Did anybody have these on their bingo card? (YouTube)Rumours of a niche Nintendo franchise being brought back for the original Switch have proven true in fact theres going to be two of them.With the Nintendo Switch 2 showcase happening next week, the annoucement of a surprise Nintendo Direct for the current Switch, on Thursday, was something of a shock.Although, when rumours of a Switch 1 focused showcase first made the rounds last month, it was suggested that Nintendos big announcement would be a new entry in a beloved niche franchise.Turns out that wasnt entirely accurate. Not because an announcement didnt take place, but because Nintendo is bringing back not one but two of its lesser-known franchises to Switch.The first is Rhythm Paradise (aka Rhythm Heaven and RhythmTengoku), which is a series of quirky rhythm games thats been around since 2006. While weve always prefered Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan, Rhythm Paradise is still an incredibly charming series and one deserving of a new game.Entries have been few and far between though, with the most recent entry being 2016s Rhythm Heaven Megamix for the Nintendo 3DS. The series was long overdue a Switch entry and now its getting one with Rhythm Paradise Groove.The second comeback is even more of a surprise and something Nintendo deemed worthy of serving up as the final game reveal of the Direct: a Tomodachi Life sequel.If youre unfamiliar with it, Tomodachi Life is kind of like Nintendos take on The Sims, but with the Mii characters. Its only ever had two games (one of which was Japanese only), with the last one coming out for the 3DS in 2014.While amusing in places, we werent particularly enamoured with it due to how little interaction it offered. But its not without its fans and Nintendo clearly thinks theres enough of an audience to give it a Switch sequel.What is Tomodachi Life: Living The Dream on Nintendo Switch?Titled Tomodachi Life: Living The Dream, it promises to retain the same wacky sense of humour, although it looks like it could have a larger scale than its predecessor, thanks to its new island setting.At the very least, it should feature an option for same sex romances between Miis. This was something the 3DS game omitted, which drew enough controversy for Nintendo to promise it would rectify this if it ever made a sequel.More TrendingInterestingly, both games are slated for 2026, even though the Switch 2 will be out later this year, possibly in June. This just goes to show that Nintendo wont be completely ditching the original Switch any time soon; something it had already promised beforehand.Theres been no mention of whether the two games will see dedicated Switch 2 versions, although they probably dont need them since theyre not the most graphically intensive of games.Aside from these two, the only other Switch 1 games Nintendo has left are Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and Pokmon Legends Z-A. Both games also appeared during todays Direct, but they still dont have exact release dates.Other surprise announcements included ports of the first two Patapon games and a new Everybodys Golf; both of which are PlayStation franchises published by Sony. These guys look like how Smash Bros. and Zelda fans must feel right now (YouTube)Emailgamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below,follow us on Twitter, andsign-up to our newsletter.To submit Inbox letters and Readers Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use ourSubmit Stuff page here.For more stories like this,check our Gaming page.GameCentralSign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content.This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy