The ESA (Electronic Software Association) announced that Nintendo will be attending E3 this year. E3 will begin on the 9th of June, 2020, with plenty of new announcements and innovations to be shown off. Registration opens on the 15th of February. With that said, Nintendo’s attendance is involved in a streaming capacity, as they no longer hold press conferences like Microsoft and Ubisoft. Nintendo has been utilizing its “Direct” live streaming format since E3 2013.
While E3 has retained the fanfare, the celebrity guests, and the spectacle, Nintendo’s no-frills approach seemingly inspired Sony to break off from E3 entirely. Sony now utilizes a similarly concise streaming platform to convey the excitement of their upcoming releases to fans. While some worry that E3 has consistently lost relevance, and many even question its purpose beyond just being an advertisement for the newest titles, others are happy that their game reveals aren’t obfuscated by misaligned celebrity cameos and cringe-inducing dance numbers.
Eurogamer reports that Nintendo will be returning, although E3 will be somewhat different this year, perhaps due to the continuing departures of its many partners. The ESA is going to be focusing more on live events,, which means users who previously criticized E3 for focusing far too much on spectacle and too little on new games are, most likely, not going to be swayed in favour of the event. However, the many fans of the event’s cultural significance are likely to find interest in gaming’s largest conference, and Nintendo in particular often inspires a lot of otherwise disinterested parties to tune into industry presentations.
Even industry giant EA has recently stepped away from the E3 stage to focus on their own form of presentation. This departure, as many have guessed, could have stemmed from last year’s leak of information. The ESA leaked the personal information of thousands of attendees during the conference, causing outrage within the community and on the internet. While the production corporation’s departures are most likely not due to the leak, the lack of sympathy felt towards E3 is most definitely a result of this event.
The demographics of E3 has undoubtedly changed. Industry specialists, as well as users deeply interested in the inner-mechanisms of game-development and creation, could watch due to these exclusive conversations. However, E3’s dwindling relevance isn’t to be ignored. Nintendo and Sony aren’t the only two corporations and people to step away from the event. Geoff Keighley, the creator of the Game Awards, posted a statement on Twitter revealing that he will not be attending E3. This will be the first time in twenty-five years that he misses the event. It's more confirmation that the E3 stage's spotlight is dwindling, and even with Nintendo in attendance, this may be the most lackluster iteration of the once-beloved show yet.
Source: Eurogamer