radiotherapist pattin: Nintendo won't host a keynote at E3 2013, plans small but focused hands-on events instead

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Nintendo won't host a keynote at E3 2013, plans small but focused hands-on events instead

A lot of folks have been wondering just how Nintendo's keynote was going to outshine the launch of two competitor consoles at this year's E3. Turns out, it won't. During Nintendo's Japanese financial results briefing, company President Satoru Iwata revealed the company wouldn't be hosting a Keynote at E3 this year. "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," Iwata explained. "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 US market." Nintendo will be hosting two events, actually -- one for distributors and another for the media. The company president says he won't personally be speaking at either event.

In lieu of the traditional keynote livestream, Nintendo will be releasing Nintendo Direct streams to deliver region specific news to Japanese and overseas fans. It's a bold, and perhaps dangerous move for the Japanese gaming giant. While bowing out of the keynote avoids the yearly squabble over who "won" E3 in the eyes of critics, it also forfeits the opportunities a large presentation provides, namely promotion. Excitable fans may have to wait until Nintendo Spaceworld to get their hype-fix.

Filed under: Nintendo