001 as a Nintendo GameCube exclusive via an internal Nintendo development team. In 2013, it got a sequel on the 3DS called Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon. This is when series’ developer Next Level Games took over. The latest installment in the series — Luigi’s Mansion 3 — then followed in 2019 with a release on Nintendo Switch. The six years since have been crickets for fans waiting for the fourth installment. According to the aforementioned report though, this is going to change in the near future.

For more Nintendo Switch 2 coverage — including all of the latest Nintendo Switch 2 news, all of the latest Nintendo Switch 2 rumors and leaks, and all of the latest Nintendo Switch 2 deals — click here.