Last year, Nintendo mostly at out E3, choosing to forego a traditional press conference and sit on the sidelines, convinced as it was that it would not be able to keep up with the reveal of the two new next generation boxes from Microsoft and Sony. The Nintendo E3 Direct itself was rather disappointing– it did have a fair few games revealed, but it lacked any sort of punch (and was beset by technical errors no less).
Nintendo have announced their plans (in a rather goofy video) for E3 this year, and they appear to be pretty darn interesting- for starters, Nintendo will still not have a live press conference. Instead, they will have a digital conference at 9am PT on June 10 when they announce new titles- a format that I personally do not have any issues with.
Nintendo have also announced that they will be hosting a Super Smash Bros. Invitational event at E3, which will be the first ever competitive tournament for Super Smash Bros. 4 (releasing later this year for the 3DS and Wii U); Super Smash Bros. 4 will also be playable in Best Buy stores all around the country. In addition to all of that, they will also have Treehouse- their top secret localization group that essentially dictates what games come over to the US, will also be constantly revealing new titles over the course of E3.
“We demonstrated last year that we are never afraid to reinvent a proven tactic or to break completely new ground if we believe it will provide the best experience for our fans, followers and partners,” said Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of America’s president and chief operating officer. “So, whether you’re attending E3 in person or joining online, there’s an amazing lineup of games, experiences and events coming your way.”
Personally, this all sounds very exciting to me (especially since Nintendo keeps hyping up some exciting new game announcements for this E3)- let’s see what they bring with them to help their struggling Wii U and 3DS.