It seems Nintendo has chosen to keep things low-key for E3 again. In Nintendo’s investor briefing, the company confirmed it would not hold a traditional press briefing onstage at E3 2017. While it’s not really the first time the gaming giant chose to do so, it sure is disappointing for fans, considering this year proved quite significant for Nintendo, with more upcoming games still in store.
“Again this year, we will not be hosting a large-scale press conference for institutional investors, analysts and the media,” Tatsumi Kimishima, president of Nintendo, said.
Business as usual
Nintendo won’t be taking center stage that’s for sure, but the company will still make an appearance. After all, a roster of its upcoming games deserves exposure. “Super Mario Odyssey,” “Arms” and “Splatoon 2” are said to tease fans at E3 2017, which means the company won’t be absent.
With these games, Nintendo is likely to focus on its brand new Switch. “Arms” will be released after E3, “Splatoon 2” on July 21 and Mario will return come the holiday season. Updates on third-party games are also expected to be dropped at the event, which runs June 13 to June 15.
Expect big things at Nintendo Direct
The trend Nintendo has been following these days is live-streaming, where fans can directly view major announcements, much like what they did in “Splatoon 2.” Gaming fans have been given the opportunity of seeing teasers for the game via Nintendo Direct.
From here on out, Nintendo fans should get used to seeing official updates directly on its official website rather than on E3. The last time it took the E3 stage 2012, and by the following year, it used Nintendo Direct for major announcements.
While there are a lot of things to look forward to, Nintendo had once again surprised fans with the announcement of the 2DS XL.
It’s due out on July 28 and will sell for $149.99. More good news for Nintendo, it revealed current sales number for its current titles and its flagship console. Sales for “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wind” spiked at 2.76 million higher, and Switch sold a staggering 2.74 million units in its first month.
The company’s investor briefing did provide great news, although the details surrounding its E3 appearance remains vague as of this writing.
Nintendo wouldn’t miss E3 2017 for the world that’s for sure, but what’s left for fans, for now, is to wait for further updates.
“Nintendo of America will present further information on our plans at a later date,” the company said as a final note.
