A number of smaller software-focused events will be held during the show instead
The biggest highlights of E3 tend to come out of the main conferences held by the three big hardware manufacturers. Endlessly hyped, sometimes underwhelming, and always a healthy source of hilarious memes, these presentations are the measure by which we try to judge who “won” the show. However, it seems as though Nintendo is planning on sitting this coming round out.
Tucked away at the end of “Super CEO” Satoru Iwata’sfinancial results briefingis the company’s plans for E3. Conceding to difficulty in delivering an on-point message both to gamers thirsty for software info, investors eager for hard business data, and everyone else with their own interests and desires, Iwata has announced that Nintendo will not be holding any conference this time. “[A]t the E3 show this year,” he states, “we are planning to host a few smaller events that are specifically focused on our software lineup for the U.S. market. There will be one closed event for American distributors, and we will hold another closed hands-on experience event, for mainly the Western gaming media.”
Without any new hardware to announce, Nintendo is free to focus purely on software, but the success of Nintendo Direct streams demonstrates that there doesn’t seem to be much of a need to condense everything into a single hour-and-a-half presser. Case in point, consider how last year Nintendo streamed additional Wii U and 3DS videos outside of the main conference. Besides, everyone will be so focused on Microsoft and Sony’s hardware reveals that Nintendo is better off taking it easy and shooting for a more focused, less bombastic approach.
