Nintendo Won't Be Holding A Large-Scale Press Conference At E3 This Year

I can’t understand this. E3 is about shouting from the rooftops not whispering behind closed doors. Why even bother going if you’re gonna do that?

I think Iwata has lost the plot and can’t help but think they are shooting themselves in the foot here.

Having said that they may have been forced to do this after showing off many games in their January Nintendo Direct for Wii U and last weeks ND for 3DS – they simply might not have enough new content to show off that warrants a big E3 presentation.

PK Wonder said it

"Honestly, I think this is good news, and here's why:

Nintendo is going to focus on games throughout the timeframe, and doesn't have to limit itself to a one-hour presentation on a stage, where two other presentations from their competitors will be showing off two brand new consoles. Nintendo gets multiple chances to show everything they're going to be doing right; the major games will be available to play at the show, and there will be a discussion specifically with investors to encourage them. They also get to have one or more Nintendo Directs aimed specifically at us, the American audience. Iwata also didn't clearly say they weren't going to have some sort of stage-show. He just said it's going to be non-traditional and spread out. I'm sure there will be dozens of trailers popping up all over the Internet. We don't have to worry about the Usher, lame dance games, cheesy family playing games, playing with books, thirty minutes of fitness, lame motion games, and shaking wands that all three of Big Three are guilty of."

As much as I want Nintendo to do a full-blown stage event, this move is very practical in many ways. Nintendo Direct presentations do a lot of good for Nintendo. The question is HOW are they gonna execute this in a smart and wisely manner. The value/worth of E3 is declining. The big 3 can hold press conferences whenever they want anyway and Nintendo is already doing it with the Direct videos and actually doing a fantastic job with it. E3 can be considered a waste of money for some publishers and they can hold their own events their own way and in any time.
In any case Nintendo will still be present at E3. They just won't do a stage event. All that's important is to showcase their games and announce what they need to announce to attract the audience.

What this statement sounds like on the outside:
"We are not holding a huge press conference. We are focusing on delivering the news directly to our audience, close and personal"

What it sounds to me:
"We dont have anything to tell you that is significant enough to hold a large scale press conference. We will focus on more Newsletter and Nintendo Direct episodes, so we dont have to face the reactions of people wondering if we totally forgot the WiiU ever existed"

I'm not sure if this is a good or bad thing. I mean the PS4 and 720 are gonna be the focus this year no matter what, but especially with the Wii U struggling, people may see this as Nintendo giving up. I'm not sure what Nintendo is thinking these days. I hope it works out for them...

wise move. PS4 and Xbox will steal all the thunder at E3 anyway.

They should have a big presentation to "re-launch" the Wii U. "Hey everyone, we also have a new console!"

While my E3 bubble has been burst a wee bit, this is, on reflection, a wise move. Now Nintendo can go Direct mad through E3 week rather than just have one main event. Just think about the potential of the eshop here too. Trailers and demos would go a lot further than their traditional conference in spreading the message.

Still excited.

I am in the middle here. On one hand I am thinking its a good move and like @Mk_II said they Sony and Microsoft have there new consoles ready and would be forgotten at E3.

On the other hand it may be a weakness that Nintendo has nothing to off and Sony and Microsoft will have the upper hand. Oh and wait till you see the people who love one system but hate the others start to come through the wood.

Can't wait to watch the Sony/Microsoft bumbling buffoon comedy show again

The problem i see is, that this strategie may be perfect for people who are already fans and followers of Nintendo. But new customers might have never even heard of a "Nintendo Direct". What they are seeing is "No conference ? Nintendo is oficially dead"

Give me Metroid and I don't care

So, no E3 watching for me this years I dont need to view news about the "Always-On DRM Box" and the "Facebook, Lets Play Station"

I personally think a big E3 presentation is always a good thing. But with the world focused on E3 it is a good idea to promote Nintendo Direct. If you think about it, E3 happens once a year while Nintendo Direct is not limited in the same way. Nintendo Direct is also a far more effective way of delivering Nintendo news on an ongoing basis.

But for those who are not on the Nintendo bandwagon yet, E3 can be the platform to get those individuals on board. I say give the people both.

Is this just because they dont have any Wii U games ready to show and they have already shown all there 3ds games off already

Understandable. Almost every major E3 announcement gets leaked or is uncovered beforehand, so when the show comes everyone is "Aww, we already knew about that one. Show us something new!" On the other hand, revelations like the recent Zelda:ALTTP 2 caught everyone completely by surprise.
Besides, it's not as though gamers don't scour the internet for news every day.

"They also get to have one or more Nintendo Directs aimed specifically at us, the American audience"

Yeah and how about the effing European audience?!$%?^& They don't even bother attending Gamescom!

Since when was E3 just a US event? I know it is hosted there but it is for developers to show off WORLDWIDE releases for the next 1+ years...

FFS

@Wesbert I completely agree with your statement. I think it is a wise move and I enjoy the quick pace of Nintendo Directs more than the E3 which always makes me feel that they are trying to fill the whole hour with useless discussions.

Well this is quite interesting news. I would have thought a big conference would have been great. I mean, even though there isn't any new hardware to announce, it still seems silly not to shout about your games during one of the biggest gaming events of the year. I'm still excited either way in any case. Bring on Mario Kart!

All I care is about localization announcements for Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney and Time travelers other than that I don't care how they deliver them

Probably wise although I'm disappointed. Maybe they don't have any big reveals. Anything they show would pale in comparison to the hype surrounding new Microsoft and Sony consoles anyway. Trying (and failing) to compete with that could be embarrassing anyway.

This isn't a smart move imo. Hopefully it works out for them.

I think the poor sales forced them to blow all their big E3 announcements in that January Nintendo Direct. That direct seemed rushed, announcing there was a new Zelda, Mario, Mario Kart etc but with nothing to show and not even any names. The plan had to be to announce and show them at E3, but they needed some good news for fans in January, so put together that ND without really having anything to show.

So I'm sure we'll see a lot of games at E3. Mario Kart, 3D Mario, Yarn Yoshi, the Monolith game etc, but actual new announcements might be thin on the ground. Retro's new game and Miyamoto's new IP maybe.

Admittedly, anything NIntendo says will probably be lost in the noise of the Sony/Microsoft hype.

Still, they could show some blockbuster software. This is their chance to steal Sony and Microsoft's thunder and a gorgeous HD Zelda and HD Galaxy would be the best thing they could do.

I can see this feeling afterwards as though Nintendo weren't even at the show.

Talk about hand the baton over to MS/Sony. To me this feels like a complete cop-out and as someone elsewhere said:

"E3, is the biggest stage in the gaming calendar. It’s where you try to convince as many people as you can to invest in your product over the next 12 months or more. Yet Nintendo themselves aren’t investing in it."

@timp29 I don't think any any amount of software could match up to new consoles.

Nintendo doing their own thing like always looks like the nintendo directs are the announcements and besides another ND at e3 its going to be about all the games we've already heard about. Looks like they aren't going to compete with the sony microsoft hype train, that's not their thing anymore. With 3ds it doesn't matter but wiiu? I dunno i dont even watch that stuff, i dont care about ceo conferences they're too officey. So for me nintendo direct is all i need.

@Peach64
That's exactly what happened. It would have been nice to see the trailers and announcements on the big screen. As well as the crowd's reaction.

Oh well. I'll probably still watch.

Although I love the Nintendo Directs. There is a time an a place for everything. E3 is the time and the place to wow the audiences, to make sure that the gaming public knows what's happening on the Nintendo front. Not doing a big show is a dumb decision. You can expect Microsoft and Sony showing their new hardware, so Nintendo should show a lot of great games.

Hopefully, someone will secretly video tape the behind closed door meetings and post them online

It's funny because when the Nintendo Directs aired people were saying that "E3 has come early", yet little did we know that probably WAS E3!

@Peach64 - Completely agree with you, well said

I can see the logic behind this; letting the media play the games as opposed to just watching videos of them and wasting time istening to endless stats about sales figures etc. HOWEVER the problem is that a lot of the mass media (newspapers etc) report on the E3 conferences, so they kiss out on this sort of press coverage unless they make sure they get them behind those doors playing on the games they have there.

E3 is an industry event, and Ninty are trying to do more to promote to the public, which sounds good to me.

Mixed feelings. Nintendo Direct has pretty much rendered Nintendo E3 presentations obsolete. But the thing is... one of my best friends and I have watched the presentations live, together, for years as a beloved tradition. So, yeah. There's some sadness to this news.

If they mention the same stuff they mention on Nintendo Direct, people would complain.

If they do a full scale press conference and there isn't as much to show, there would be complaints.

I say, do Nintendo Direct, and reveal some announcements at a smaller press conference that no one knew about. Nintendo Direct is getting the word out throughout the year which is a lot better. Someone will always complain about something, so anyone that doesn't like what Nintendo decides to do, can shove it.

Poor Nintendo, I've been a fan since I was knee high to a puppy dog. However, I'm losing more and more confidence in them, I'm just baffled at Nintendo's ignorance. Frankly, I've moved past being peed off at them, I kinda expect to be angry anymore. I'm now just extremely sad and disappointed with every new passing day. It's like seeing your beloved and faithful pet dog that you've loved and grown up with and had so many enjoyable times and memories with. Then it starts to lose it's senses and starts biting the hand that feeds it as it slowly slips away with old age and there's nothing you can do about it...

@Zyph I very much agree with your statement.... This is a wise business move. I still think we are going to see some new-news about upcoming titles for sure. Also not putting way to much effort into this E3 is smart since there is no way to compete against 2 new homeconsole releases from Nintendo's competitors. I think it would be a waste to use to much money on this E3 because Nintendo's press is going to fade in the lights of new consoles releasing very soon...

If they put Nintendo direct on TV I think they'll be fine.

The focus is solely back on software now. The Wii U needs a solid turnaround and this is a tough but understandable move from Nintendo.

The only problem with this is that the public's perception of Nintendo could worsen, but I say let all the games do the talking. One way or another this day will be remembered.

Nintendo Direct just gone was E3 them games you'll play at E3 i'm sure, but as far as new announcements i don't think thay have any yet. "E3, is the biggest stage in the gaming calendar" and thats no joke, it's not just us that go there. Nintendo Directs are aimed at there customers not potential customers, so it's all about Sony or Microsoft then. Expect E3 coverage on Sony & Microsoft in gaming mags etc, and nothing from Nintendo, people will only wonder why good luck Nintendo.

Thing is E3 doesn't really do much for the mainstream wow factor except for a headline or two. If I see the games and they advertise to get this system off the ground ill be happy!

Makes sense. No 'big' game announcment would compare to console annoucments on stage at e3.
Using ND allows Nintendo to keep its users informed of game releases, and as long as Nintendo gives the various Media reporters plenty of games to write about then non-nintendo owners will find out about them easy enough.

Hrm... this news doesn't leave a positive impression, that's for sure.

There was a lot of talk last year about E3 no longer being relevant and I think that this is the beginning of that realisation. Nintendos conference was just so boring and disappointing because they targeted it at the shareholders not the fans. As disappointing as this is, (E3 is like Christmas to me) it makes sense.

Nintendo Directs are AWESOME!! However E3 is also for reaching out to new potential customers! Every tiny news paper around the globe Talks about it and its important that Ninzendo marks the event and leaves a great impression.
Yes SOFTWARE must be the main focus, but there is still tons of people out there who don't know or real what the WiiU is and what it can do.

@Fallinup you've got a thing for dogs...

We'll see what happens! Nintendo has their work cut out for them with Wii U.

As for me, my eyes await footage of some HD Mario Kart and other demos!

Might be a good choice. E3 is mainly got stakeholders & inside press, not gamers or the general public. Seeing as their latest conferences have made their stock go down this might be a smart move.

It's an interesting approach. Hopefully it'll pay off.

Well like it or not, I guess it makes sense. I remember back in the days of Sega Saturn, PS1 etc E3 was so exciting I couldn't wait to pick up C&VG magazine or whatever I read, the pages crammed with games, but that's just not the case anymore it's not necessary. Sensible move by Nintendo

Well, I liked their Nintendo Direct they had a day before E3 more than their actual E3 press conference last year. I guess it's fine by me either way.

They should do both, this is no time to hold fire. Fire at will, I say!
Zelda U? Mario Kart U? Mario 3D U? Smash Bros U? That would hold against any console launch.

Update yet anyone????????

The problem with focusing on Nintendo Direct is that the people watching Nintendo Direct are people who already support Nintendo. E3 is where they can show what they are doing to a larger scale audience.

E3 is not really a place to miss out on, the general public us gets to see it through gaming magazine, the internet etc. Also E3 is their best chance to draw attention to their products and boost their company image to the mainstream media. Retailers, retail buyers, journalists etc all get impressing from E3 on Nintendo products and who's worth investing in. Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft benefit hugely from the attention on their press conferences also.

Sounds like a risky move. Will the press hype Nintendo's smaller presentations as much as they undoubtably will the big conferences? Sounds pretty cool, otherwise. New stuff popping up throughout the expo.

R.I.P Nintendo 1889-2013

At least we won't have to suffer through lame Nintendo Land fireworks like last year.

Lets be honest here, in the last two years, all the best Nintendo news has not come from E3. It has come from Nintendo Directs. They are cheaper for the company to stage and can focus on what they want to talk about. No pointless talking head time like last years conference from Microsoft or Sony.

All the massive Xbox and PS4 news will attract the most attention anyway. It would be like whispering in a wind tunnel for Nintendo. Best to key it back, have a smaller show for the developers and media, get units on the show floor and get the games out on Nintendo Direct.

It's the sensible thing to do, really. Last year Microsoft looked silly. Nintendo stole the show as far as hardware goes (and a bit of software), and Sony stole the show with software (and a bit of hardware). Microsoft spent most of their time advertising games that were also coming out on PS3 and PC, or showing that you can use the Kinnect to speak voice commands to Mass Effect 3 or FIFA 13. It was embarrassing.

This year, Sony and Microsoft have big hardware (or at least announcements) to show off. Also, they still have huge games on the way for the current-gen consoles. Nintendo had their hardware year last year, it created a lot of buzz that they just won't match this year. They just need to be there, reminding everyone that there are lots of 3DS games on the way, and that they're doing all they can to try and make the Wii U sell. By being there but not having a massive press conference, they're dodging the embarrassment of being the only one of the three to have little to show on the day. In hindsight, Micorsoft probably wished they did that last time.

As long as Nintendo are on the floor, with demos of upcoming games, it'll be fine and we'll probably still get some juicy news. This also explains why we got such a generous Nintendo Direct with so many games announced. They still would have been interesting at E3, but an entire press conference for a few 3DS games? Nah.

The more I start too read the comments the more I start to agree that its a good thing. Like @Trikeboy said that the best stuff they have shown are with the directs and not at E3.

Wouldn't it be cool if Nintendo put the Wii U and 3DS demo units up on the eshop? It's one thing to watch video's online but to actually play the demo's at home. It has never been done before and they would get a hell of a lot of attention.

This just looks/sounds like Nintendo knows it can't compete with the 720 and PS4, and they are essentially waving the white flag.

@AbeVigoda Or, they know attention will be drawn to the new hardware and they want to save money this year.

Only idiots would think this is good. We want other people than the core audience to know about Nintendo's console and it's new games. They already suck at advertising, this could have been their one chance to get the word out to other people, but they're not going to.

Ten words: multiple new Nintendo Direct presentations every day for a week.

E3 is about generating buzz. We all know how much Nintendo hates that...

@The_Joker Yes but what would you remember about this years E3 the Nintendo game or 2 new consoles. I would defiantly remember the consoles more then I would the software from Nintendo.

For Nintendo fans, sure, this is a good thing. For all those Microsoft and Sony fans who might end up on the fence if those consoles end up being quite expensive - do you think they will even think about the Wii U that they won't be seeing at E3 this year?

@Trikeboy

So they know they can't compete, and since they are losing boat loads of cash, they cancelled the E3 show to stop the hemoraging?

Keep trying to spin it into a positive!

Sounds like a smart move by Nintendo. By focusing on the needs of different audiences and catering to what information each group needs, there should be less confusion overall and a clearer picture of what Nintendos strategy is for the next twelve months.
Either that or they're just trying to be different once again.

@AbeVigoda They didn't cancel anything. Nintendo will still be there, they just aren't doing a big flashy show. Games will be on the show floor, they will still talk about things, just not on the scale they have in the past.

Also, I've refused to do the poll. I only think avoiding a huge press conference with few things to show is a good idea this year. But next year and onwards, I'd hope that Nintendo can have a stronger presence at E3 as well as providing their Nintendo Direct videos. So yeah, huge press conference at E3 would do more harm than good if they have little to show, but I don't think Nintendo should drop doing E3 press conferences altogether as the poll option might suggest. Right now they should be preparing for next year's E3.

@Slapshot I don't think so. The PS3 will only get cheaper when the new consoles arrive. Unlike the Xbox it has a ton of amazing exclusive titles (also the appeal of Nintendo consoles, especially in the past) and some very exciting games still on the way (The Last of Us, Beyond, The Last Guadian etc. The Last of Us has game of the year written all over it). And the PS2 has been surviving and getting games for it deep into the PS3's life cycle, so the PS3 will continue.

The argument over the 3DS vs Vita is pretty straightforward. Sony's console is much better, but useless if there's hardly any games. Loads of great 3DS games coming out right now. But for the home consoles, it's the other way round. Lack of games on the Wii U, incredible exclusive and multiplatform titles on the PS3. Xbox 360 is another option and will be the cheapest, but most of the best games on the Xbox 360 you can find on other consoles anyway. That's what made Nintendo the company they are today, the exclusives. That's what Sony has mastered over the last two years.

I really hope Nintendo can do something with the Wii U, get more developers on board... but I really do think they're going to have to become software-only sometime soon. Or at least software-only for home console titles, and continue making handheld consoles. Imagine if all that effort going into trying to save the Wii U was instead put into making the best and most creative games Nintendo could come up with. I fell in love with Nintendo for their games, not the consoles themselves. I only loved the Nintendo consoles BECAUSE of the games. I think Nintendo hasn't realised this, and tries to be too innovative with hardware. The hardware is just a box for playing software. It doesn't matter how crazy or difference or cool the hardware is if it doesn't play the best games.

Good way to go. None of the Big 3 care about E3 anymore, Nintendo is just coming out and saying it?

Was Sony's new system revealed at E3? Nope
Will Microsoft's new system be revealed at E3? Nope
Were most of Nintendo's big 2013 releases revealed at E3? Nope

E3 is now a demo fest for the game journalists. So good for them. But even third parties are revealing games early. Too hard to keep anything a secret in the Internet-immediate-era we live in now.

Bye bye E3, can't say I'll miss watching 2 hour presentations that don't reveal a new Star Fox all that much.

It makes sense, but I will miss it. It was easily one of my most eagerly awaited days of the year, kinda like Xmas mid year. Hope to see "F-Zero" this year on Nintendo Directly.

Well in all fairness E3 isn't what it used to be and the presentations are just cheese-a-find. But what if... Nintendo had something so large up their sleave that they believed they could steal all the thunder away from E3.

Not very good news. It basically means they have less money and resources than before, and are starting to cut corners. Those big E3 press conferences are expensive.

I don't like the sounds of this, but I hope they're onto something here.

Aw man, I miss great E3 presentations. But if this means more showing the games and less happy faces and statistic then I´m OK with it.

There goes all my hype for E3. The only reason I look forward to E3 is because of Nintendo's press conference. Even when they suck, they manage to get me going a good amount (except for E3 2004 and 2008... 2007, as well...). I can appreciate and understand these smaller conferences and the Nintendo Directs, but I really was hoping for a big conference from them. Plus, I don't think this will help get the word out about software and hardware (Wii U) at all, and will only hinder their efforts. The largest audience is captured by the largest show. Extremely disappointed right now, but I hope it works out for Nintendo. As long as I get my co op 3D Mario!

So, can i dl the conference demos for say mk uturn on my wiiu?

While I will miss the hype of E3 - I've done enough meeting planning to know that a stage show like that must be astronically expensive. They can see all their investors and business associates in smaller meetings, and have a demo booth for press. Most people get their E3 news from gaming websites anyway. They'll still probably get all the new announcements and trailers. We just won't have to sit through an hour video to see it all. Being able to skip through the announcements we're not interested in may heighten the excitement and lessen the disappointment about E3 reveals - which is often more about the presentation itself than the games anyway.

I bet this is because the organization of E3 wouldn't give them more than an Hour.
Heck even Microsoft has announced that they are gonna reveal the Nextbox the 21st of May.
This year's E3 organization is pissing 2 out of 3 of the Major's off. Something wrong is going on in L.A. i tell you.

The E3 has been a joke for years. Every year the hype builds, the presentations are underwhelming (by all 3 companies), and the news is more designed for major outlets and non-gaming media. I'd like to go to the event someday, but as far as press conferences go, I couldn't possibly care less if any of the major players don't want to do it.

As long as we get a 3DS and Wii U direct (two separate ones) and I'll be fine. The last E3 was awful, so maybe this is a step in the right direction.

...........I don't think this is a smart move. I think Nintendo should go all out offensive at E3. I mean all OUT! I like how they are focusing on the software. Time to let the games and the gameplay do the talking. No more saying how the Wii U GamePad could change te gaming world, let the software explain. But then at the same time why not have a E3 showing of the titles, some gameplay and have the direct broadcast go into more detail about the games? Well Satoru Iwata I like you and the DS series and Wii series did came out while your president which pushed Nintendo to new places so you have my faith.

@SkywardLink98

I agree the direct before there E3 press conference was way better.

You people who are annoyed this has happened should just relax. This was bound to happen, Nintendo were giving out the signals saying they weren't happy with the way things were. Fans were crying out for theNintendo Directs to replace E3, as they are much more focused on the games and what gamers want to see/hear. I'm glad this happened, as I'll just be able to tune in and get the details I want on the games I want to play, without the big hoolaa and glitz that surrounds them. Once again Nintendo is leading the way, this is how Microsoft and Sony will eventually do it too. Come on Nintendo Direct!

@GeminiSaint Youre just juping into conclusions, for once, with the PS4/720 coming at this E3 people would be that interested in that and not only the games from nintendo, on the other hand, E3 has being only about trying to please 3 kind of demographics (and never ever really doing a good jb at it) casual, hardcore, and shareholders. And for once EVERYTIME Nintendo did a ND, shares raise a little, wich actually they being on a roll in that case, not wasting money in this doesnt mean they do not have, but that they dont want to waste if there are better wyas to do it (im not saying they are, but hey first there was gasoline and after that diesel, now biogas, things change...)

Instead Nintendo (cleverly enough in my opinion) separate those 3 in different smaller conferences for people that care about that, so... no longer we will have to watch an hour and a half, where 30 minutes were games that we care, 30 were crappy dancing games (with people dancing or doing like they play music, or reading a book...) and 30 about "the 3DS sales are... ZZZZZZ"

And let be honest, in this day and age where everything its so fast and information goes around in a matter of seconds, waiting a FULL year to announce some games its pretty stupid, E3 has being awful for around 3-4 years now, sure its nice since we get to hear the hype in the audience, seeing or new games and everything, but Nintendo Direct has been doing a pretty good job at that, no longer showing a new game that wuold not work on stage (Skyward Sword),

For me, im kind of happy with this decision, trying to please all 3 demographics in one big conference has always been a bad idea, but doing different more personal conference since like a good choice, wasting A LOT of money in 1 big conference was a good idea when the internet wasnt that big, and news didnt travel like today with smartphones, tablets, etc... that you can watch them in a matter of seconds, but now ? it seems stupid that companies keep on doing this wasting money, when you can be doing something smaller that (again, with the help of how fast its information travelling this day...) will get the same kind of attention.

if grumpy cat manage to be this big with just a couple of photos and videos, you think nintendo wont with a small more personal conference ? Everything changes, and finding new ways, more efficiently, its just how the world it is now

I really do hope they figure out something in relation to us watching a presentation of some sort. I can't help but get excited and caught up in the hype of E3, I even tend to book days off work to watch them (and write up articles of course).

But Nintendo Direct has been giving us a lot of information on upcoming games, and revealing titles such as Wind Waker HD and the new Zelda, which would be the sort of thing you'd see at E3. Well, before now anyway.

I mean, we all thought the new Xbox would be shown at E3, but that's not the case. We seen the PS4's controller in February as well as a couple of titles, so I'm expecting the console itself to be shown during Sony's time on the stage.

Makes you wonder what Nintendo has up its sleeve.

Makes sense given they'd be competeign with the PS4 and NeXtBox for attention but still.

I don't think this is any sign of Nintendo's troubles. If anythign it's a sign for worry for E3 itself. What if Sony and Microsoft do thier own directs? With Blackjack and Hookers?

Makes sense given they'd be competeign with the PS4 and NeXtBox for attention but still.

I don't think this is any sign of Nintendo's troubles. If anythign it's a sign for worry for E3 itself. What if Sony and Microsoft do thier own directs? With Blackjack and Hookers?

@Guybrush20X6
Hahaha, Sony Direct and xBox Direct are way cooler than Nintendo´s.

@Luffymcduck I don't think you should say that considering you're on a Nintendo-based blog right now.

I think it's a good thing. Nintendo directs have a lot of info that is well edited and fit to a reasonable time frame. Also it comes directly to the console. There should be an ND Community in Miiverse...Aside from that meeting with developers behind closed doors allows more communication of ideas and technologies. Wii U is an amazing system. I think that showcasing new games and ideas to a smaller audience allows devs and pubs to get answers to their questions and more direct information. Publishers, developers, investors and consumers all look at video games quite differently and I think trying to talk to all those people at once can sometimes distort or blur the message. Speaking to those groups individually however Nintendo can get a clearer, more direct message to 3rd parties.

This makes a lot of sense really. When I watch the press conferences at E3, I usually can't do it as they happen, so I watch videos. When I do that, I end up skipping through all the fluff and marketing BS that is just annoying and skip to the game announcements.

Nintendo is getting rid of that and instead will be hosting a Wii U Nintendo Direct, and a 3DS Nintendo Direct....bringing just games, videos, trailers, announcements and so on. At E3 itself, they will have smaller sit downs with investors, developers, publishers and so on to give a more intimate message to them, rather than forcing them to sit through the same stuff as everyone else.

It was always annoying to me that at every E3 conference (not just Nintendo's) you have to sit through all that garbage. "We started off with rough sales etc etc etc" "Such and such platform is the market leader in so on so forth" It's just dumb. We just want the games, and Nintendo will be giving it to us.

@NinGamer85 Exactly. Stole the words right from my mouth.

I knew there was something funky about that last huge Nintendo Direct...

but but but...

Eihjejar had a couple of good comments and Abevigoda summed it up.

There is no way to spin this positively. No matter how much money they save by not doing this, no matter how they keep from "coming in third" by having the weakest of the Big 3 presentations, they still have to do this. E3 is covered by CNN and the newspapers, which is how soccer moms get their news. They need to announce playable demos on the floor, and a price cut or a bundle or demo Mario Kart and show Smash Bros. on that humongo screen.

THIS IS A BIG HUGE GIGANTIC WHITE FLAG!! I am soooo bummed right now.

Good decision.

I'm disappointed because I like watching the presentation, but maybe it's for the better. I still look forward to seeing what they've got this year.

As long as i have something to watch i'll be happy. They are still at E3 anyway, so we will still get some entertaining impression videos and such. The only thing i might miss is the audiences reactions to big announcements.

@rjejr They will have an event aimed at the press. Instead of having one show aimed at both the press and gamers they will just have one for each.

Rolling over and playing dead, your gonna get lost in the hype so hide in the corner and make sure people forget you exist, another horrible decision by the marketing team, my guess is that don't have enough to fill an hour, we won't be seeing any 3rd party news about Nintendo either !
Really thinking Nintendo wants to fail

It would be great if we could download the E3 demo's in the Nintendo eShop!!!

@AbeVigoda - "R.I.P Nintendo 1889-2013"

I'ld like to amend my earlier comment praising this as I was still in shock from the news.

Nintendo is fine, the 3DS will outsell every console this year, including the new ones, but the WiiU is looking more and more like the Dreamcast (which I love and still own and play occasionally.). Worst case scenario for Nintendo is 3rd party like Sega, and Mario is bigger than Sonic. It's like Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny.

So WiiU R.I.P., but Nintendo is the handheld and IP king.

Regarding my comment yesterday about holding Nintedno stock until after E3 -

Sell, Sell, Sell!! (As Kramer would say).

@Xilef - "They will have an event aimed at the press."

That's the behind closed doors peace treaty singing after surrendering the war. Small consolation.

Thanks for trying to cheer me up though

With the advent of these nintendo directs we now get theres little reason to have an e3 presentation now. Realistically if the nintendo direct we got last week was the 3ds part of an e3 presentation then most would be happy but there would still be those saying they expected more because its e3, sometimes nintendo cant win.

However that being said, i had expected the major focus of e3 to be on wii u seeing as it really does need a boost, however it is understandable that nintendo probably dont want to go head to head with two console unveilings.

My only worries are that nintendo dont have enough content ready to show at e3 which doesnt paint a good picture for wii u, but also that shunning the conference will allienate the press and more importantly, developers and publishers.

@GeminiSaint

It's got nothing to do with money or resources, they feel they can better communicate their message with more focused Nintendo Directs.

@AbeVigoda Fortunately, I've watched enough of your movies to know hyperbolic acting when I see it, Mr. Vigoda! By the way, I loved you in Good Burger.

@Einherjar So... essentially you know absolutely nothing?

"what it sounds like from this outside" is what it actually is. We literally already know they are showing Smash Bros, Mario Kart, a 3D Mario, and more than likely Retro's project. Aside from that a Wii U hater from CVG said he heard some great things that might lead to a 3DS style comeback.

E3 is overrated, it is always showcasing of games already annouced or shown. i doubt it really matters much.

So no E3 for me this year. Nothing to see anyway.

I voted for both.

Also, I'll just copy and past this here:

"No.

THIS IS JUST WRONG.

Nintendo is focusing more and more on directly talking to only those people who want to hear what they have to say in the first place, like people who already own a Wii U via Miiverse or through their Nintendo Directs for example, and forgetting that what they really need to do is get the attention of the broader audience and especially those people who aren't particularly interested in or excited by their consoles at this point.

How do they expect to increase their dropping sales and financials if all they do is continue to focus more and more on only preaching to the choir???

You need to remember the concept of advertising, which is letting as many people as possible know about your products, who wouldn't otherwise even have the inclination to know about your products, and get them excited for them.

The mainstream news channels certainly aren't going to spread the news from Nintendo's Nintendo Directs or Miiverse posts for Christ's sake but they will be reporting on this years E3, that I can guarantee.

I'm just not sure these recent approaches to communicating about the Wii U etc should be at the expense of the other methods instead of in addition to them, unless all Nintendo wants to do is keep appealing to and addressing a smaller and smaller niche.

I really hope this doesn't all go tits up for Nintendo.

This just doesn't sound good to me.

End."

Wasted opportunity.

Quality games is all i want…and i know Nintendo will deliver

hmm...I want to say it makes sense, but I really think it hurts a lot of the hype. Every gamer knows what E3 is (even the non-Nintendo gamer will occasionly check out what Nintendo has at E3...at least I figure a lot do since I take the time out to look at Sony for at least 5 minutes). No one besides recent Nintendo fans know what a Nintendo direct is....I don't know. I'm pretty undecided on this thing, but I'm leaning towards this doesn't look good...

There is no way it could be a good decision not having a stage-presentation at E3. The stage is set. The world media is there. The gaming community are watching.
Forget the huge show. The fireworks and everything else that cost money. They don't need any of that for a stage presentation. But it doesn't make sense not walking out on that stage and into the spotlight.

Nintendo Directs are great. But if I'm a 3rd party game company considering porting or making a game exclusively for the WiiU, do you think this decision is going to help? The NDs are very Nintendo focused - as they should be - E3 always has other companies on stage. I think this decision means they've already lost a lot of 3rd party support.

My condolences to WiiU owners.

Nowhere in his message, he said, they will have it big or small, but he is saying that IWATA will not attend in this years E3 as the Year before, He will appear in the Nintendo Direct during the E3, and there they will focus on the Software line-up, so its great news, less talking more showing!!
Why does Nintendo-life bring the news so negative.

I prefer 2 or 3 Nintendo Direct of about 40 min - 1 hour, full of games news and footage, than a 1-hour E3 keynote that spends a lot of minutes with financial stuff, sales numbers and trying to act as a politic because the protocol requires it...

Seems like Nintendo lacks confidence.

It all depends. If at E3 the other systems don't have much to offer than what's been hinted at and Nintendo announces some cool stuff, they will both be reported on just as much. They are still at the show for the people actually there. If you are not there it's just the same as a streaming event anyway.

Doesn't anyone actually remember the last couple of years E3 was starting to be considered a waste of industry resources anyway? Almost everything is "leaked" beforehand. Now 3rd party publishers might be angry but if they do a long ND or one for Nintendo and one for 3rd party I don't see much of a problem.

Whatever is shown is still going to be all over the internet. Maybe it's just me but I like ND more as it seems Iwata is talking to you one on one, it's not some stage performance and crap like dancers and DJs.

@rjejr Um...E3 isn't really open to the public anyways. A quick look at the actual page verifies this. They're fine as is.

As long as their demos are open to most journalists there's no problem.

@SetupDisk If you can't tell from some of the comments that have been posted, there are a lot of Negative Nancys here. Quick frankly, I recognize some of these people from other articles about Nintendo's practices posting just as negatively. In fact, I'm pretty sure a few of these guys are already in the "Nintendo is doomed" group which hasn't been proved remotely right. So I wouldn't bother trying to reason with them.

one game they HAVE to bring out this year to boost sales, is the New smashbros, they have to go all out with that one.
if they bring Demos from upcoming games (and you can download the Games playable at E3) that would be a great step. maybe a demo of Xenoblade (which was anounced)

How about you continue to investigate ways to deliver games for the Wii U, Nintendo. I don't really care what you show or don't show at E3 or how you plan to show it, just release some games for your struggling system before the PS4 and Nextbox launch.

Press-wise / mainstream-wise, a bad decision. For us gamers who bother to look up the news it won't change much, I suppose. I'll miss the habit though.

For a moment the article's title scared me XD

E3 conference of Nintendo and Nintendo's directs, I always awaited them with the same excitement, so they are the same for me and I fully trust Nintendo decision ^O^

I just really really hope they will show a lot during the E3 time, no matter where. It doesn't sound like a good move to leave all the spotlights to Microsoft and Sony.

Can't wait for those directs, hope they will be manies and full of surprises ^_^

Mixed feelings on this. Slightly concerned...

To those who say this is a sign of weakness or lack of confidence...
Who usually yells the loudest: the insecure and afraid, or the self-assured?
If you want people to listen, whisper.
Just another example of Nintendo zagging when everyone else is ready to zig.

I do not believe that Nintendo is showing weakness by refusing to hold a large scale E3 conference this year. I believe that they are trying to reinvent how they present themselves at E3. Perhaps they feel that they want to show smaller conferences because they wish to give their games more time to be shown than they could at E3 alone or perhaps they feel that E3 is a fading memory in terms of companies showing their big games at the event.
Regardless, I am a little bit concerned as to what Nintendo's plans are for the Wii U since they won't show their games at E3 this year. At least that is what Nintendo is leading me to believe. Hopefully they will at least have a few good smaller conferences to support all of their future games. At any rate, this could be a future trend for E3 as a whole. Nintendo might have officially started a change for the future of E3.

I'm not so confident as many of you are.
This seems like Nintendo doesn't have anything new to show for Wii U!

As long they show the new Smash Bros. game in e3 I'm ok with it

Very bad move, but as others have pointed out, maybe they just don't have enough new content to show.

As far as us fans and the general public, I'm not sure this is going to have a huge effect. If there is also a Nintendo Direct it or two or even three, it will still be a few days of excitement.

nintendo directs always felt like mini E3 presentations to me, however this is still disappointing

Nintendo Direct > E3

The last live presentation I saw, everyone criticized Nintendo for it. However, their audience seems to love the Direct presentations, myself included. I hope they can take some of the funds they might have otherwise spent @ E3 and put them towards marketing the Wii U more this year.

I'm with the people saying that this isn't really going to affect people who do follow Nintendo Direct, but will lose Nintendo potential attention from those who don't.
I think that Iwata may be trying to experiment with wether this affects them in a large enough scale to matter very much, but it's not really the wisest time to do that.
If it means even more epic Directs though, I'm fine with this choice as a gamer!

@AbeVigoda http://gamrconnect.vgchartz.com/thread.php?id=109863

The point is, you can't properly showcase a 3DS game on a tv. The pixel ratio looks much worse than it does on your handheld and you don't see the 3D. You could also see a running simulation on wiiU to show what's happening on each screen or not if need be. While e3 is usually the place to show this off, if they need to make a large presentation for third party developers without the press and users knowing, this would work best. Its a healthy alternative, especially for a surprise to us.

i like to see battalion wars 3 for the wii u

To me, this is nintendo trying to save themselves more embarassment. Now, dammit, i love nintendo. But all this does is further prove that they STILL have no idea how to sell the wiiu to people while also proving that they never really ever had a release strategy to start with.

When all is said and done, they will have had a years worth of videogame industry landscape all to themselves and wont have done anything with it.

Pinning your hopes to smaller, more drawn out presentations to keep your early adopters interested isnt going to convince anyone to buy your product over one of the ones thats getting all the attention. So much of this industry is based around nothing but hype and media buzz generated by people that NEED spectacle and nintendo has effectively just told them to go f themselves while taking their ball home to go pout in a corner.

Ridiculous.

New Smash Bros? Mario Kart U? Zelda HD? 3D Super Mario? Sounds to me like they could pull of a stage show very effectively...

Don't understand this really. Sony have already announced their console, by E3 so will microsoft. E3 will only be a follow-up on those announcements. Nintendo may not have hardware to announce but if they have Mario, Mario Kart, Zelda, X news for Wii u and Smash Brothers that is more than enough for an E3 presentation. Hell the last nintendo direct would've been big enough for an E3 if you ignore the lack of wii u games. The likes of ubisoft/ea etc never have hardware to plug yet always do a big presentation. My excitement for E3 is waning somewhat...

It does make sense in a way. Like some people have said, a good amount of E3 news are leaked online days before. This lends to less hype and more buzz kills.

For the most part with NIntendo direct, the info have been tightly sealed (ex 4/17 ND) so you can expect some surprising news.

After all, almost all of us watch E3 on the internet so it wouldn't be too hard to click a link to nintendo direct. I'm pretty sure any game site (unless it's a hard body sony/mirco fan site) will have videos posted.

I was really looking forward to this, too....

petition for fallout 4

https://www.change.org/petitions/bethesda-fallout-for-the-wii-u#

Amazing Nintendo Direct presentations are the year round E3 for Nintendo....I'm not so concerned about this.

Not a big deal, all they need are the games. In the past Nintendo had focus too much on the hardware side of things that they forgot what the main focus of their console was. If they already have a console, the games and features are really what the consumers are there for. Also there are many other things I wish they could announce or done at E3 to hype up the show:

• Announce new games for example: new Advance Wars, F-Zero, Star Fox, Metroid either for 3DS and/or Wii U), new Sin and Punishment, sequel to Donkey Kong Country Returns, Golden Sun: Dark Dawn, and Eternal Darkness, etc.
• Show more of games we already knew about and a few info about them like Wind Waker HD, Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem, A Link to the Past 2 (working title), Super Smash Bros. for Wii U & 3DS, Monster Hunter 4, Mario Kart HD, Yarn Yoshi, Yoshi's Island 3, Game and Wario, Pikmin 3, X (working title), Pokemon X & Y, The Wonderful 101, Bravely Default, Bayonetta 2, Rayman Legends, Dragon Quest X, Terry's Wonderland, DQVII, etc.
• Bring back some cancelled titles that were suppose to be released for example Project HAMMER, Sadness, Raven Blade, Donkey Kong Racing, and Star Fox 2.
• Grab some 3rd party exclusive or hype titles: Games like Grand Theft Auto V, a new Tales of something RPG (tell Namco to give you one since they're working with Smash Bros. anyways), a Final Fantasy related title (that isn't part of the main series), maybe Kingdom Hearts 3, the new Okami, some hot fighting games like BlazBlue, Mortal Kombat, KOF, Soul Calibur, and Virtua Fighter (could care less about Street Fighter), etc.
• Focus more on the console rather than the handheld.
• Announce support for the eShop and advertise some hot indie-dev titles that are still there or are upcoming like Mutant Mudds Deluxe, AeternoBlade, Pier Solar, Citizens of Earth, and Shovel Knight.
• Announce some new market strategies, perhaps maybe start selling some Wii U tablet GamePad standalone now with an affordable price, perhaps offer some hot deal at the eShop like how they did with the 8 3DS games promotion they released in Europe, do some marketing, perhaps partner with Nintendo Force magazine (successor to Nintendo Power) and help them bring their issues to subscribers or retailers. Show more hype for the big games and 3rd party titles that are supporting the Wii U. Anything that might make their customers want to buy their console.

Well its not like nintendo have had the best e3 conferences the last few years....
Still, i think this sucks ass. I love e3, now i have only sony and microsoft? Unless Banjo 3 is announced for the next xbox then zzzzzzzzz......

@datamonkey E3 isn't a show to make us gamers drool over trailers. E3 is boring because it's there for the shareholders, professional retailers and journalists. I feel with Nintendo Direct, they address their fans much more.

@retro_player_22 You're wishing is, well, I hate it. I hate your wishing, perhaps it's just wishing but I hated reading through all that. It's just wishing, but it made me want to barf.

Really lame thing to do from their perspective... to admit defeat and say “Hey, we won't be able to compete for people's attention anyway, so why bother?”.

Not that i care, mind you. Nintendo's past 2 E3 events were extremely tedious to watch, barely had anything new/interesting to show off, despite the fans all thinking they'd “bring it for sure this time!”, ha. This year they were probably planning to showcase Wii Fit as the majority focus anyway. I think for as long as Iwata's in charge, they'll always be desperate to try and appeal to casuals at the foremost.

Other announcements wise, this sucks because it probably means they don't have anything left. This year i was at least hoping for a new 3DS Metroid/Star Fox/new IP, but what do they announce instead? A massive flood of Mario games and same-old rehashes ( the Zelda and Pokemon do interest me, but still..). My interest in the Wii U couldn't be any lower.

@Doma We do not actually know that they have nothing left, new 3D mario's or Zelda's are not normally rehashes and we haven't actually SEEN anything that they have announced. We knew they were coming anyway. Who knows what they have up their sleeve, they can't have used up all their aces so instead of moping and until we know there is nothing left we shouldn't worry at all.

No more Nintendo press conference?
Iwata said enough last year.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bODn-q0g68

I'm disappointed, but Nintendo knows best I presume.

I'm going to start with this: I read every comment and honestly, I am surprised at how terrible some of Nintendo's fan base is currently. At the very least every other Sony and Microsoft fanboy I've met is more into their own shallow arguments of why they are "better". 'We have live and halo and gears and a better CoD' 'well we have a free online, better hardware, more exclusives than you do.'
As Nintendo fans we should all be laughing at that. Even with the Wii all of us had better games, for the most part. I spent months. Years. Playing Zelda, metroid and smash. I spent a week with halo. The only games not Nintendo related that I spent a year plus on was battlefield and elder scrolls. Neither are Sony and Microsoft exclusives. We have a pedigree of depth and awesome yet half of you are so quick to jump ship WHEN YOU MADE IT THROUGH THE PAST 7 YEARS. The wiiu isn't as powerful as the ps4 but its not too far off either.
As far as this decision, I've read a few comments that hit the nail on the head. Use E3 for what it's supposed to be used for and who is there. Advertisement? At E3? Give me a break. I've heard more news at GameStop about the WiiU than what I would hear at E3. Do you know how many people read game informer? Nintendo showing the press exclusivity to their software....the same guys that write for sites and articles (like in game informer) that have millions of viewers? Catching people off guard after the new console shimmer is GENIUS. Any of you like the guy that said 'RIP Nintendo' and the idiot that agreed..well honestly we don't need you. You can't fix stupid. Nintendo isn't surrendering they are thinking. They don't need to compete. They need to sell. Remember, you can't buy Zelda, metroid, or other Nintendo exclusives on a Xbox or PlayStation. That is their biggest weapon.

Oh. One more thing. STOP WITH THE 3DS WANTS. Nintendo needs to make IP's for the wiiu. That is the whole point. No metroid or star fox for the 3ds unless they have a real console game lined up. I'm really sick of this 3DS whoring and i own one. I want more wiiu and I think everyone else does too.

I'll admit that I'm a little disappointed that there pulling away from the stage show. Watching the Nintendo conference became something more than just business; it was like a holiday, a treat that I looked forward to every year.

I will reserve all judgement of this strategy until I see how it plays out. This may very well be a more effective course of action.

@krunchykhaos
Those are good points really. At first when I saw this news I was very confused. Guess I´ll just have to wait for the actual event to see if it´ll be better than what we´ve been used to seeing for past years. I´m hoping for the best for Nintendo.

What is there to spin?? Nintendo is going to be at E3, they're just not doing a huge press conference in favor of promoting their games with more of a hands on experience. Seems cut & dry to me!

I find E3 press conferences to be bloated and dull anyway. Just show me the games and get your point across. This is good news.

E3 has been steadily decreasing in quality every year, so I really could not care less. Though I do think Nintendo has had the best presentations for the last 3 years. In that respect I will miss them, but I predict E3 being a thing of the past in the not so distant future.

Nintendo is losing money, has a home console many developers and consumers consider dead in the water, and they are not holding a presentation at E3 for the first time in its history....

Can someone pass me what they are smoking that makes them think this is a smart move? Or part of a Nintendo 'master plan'?

All it does is make the general public think Nintendo can't hang with Sony or Microsoft anymore.

Its the end of an era, I say! I always looked forward to E3 each year ever since I found out the event even existed in 2008. I've watched Nintendo's E3 events since 2009 iirc. It was just a massive gaming extravaganza to look forward to each year.

But now Nintendo have changed the game with Nintendo Direct, giving us major info not just once a year but now once every couple of months or so. I'm certainly sad to see Nintendo's major E3 presentation go but the awesomeness of Nintendo Direct far out weighs the loss of the E3 presentation imo. Plus, I imagine we will still get impressions & such from the gaming press who go to E3 & play Super Mario & Mario Kart U etc. so that's still happening. Hopefully NL will go to E3 again this year to experience the games for us once again haha.

Nintendo's E3 presentation has always been the most fun to watch so this is a little of a let down but yeah like others have said E3 has been going downhill for awhile. Hour long presentations that only have about 15 min worth of anything exciting, unnecessary celebrities, and awkward stage demos have really worn down on me.

Nintendo Direct is better. We get more news, more often. Plus I'm sure Nintendo still has some big things to drop on us this summer. They are still showing at E3 just not having a keynote. And if they drop Smash Bros U on us just watch all the M$ and Sony fanboys come crawling back.

Honestly I kind of hope E3 dies off in the next few years, or at least becomes less important than it is perceived to be. A scattering of big announcements through out the year is better than waiting for one day a year for them.

WOW.

Nintendo is losing cash and cancels their E3 presentation, yet Nintendo fanboys flip the script and act like E3 is what's failing and that Nintendo is the smart one for bailing from that 'sinking ship'?!

Sometimes this place makes my head hurt....

lol...I now admit, it was a huge mistake think that I could trust Nintendo. I'll buy a PS4.

@AbeVigoda E3 isn't for the gamers really anymore so much as it is for everyone else - the mainstream media (that's why they have celebs), shareholders, and other business related parties. IDK about you but I've been losing interest in E3 steadily over the last few years. And yes I own other consoles beside Nintendo. I am still curious as to what MS has to say as I have an Xbox. But even they appear to be making their big reveal before E3...

Ehhhh I think this is simply going to have to be one of those 'let's wait for it to play out' sort of things. I will say they certainly are keeping their name in the news right now with this, keep people wondering.

Funny, I remember how everyone seemed to be bashing the PS3 when it first came out and somehow Sony was able to turn it around.

I will miss the keynote this year though. I always look forward to what Miyamoto might do haha.

There are some benefits and some negatives to pulling a move like this. I will watch and see what happens still I will miss seeing it all play out on stage.

@bluecat

THAT'S THE POINT!!

E3 is for the general public, you know, the group who knows NOTHING about the Wii-U or that it even exists! That's who Nintendo needs to advertise their products to. Not Nintendo fans on this website, but to the consumers who don't know or follow what Nintendo is doing closely. They are only preaching to the choir with those Nintendo Directs. Not doing a stage presentation at E3 this year will be a PR disaster, and if you check other (i.e. not biased) gaming websites right now, you will see there are not negative things being said about this move.

I always look forward to E3, especially for Nintendo, so it sucks we wont be seeing anything debuted in front of a cheering audience.

I am slightly disappointed, because I really was hoping that Nintendo would have an epic reveal of the next Zelda game for Wii U; my hopes of seeing a reaction similar to the one with the revelation of TP are now crushed. At the same time, last year's E3 was weak and some of the Nintendo Directs were more exciting. I have a good feeling that we might actually get some downloadable demos of revealed games to compensate for the lack of a stage presentation. At least I hope so... heck, that would be more exciting than any past E3.

Since when was E3 for the general public? They dont even stream the poop on Television anymore. G4 is dead. Nintendo has their own campaign they are gearing up for in summer. Nintendo isnt loosing money either. They had an operating loss but they made 71 million in profits. What are you smoking AbeVigoda?

@RikuzeYre

E3 is for the general public in that every major newspaper in North America will cover it, your local news will likely have a segment on it (same thing when they discuss the big car shows, tech shows, etc) and it builds buzz. So yes, its very much for the general public.

But hey, I guess me and the other 98% of people online who report on these matters who view this as a major disaster are wrong, and you and the other 2% of Nintendo fanboys with blinders on who think this is a genius move are correct!

^ What he said.

CNN, MSNBC, etc etc will all be covering it. Nintendo will miss out on a large portion of that coverage. Genius move?

The problem is that we were all waiting for some big annoucments in E3, 1st party and 3rd party. If there's nothing new to show in E3 than we have really sad release calendar of games for the year 2013. No nintendo! A zelda and a mario Kart aren't enough...I am trully disapointed, and I was really hopping that wii U would be my number one platform for gaming. Nintendo is doing everything wrong, no advertising?? Everyone in the world has is eyes os E3, No 3rd party support?? What...really a console just for playing Mario...no fifa14??? Really...I'm done. It's just stupid after spending so much money in the wiiU (day one purchase) buying so many games and have to consider buying a ps3 to play the best titles of 2013...and probably buying a ps4 to play next year greatest games. BS Nintendo..game over, I am sorry but after owning a wii I can no longer be patient...

Honestly, the stage presentations have gotten so weird like no one can figure out who the audience actually is so there are long sections that one group just snores through.

Breaking it up into Nintendo Directs where you get good quality video of what they want to show you, the gamer, right away is awesome.

Also, this doesn't mean they won't make big announcements. It means they see the stage as a waste... and actually I think the stage presentations have backfired for the last couple of years anyway.

Think about it. Gamers remember Non-specific action figure and Iwata staring at the bananas more than the E3 presentation that year right?

This is a GREAT move, in my opinion.

Nintendo just basically handed over E3 to Sony and Microsoft. I hope they know what they are doing.

You need to be in the spotlight, front stage and center! Nintendo still hasn't figured it out... This is laughable because everyone and their grandma knows what Nintendo has to do except Nintendo.