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Nintendo Announces E3 Plans, Regular Press Conference Timeslot Is A Zelda Livestream
Nintendo has announced what appears to be the entirety of its E3 plans this morning, and it looks like things are changing again. For the past three years, the company hasn’t had a press conference opting for a Nintendo Direct presentation on a grander scale. It appears that won’t even be happening this year.
The company’s normal E3 timeslot, 9 a.m. on Tuesday morning isn’t a Nintendo Direct. It’s the kickoff to the Treehouse Live streams that will happen all week, with The Legend of Zelda on Wii U (name still not final) leading the way.
With the upcoming NX console a no-show at this year’s E3, Nintendo is instead focusing on The Legend of Zelda. That game, originally due in 2015, delayed to 2016, and then bumped to an unspecified time in 2017 will appear on both Wii U and NX.
The Wii U version be will the company’s only playable game on the show floor. While that doesn’t mean there won’t be other non-playable videos peppering the booth, Nintendo appears to be turning its focus to its Treehouse Live event. No specific titles have been mentioned to be making an appearance via live stream.
Our Take
I understand the focus on The Legend of Zelda in playable form. It’s the biggest game Nintendo has coming.
But foregoing any kind of organized Nintendo Direct-style presentation for the other announced games on the way (even if Zelda were the core focus of the video) seems like a missed opportunity. This fall will see a new Paper Mario game, more Pokemon, and we assume some unannounced 3DS and (maybe) Wii U games. Showcasing them at E3 wouldn’t have been a terrible idea.
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