Nintendo to Skip Big E3 Show for Smaller Events

In a statement made last night, Nintendo said: “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.”

The decision may have been taken due to competitor Microsoft and Sony maintaining a heavy presence at this year’s show, with their new consoles launching soon. However, Nintendo will still attend E3, likely to support the Wii U with new software. Nintendo said: “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. Many people are certainly very interested in learning more about the Wii U titles that we are going to announce.”

Nintendo also cited Nintendo Direct as a means of communicating to consumers: “Given that we now have an established method such as Nintendo Direct, we feel that we will be able to deliver our messages more appropriately and effectively by doing so individually based on the various needs of different groups of people.”

Nintendo Direct has been used to make some significant hardware and software announcements over the last two years, including the unveiling of the 3DS XL console last June, along with games such as Wind Waker HD and the new Link to the Past title.

This isn’t the first time Nintendo has decided to not have a large E3 media presser. For a couple of years beginning in 1999, Nintendo maintained focus on its own event, Nintendo Space World, to announce hardware and games, before eventually returning to E3.