Nintendo reportedly won’t hold a large-scale press conference at this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo, according to a financial results briefing released today.
Citing the success of its Nintendo Direct video presentations, company president Satoru Iwata says the company is working to “establish a new presentation style for E3” that will include a number of smaller events specifically focused on its U.S. software lineup. He adds the company doesn’t plan on launching any new hardware during the expo.
“We will use E3 as an ideal opportunity to talk in detail mainly about the Wii U titles that we are going to launch this year, and we also plan to make it possible for visitors to try the games immediately,” Iwata says.
Charlie Scibetta, senior director of corporate communications for Nintendo of America, tells GamesBeat the company will continue to hold Nintendo Direct events leading up to E3. Then, it will host both a media event and a partner presentation on Tuesday, June 11, before the Los Angeles Convention Center opens.
“At the Nokia theater we’ll meet with business partners (retailers, publishers, analysts, etc.) from the NOA territory and discuss our plans for driving the business and providing tailored information that this group finds useful to their operations,” Scibetta explains. “Nintendo has done these same type of business meetings at past E3 shows, but has not in the past few years. This year we are returning to that business partner meeting format. New this year at our booth in the LACC, prior to the show opening, we’ll invite a small group of media to play our games. We will have a strong line-up of beloved franchise experiences available for immediate hands-on play.”
“We are continuing to consider exciting new ways to bring the news of our games and information directly to the players at home during the E3 timeframe, and will have more to say about that at a later date,” he adds. Although an official decision has not been made yet, a Nintendo Direct-style presentation seems likely. During the most recent Nintendo Direct, the company announced a new roster of titles for the 3DS handheld, including a new Zelda sequel, a new Yoshi’s Island, and a port of the SNES classic Earthbound.
E3 takes place June 11-13 this year at the Los Angeles Convention Center.