More mysterious Nintendo trademarks updated amid first-party Direct rumors, but hype responsibly as one has made me less certain these mean anything

Rhythm heaven groove screenshot showing 5 little white blob men

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Two more Nintendo trademarks have been updated, spurring on speculation about an upcoming Nintendo Direct.

Despite the Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase taking place just yesterday, fans are convinced that there will be a full-blown Nintendo Direct in the near future. While there are rumors, there's no concrete evidence or reliable leakers to point to it being a thing just yet. But an updated Splatoon Raiders trademark recently released copium into the world that this rumored general Direct could be coming sooner rather than later.

Much like with Splatoon Raiders, Twitter user MikeOdysseyYT has spotted some trademarks with a "publication date" of this month, including Rhythm Heaven Groove – or as it will be known in December, 2026's Game of the Year. However, it's set for the following week on February 24, 2026, as opposed to Splatoon's February 17 trademark publication date. We haven't seen Rhythm Heaven since it was first announced back in March 2025, so it was a bit of a given that – barring a delay from its 2026 release date – the next Nintendo Direct might give us a look at it regardless of trademark status.

However, February 17 also has a trademark filing for "Mario & Wario" which is an obscure Japan-only SNES game developed by Pokemon creator Game Freak. Which would be interesting and somewhat exciting, had that game not already been made available on Nintendo Switch Online back in October of 2025. Its inclusion has me a bit less convinced that these trademark filings actually mean anything, in fact, its application filing date even matches up with the date it came to NSO. Of course, with the Switch 2 mouse controls, there's always a chance that Nintendo has decided to remake the game, but I wouldn't hold my breath there either.

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