Skip to main content

Nintendo’s E3 2019 booth lineup does not include Animal Crossing

Image used with permission by copyright holder

In a press release on Thursday morning, June 6, Nintendo detailed the games fans can expect to see on the showroom floor at E3 2019. Titles such as Pokémon Sword and Shield, Luigi’s Mansion 3, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, and Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order were all confirmed to be in attendance, but one of the most anticipated Nintendo titles of 2019 was not included: Animal Crossing.

While this doesn’t necessarily mean that it won’t an appearance at E3 at all, especially since the release mentions these games are “in addition to other games playable in Nintendo’s booth,” its absence from the list could spark concern among fans that have been waiting to hear more about the long-awaited title.

More about Animal Crossing could be in the plans for the Nintendo Direct scheduled for Tuesday morning, June 11. The statement alludes to this by adding in a reassuring line about how fans can expect to “hear details about additional upcoming titles for Nintendo Switch.” The direct will be followed up by a Nintendo Treehouse: Live on Thursday, June 13, which will have a focus on indie games.

Nintendo goes on to detail all the other activities fans can participate in, in addition to the Direct and Treehouse events, during the week of E3 2019. There will be several game tournaments held on Saturday, June 8 that will include a Super Mario Maker 2 Invitational, Splatoon 2 World Championship, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate World Championship. Remote viewers can join in on the fun by tuning in on Nintendo’s YouTube and Twitch channels.

Fans can also play Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order ahead of release by visiting one of the 80 Best Buy locations participating in an early access event. Participating locations can be found on the Best Buy website.

Nintendo New York will also be holding free, open-to-the-public activities of its own that include viewing parties for all the E3 Nintendo Events (tournaments, Direct, and Treehouse) along with hands-on time with the games “featured at E3”.

In celebration of E3 2019, A Nintendo eShop sale will kick off on June 11 at 10 a.m. PT, and run through June 18 at 11:59 p.m. PT, so make sure you check the sale page for any games you’ve been dying to grab for cheap during all the festivities.

Editors' Recommendations

Felicia Miranda
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Born in '89 and raised through the 90s, I experienced what I consider to be the golden age of video games. At an early age, I…
Summer Game Fest returns just before E3 2023 next June
The official artwork confirming Summer Game Fest's return on June 8, 2023.

Geoff Keighley has confirmed when Summer Game Fest will return in June 2023. It will begin with a live kickoff show on June 8, 2023, placing Keighley's game announcement alternative less than a week before E3's grand (intended) 2023 return.
Unlike past years, Summer Game Fest Live Kickoff 2023 will feature a live audience, like Geoff Keighley's The Game Awards. It will take place in the YouTube Theater at Hollywood Park, with tickets going on sale in early 2023. It will still be livestreamed across platforms like YouTube and Twitch, though. It's currently unknown who's participating, how long Summer Game Fest will run afterward, or if it will feature a Summer Game Fest Play Days-like element for fans. Still, Keighley says all of that info will be revealed ahead of the event next year, teasing what people can expect. 
"In keeping with tradition, we'll have tons of exciting announcements from the developers that are pushing the games industry forward, and will once again highlight other publisher digital events, demos, and more surprises to be announced in the coming months," Keighley says in a press release. 
That June 8 start date, and the other Summer Game Fest events likely to follow, put Keighley's show just ahead of E3 2023. The ESA and ReedPop plan to bring E3 back between June 13 and June 16, 2023. With five days of lead time on E3, Summer Game Fest can coexist with the long-running gaming conference and encompass the plethora of publisher showcases that tend to precede E3.
Geoff Keighley made it clear that he wants Summer Game Fest and E3 to coexist for a while. "We've had extensive conversations with ReedPop about E3," he said in an interview with Epic Games Store. "I think it'll kind of fit together and flow kind of from what we're doing into what they're doing and stuff. E3, to me, is this kind of master brand that represents gaming news in June."
With the start date of Summer Game Fest confirmed, the coexistence of these two summer gaming events is a reality. Summer Game Fest returns on June 8, 2023.

Read more
E3 2023 returns in June with separate business and consumer days
The logo for E3 2023.

E3 2023 will return as an in-person event from June 13 to June 16, 2023, as announced by ReedPop today.

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) already revealed that E3 will return in 2023, but now we know exactly when the event will take place, along with several other key details. E3 will once again take place at the Los Angeles Convention Center after a four-year hiatus, but will incorporate separate days for industry professionals and general consumers.

Read more
E3 returns to LA in 2023 thanks to the company behind PAX
Crowd of E3 attendees in front of the E3 logo and various game posters.

After being canceled both physically and digitally in 2022, E3 seemed all but finished. Several months after this year's cancellation was announced, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) stated that the event is far from dead, with plans to return with a physical show in the works for 2023. Now, we have confirmation on just how it plans to get back on its feet after the ESA announced a partnership with ReedPop, the company behind the PAX conventions.

E3 will return in 2023, according to its parent company | Interview

Read more