Skip to main content

Nintendo cancels its E3 press conference

Nintendo-Wii-E3-conference-feature-largeWith Nintendo being the secretive company it is, the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo has always been an oasis of information for the company’s many fans. From its debut in 1995 to the company’s Wii U reveal in Los Angeles two years ago, E3 has always been a spectacle for Nintendo’s fans, a guaranteed source of new announcements. It hasn’t always been pretty – the nightmare of 2008’s Wii Music reveal still looms large – but it’s always been interesting. From E3 2013 on though, fans will have to be happy with a low key Nintendo, as the company won’t be holding its tent pole press conference any longer.

“At E3 this year, we are not planning to launch new hardware, and our main activity at E3 will be to announce and have people experience our software,” explained Nintendo president and now Nintendo of America CEO Satoru Iwata during a presentation to investors on Wednesday, “As a brand new challenge, we are working to establish a new presentation style for E3.”

Recommended Videos

“First, we decided not to host a large-scale presentation targeted at everyone in the international audience where we announce new information as we did in the past. Instead, at the E3 show this year, we are planning to host a few smaller events that are specifically focused on our software lineup for the U.S. market.”

For anyone that remembers thrilling moments like the shocking announcement of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess at the end of E3 2004, the lack of a major Nintendo press conference may seem sad, even crazy. Aren’t events like this meant to raise awareness of what Nintendo is developing? Isn’t it the central pillar of the company’s marketing machine?

Not any longer. In fact, the marketing and promotion culture that was built up around E3 is quickly dying in the modern game industry, as the release schedule comes to rely more on the full calendar rather than only holiday releases. Consumers interested in gaming are engaged all year round, so why only bombard them with new announcements at a single event when you can better control your message through consistent, smaller announcements closer to a game’s actual release.

Nintendo’s been moving away from the old E3 standard for a long time now. Those who tracked the company in 2012 should not find this announcement surprising. Unlike in 2006 when it announced the release information of the Wii at E3, Nintendo did not confirm the price, release date, or launch line up for the Wii U until September 2012, opting instead to discuss a select few Wii U games. Announcing NintendoLand in the big press conference setting actually worked against Nintendo, as the audience was confounded by the presentation. Just look at how Digital Trends reacted at the time.

Still, it is surprising to see Nintendo bow out of E3 less than two months before the show begins, especially with the intense criticism that the Japanese company has been receiving over the Wii U. Unveiling an impressive library of coming titles could help dispel the fears of fans and investors and get things back on track. Switching to a smaller, more intimate venue for press and streaming events online might help to better show the details of the games, but it won’t have the bomb dropping impact that a massive, well received event could have. 

Now more than ever Nintendo needs to prove itself a lithe, adaptable company as capable of changing the way it does business as maintaining a level of creativity in its products. Nintendo has never been afraid to take risks. Maybe this one will pay off. 

Anthony John Agnello
Anthony John Agnello is a writer living in New York. He works as the Community Manager of Joystiq.com and his writing has…
E3 is officially dead, as the ESA retires the historic gaming expo
E3 logo

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the organizer of the E3 video game industry expo, confirmed that E3 is dead and that it has no plans to bring the show back.

"After more than two decades of serving as a central showcase for the video game industry, ESA has decided to end E3," The ESA explained on X. "ESA remains focused on advocating for ESA member companies and the industry workforce who fuel positive cultural and economic impact every day."

Read more
Play these 3DS and Wii U games before Nintendo shutters their online features
Captain Falcon in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.

In April 2024, Nintendo will discontinue online services across its Wii U and 3DS consoles. While the eShops for both systems were shut down in March 2023, this will remove the online functionality of many apps and games, making gaming on either of these platforms an almost entirely offline experience. As a result, many games on those systems will lose important features and never be quite the same to play afterward. So, you'll need to get some gaming time in by next April if you want to refresh and preserve the memories of playing online on these two underdog Nintendo platforms.
While the aforementioned eShop closures make it impossible to buy new games digitally, plenty of games that you likely already own physical copies of or already had downloaded have online features that won't work properly come April 2024. As such, we recommend you play the following games online before the discontinuation of those services next year.
Kid Icarus Uprising

Kid Icarus Uprising is mostly remembered for its entertaining story, charismatic characters, and odd controls, but it also features a surprisingly fun multiplayer experience in Together Mode. In multiplayer, up to six players can use powerful weapons and abilities from the main adventure in one of two modes. Free-for-all lets players loose on a map, tasking them with racking up the most kills within a set time limit. Light vs. Dark is more complex, as two teams of three face off until enough players are defeated that one respawns as an angel; when that powered-up angel is killed, the match is over.
While far from balanced, Kid Icarus Uprising's Together Mode is one of the most entertaining competitive multiplayer experiences exclusive to 3DS. It can be played locally, using bots to fill in empty spots, so thankfully it won't stop working entirely. Still, it's not easy in 2023 to come across multiple people near you who have copies of Kid Icarus Uprising and want to play. As such, check out this cult classic 3DS game's hidden gem of a mode before praying that the rumors of a remaster eventually become true.
Nintendo Badge Arcade

Read more
Nintendo is shutting down online services for 3DS and Wii U next April
Mega Man and Mario fight in Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and Wii U,

Nintendo confirmed it will widely shut down online services for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U games in April 2024, which will be just over a year after it discontinued the Nintendo eShop on those systems.
This deactivation of most of the online services for those platforms was revealed on X (formerly Twitter) and Nintendo's support site early Wednesday. "In early April 2024, online play and other functionality that uses online communication will end for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U software. This also includes online co-operative play, internet rankings, and data distribution," the message says. "We will announce a specific end date and time at a later date. Please note that if an event occurs that would make it difficult to continue online services for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U software, we may have to discontinue services earlier than planned. We sincerely thank players for using the online services of Nintendo 3DS and Wii U software over a long period of time and apologize for any inconvenience."
Essentially, this means that after April 2024, you won't be able to use any online features in things like 3DS Pokémon games or Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and Wii U anymore. Nintendo does say in the Q&A section of its support article that people will still be able to play games offline and redownload updates and games from the Nintendo eShop for the foreseeable future. Pokémon Bank will remain unaffected, so it'll still be possible to transfer Pokémon from Ruby and Sapphire all of the way to Pokémon Home. However, SpotPass support and other online-focused applications like Nintendo Badge Arcade will stop working entirely.

Just like the Wii U and 3DS eShop closure that caused a ruckus earlier this year, this move is a blow to game preservation and will forever harm some games not available anywhere else. While it's understandable that Nintendo might want to move on from these systems' dated online infrastructure, it's still a disappointing move for those of us who spent a lot of time playing games offline and online on these systems.

Read more