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Nintendo ditches main E3 conference, still there with games, press events, N-Direct

Hobby

Member
Update: official translation:

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. 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. As a brand new challenge, we are working to establish a new presentation style for E3.

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. There will be one closed event for American distributors, and we will hold another closed hands-on experience event, for mainly the Western gaming media. Also, I did not speak at last year’s presentation, and I am not planning to speak at these events at the E3 show this year either. Apart from these exclusive events for visitors, we are continuing to investigate ways to deliver information about our games directly to our home audience around the time of E3. We will share more information about them once they have officially been decided.

http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/library/events/130425/04.html

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Nintendo has several smaller scale events planned with the focus on titles for the NA market this E3. That is, instead of their one, large presentation they typically hold. Iwata will not appear at any of these events. Besides that, they're investigating a new means of transmitting this information directly to fans that can't attend the event.

まず、例年のような世界中の皆様に向けた全方位向けの、新しいニュースを発信するような大規模プレゼンテーションを行わないことにいたしました。
それに替わり、より小規模な米国向けソフトに焦点を当てた複数のイベントを計画しております。そのうちのひとつは米国流通関係者の皆様向けのクローズドなイベントで、もうひとつは、主に西洋のゲームメディアの皆様を対象としたクローズドな体験型のイベントです。また、私は昨年の「プレゼンテーション」に登壇しませんでしたが、今年もこれらのイベントに登壇する予定はしておりません。これらクローズドな来場者向けイベント以外に、E3の時期に当社からゲーム情報をご家庭におられるプレイヤーの皆様に直接お届けする新しい方法を継続して検討中ですので、決定次第、改めてお知らせしてまいります。

M5xM8eX.jpg


http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/library/events/130425/04.html
 

Brofield

Member
Who wants to bet this would be the year E3 gets opened to the public?

Not because of this, but just because it would be my/your/our bad luck?
 

Madness

Member
Why not? They've worked for Nintendo well before the Wii era. I'm guessing they just don't want to spend as much or they know they'll be outdone by the nextbox or ps4 announcements and so purposely want people to lower expectations.

Though I'd like to see what they're planning.
 
I am more bummed about this than I should. There is nothing as great as GAF gearing up for the conferences each year. Directs ect just ain't the same :(
 

sunnz

Member
I lost touch ( or interest) with Nintendo a few years back but still watched and even enjoyed and looked forward to there E3 to see what they have ( was mostly disappointed, but still), bummer if true.
 

Nilaul

Member
demos on the eshop

c'mon, Nintendo!

You know that would be a golden move. Instead of going to E3... Nintendo brings E3 to you! You become the game journalist, you become the source of information. You become viral, you talk about to your friends, they talk to their friends etc. That would be smacking E3 in the arse.

GOLD
 
This could be very interesting. Perhaps the events will consist of Wii U, 3DS, first and third party software, apps, and eShop titles all spread across E3 week.
 

Mistle

Member
Having no "proper" Nintendo conference to look forward to is pretty depressing, I must say. I know they're going to show stuff in other methods, but I really enjoy the hype :(
 

tajd

Banned
imagine e3 nintendo confernece show all there games demos and finally before they go they say

one more thing go to wii u e-shop now and play all game you saw today and have your own e3 live in your living room
 
Good. They've been embarrassing themselves on stage for the last few years (Skyward Sword demo, 25 minute Arkham City announcement/ ending with Nintendoland)
 
Maybe they simply don't want to be seen as trying to compete with Sony and MS's massive E3 conferences this year. Nothing Nintendo can show would trump the new hardware from MS/Sony.


Makes sense to change formats this year in order to try and avoid direct media comparisons.
 

Feep

Banned
Eh. Mainstream media is going to jump on the Sony and Microsoft mega-blowout-events and completely ignore the Wii U.

Not good, though it's not good either way. = P
 

Kyoufu

Member
Not having an E3 conference is bad... really bad.

Missed opportunity to say "hey! Look at all the cool shit we've got coming!"

Unless they've got nothing.
 
Good. They've been embarrassing themselves on stage for the last few years (Skyward Sword demo, 25 minute Arkham City announcement/ ending with Nintendoland)

That is part of the fun. I remember E3 2010 when Nintendo folks were melting from them bombs. It's always nice to be pleasantly surprised by good conferences and laugh at the bad ones.
 
Could this be a tacit admission of not having anything of interest to present?

Well, nothing they show is ever going to be able to compete with Sony and Microsoft's next-gen offerings, so this year is an ideal time for them to experiment with alternatives.
 

GWX

Member
Having playable demos from the show floor available on the eShop would be indeed awesome, but that's a little too much wishful thinking.
 
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