Nintendo Confirms It Will Not Attend Gamescom This Year

Are we even getting a June/Summer Nintendo Direct anymore?! Starting to get a little concerned.

they should do special demos of upcoming unreleased games digitally like they did with the E3 Previews on the 3ds

@Axecon Nintendo's in a unique position where they announced so much in February and April that the next general Direct could be in September.

They already made the biggest announcement. Getting xenoblade 3 this year is amazing!

I wouldn't be surprised if they ditch the June Direct since there's no E3 (I don't think it makes sense, but this is Nintendo).

They've already got their major releases for the year announced (Xenoblade 3, Splatoon 3, Mario Sports Game and new Pokemon) what major title can they announce and squeeze in for the year?

They can easily save a direct for the Fall or Winter or even push it to February to talk about 2023 stuff. This is the end stretch of the console's lifespan, they're probably investing more time and energy for the next console.

I wouldn't be surprised if this is the last year we get plenty of titles.

To be fair, Nintendo does things their own way, so maybe we won't have a direct until later this year. That's alright, when they have something to show, they will.

@Axecon they kinda don't need to. They have a lot of stuff packed for this year.

Also, it is time for a new Nintendo console so Nintendo is gearing up for that maybe. Idk tbh.

But at the same time, maybe there should be like a nintendo direct or showcase of some kind. Even a small one is fine. There is so little info about some games like Bayonetta 3 that we need.

Idk

Nintendo could or could not have a showcase.

Well I'm bummed, Nintendo seems to be pulling out of everything, then again they have announced many titles.

Or maybe they don't wanna share anything about botw2...?

@Axecon
I mean, it’s only June 3rd. The febuary direct was announced the day before it aired.

@blindsquarel also Nintendo does directs like mid June or something.

Like June 15th or something was last year. Maybe around the same time, this year.

Traditionally Nintendo has a direct of some kind every June except 2020 where it was pandemic time but it had some smaller presentations during that month too.

Idk. Nintendo kinda doesn't need a direct. But there could be one or not. We do not know for sure.

Good. More time for gamescom to show off good games instead

@Axecon Nintendo like to go last. Sony had their event yesterday, XBox has theirs on the 12th so Nintendo Direct after that I reckon. It also usually follows Pokemon news around this time (which we already had in the wy of a trailer) so no need to be worried just yet. Just might be a little later than usual because of no E3.
(There, how did I do lol)

@GrailUK you know what they always say.

Save The Best For Last.

Nintendo has confirmed that it will not attend Gamescom this year in any capacity. But instead will focus on bringing Ys 1 and the rest of the Ys series to the Switch. Also joining the line up is Sega's Skies of Arcadia and a Master System Compilation.
I am so excited!

Nintendo directs are normally announced a day or two beforehand and normally come the month after an indie world. Im confident we'll still get one this month, probably around the 15th/16th.

I'm not expecting a Nintendo presentation in summer this year. They could shadow drop one, they've done that other months, but I think they announced everything they have to announce and would rather just do the cheapest possible commercial to lead into the holidays in the fall.

They're kind of where Sony was in 2019. They own the market. They don't need to promote things and spend the money. They seem to like having maybe 2 directs a year now. One in Fall to hype the holiday, and one in Winter to set up the year.

I miss Treehouse Live

"after careful consideration, we decided not to participate in Cologne"

Smash Bros tournaments be like

@blindsquarel That's what frustrates me, what's holding them back from announcing a presentation date? Why do we always have to have shadow-drop announcements for Direct dates? (I mean this does happen every time so maybe I should be used to it by now?) Especially since there is no E3, it would put a little good faith into fans for something concrete to look forward to.

I suspect they’ll do something soon, even if it’s just focused on Bayonetta, the next batch of 64 games and Mario + Rabbids

Nintendo is doomed

@NEStalgia

They seem to like having maybe 2 directs a year now. One in Fall to hype the holiday, and one in Winter to set up the year.

No, the pattern has usually always been 3 big Directs: One in spring, one at E3, and one in the fall.

2020 was the only exception as that year had no major Directs at all - just one Direct Mini and a bunch of short Partner Showcases. 2021 saw a return to normal.

@westman98 Yeah, that was the old pattern when E3 existed. There was one year E3 didn't exist, and there was no direct. 2021 E3 returned and so did Direct. This year, no E3, and so far no mention of any directs from Nintendo, despite even Sony joining in.

It's entirely possible they do shadow drop a Direct, but in prior cases, their E3 involvement was publicized by now, as was a pending Direct.

I'm still thinking that their June directs were always connected to their overall participation in E3, and they're not really compelled to set a June schedule if they're not doing it as part of a larger event. (And they're specifically not attaching themselves to Keighly's event, while even Sony that backed out of E3 years ago, is.)

I'm not putting money down on them not dropping something as a surprise, but given how active they've been with announcements outside the directs, I'm just leaning into thinking they won't.

I'm mildly annoyed that Nintendo overreacts to any major moves in the interest of COVID, just to protect PR that they frankly build up and destroy in a cycle.

The possibility of no Nintendo Direct on June 14th May just be a sign of that.

@Axecon
I prefer the shadow drops if the other option is waiting a month for a 45 minute presentation.

Nintendo is starting to get very quiet. Are video game trailers from Nintendo the new normal now? Are Nintendo Directs obsolete now too?

So judging from many comments, people are satisfied with what’s already announced and feel Nintendo doesn’t even need any more presentations this year. Strange, I cannot relate. It feels like a quiet time and we have no idea what’s on the horizon.

@TexanBanjo we still lack the yearly Zelda game.

@NEStalgia There was another year that didn't have a presentation, 2016 where instead Nintendo's E3 was only 2 days of Treehouse Live (1 for Pokemon and BotW, 1 for other 3DS/Wii U games). If E3 didn't happen that year, I doubt Nintendo would've gone all out with BotW news and instead just doing trailers for the summer/fall 2016 releases meanwhile Pokemon having a Direct.

I think that's the key part of the puzzle this year, it ending up being that new hardware launches with BotW 2 in Spring 2023 and Nintendo wants to get past the summer lineup before announcing it. The absence of E3 means that unlike 2016, Nintendo can focus heavily on the summer releases and then do a massive presentation around September which reveals the new hardware. You may have noticed that BotW 2's delay announcement was very close to when E3 2022 was officially cancelled.

@Grumblevolcano I really don't think they're doing new hardware in mere months. Or even 2023. Switch is still selling well. They haven't even milked an OLED lite yet. And they have massive new games dropping this year.

I mean it's Nintendo, so you never know. And the Zelda and mp4 releases would make sense. But I'm just not seeing 2023 hardware.

Edit: I did notice Nintendo really just backed away from presenting itself, even e3s we're much lower key and cut down after iwatas death....

@NEStalgia I think the thing which makes new hardware most likely is Furukawa's comments (or in some cases lack of comments) in the most recent investor meeting back in May. May be a true successor, may be a more powerful revision, may be a blur between the 2.

The strong 2022 lineup just suggests that if new hardware releases with BotW 2 in Spring 2023 we'll see a period where both the Switch and the new hardware coexist perhaps like how XB1 and Series X still coexist today (so far there's only been 1 1st party Series X game that hasn't released on XB1 natively).

@Grumblevolcano I'd expect a true successor, not a pro type thing. But I still do think 2023 is too soon for them for a number of reasons. One of the biggest though it's that the longer they wait, the cheaper they can get better hardware and extend the return on investment. That's the most Nintendo thing to do. As long as current hardware is selling, and they have solid releases for it, the longer they can get a free ride on current r&d and the successor can be cheaper to build tomorrow than today (or better parts to extend it's own life longer. Nintendo doesn't do tech for the sake of tech like the rest of the industry. They just go for cheap or steady. I mostly can't see them not milking current success as long as possible. Especially without oled lite yet.

@NEStalgia Not too early and not too late will be a challenge for Nintendo, there's been a load of talk about trying to prevent a repeat of the Wii -> Wii U and DS -> 3DS transitions. Switch is still doing very well but at the same time we're seeing really awkward moves by 3rd parties like Atlus choosing to bring Soul Hackers 2 to everything but Switch.

@Grumblevolcano true, though the problem with wii to wiiu was that they'd stopped software for Wii, it was in a dead market for years and generally dead then wiiu was a guaranteed fail. DS to 3ds was a five transition. The problem wasn't the transition, it was the price of the replacement.

Also, there's no chance they announce new hardware before Christmas sales. Even if they announce, and I really don't think it's 2023, but it wouldn't be announced until Jan-March. They're not cannibalizing Christmas sales. They did it with switch only because wiiu was long dead to the point they removed it from the website and marketing by then and pretended it didn't exist at all unless you searched for it so there was nothing to cannibalize other then 3ds, so the reveal boosted the ailing brand.

@NEStalgia 3DS also had a 1st party software lineup issue, you had this in 2011 for 3DS:

• March 2011 - Nintendogs + Cats, Pilotwings Resort, Steel Diver
• June 2011 - Ocarina of Time 3D
• September 2011 - Star Fox 64 3D
• October 2011 - Pokemon Rumble Blast
• November 2011 - Freakyforms, 3D Land
• December 2011 - MK7

Nintendo probably would've gotten away with the launch price if they launched it with 3D Land and MK7.

@Grumblevolcano Yeah I thought of that after I replied but that was a big deal. I was launch day and played entirely D's titles on it the first year.

Still, I'm afraid they'll go for $400 on switch 2. They can probably get away with it, but 😬

There's still external 2023 issues. Continued chip shortages, escalated prices to produce/deliver, and the pending global recession/depression. Launching hardware in 2023 is an expensive gamble, and worse-than-ps5 shortages are nearly guaranteed. That's pretty strenuous on a company not really making money on hardware.

They have to do it at some point but that seems like the worst possible timeline to do it. And they still have big heavy hitting games upcoming.

@NEStalgia
Nintendo won't shadow drop a summer Direct - they'll announce it one or two days beforehand.

We can't use past pattern as an indicator of anything since there is only one other year where E3 was cancelled (2020) and that was also the same year where Nintendo didn't host a single general Direct at all.

The idea that Nintendo only hosts an E3 Direct because of they have some loyalty to E3 (and not because they want to unveil their lineup for the rest of that year and early next year) is unfounded. E3 2021 saw the announcement of 4 new 1st party titles (Metroid Dread, Mario Party SuperStars, WarioWare Get It Together, Advance Wars Remake) - I'd expect something similar this summer.

I'm already pretty packed and skeptical on what to get with stuff like Klonoa, the Capcom Fighting Collection, Kirby, Advance Wars... SO MUCH STUFF!

@westman98 maybe. Believe me I want it to be true. And I want Treehouse back.

I'm just not convinced that Nintendo wants or needs to do their unveilings in June without E3 participation setting their schedule for them. Just like how ubi announced they're not doing June and will do something later in the year, I can see Nintendo doing the September direct instead of June because they already announced the summer games until then and can hype the holiday lineup more then.

Sony kinda sorta did June with a good showing but they attached themselves to Keighley for some unholy reason and Nintendo didn't.

Hopefully you're right though.