Nintendo will be appearing at E3 2021, but the rumored Switch Pro won't be announced at the event. The upcoming E3 showcase will be Nintendo's first full Direct since February, where games like Splatoon 3 and a remake of Skyward Sword were announced.
The expectations are high going into Nintendo's E3 2021 Direct. Fans are expecting to see the announcement for the next Super Smash Bros. Ultimate character, as well as long-awaited Breath of the Wild sequel gameplay footage. It's a safe bet that games near to release will be featured, such as Mario Golf: Super Rush and Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin. The upcoming Pokémon games aren't likely to appear, as they are usually saved for special Pokémon Presents events, but Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl might be briefly featured, as they'll likely be some of the big holiday 2021 titles for the Switch.
Fans are expecting the E3 2021 Direct to be full of announcements, considering how empty the Switch's schedule is for the rest of the year. But there is one thing that won't be announced at Nintendo's event, as the company has already confirmed that there won't be any new hardware revealed at E3.
For Nintendo, E3 2021 Is All About The Games
The E3 Direct was announced in a Nintendo of America Twitter post. The post said that the Direct will be roughly forty minutes long and will focus exclusively on Switch software. The use of the word software confirms that it will just be games shown at E3 2021 and no new hardware will be announced. This means the Switch Pro won't be revealed during E3 2021. Sony used to make similar distinctions for its State of Play events, before the PS5 was officially unveiled, in order for people to set their expectations accordingly.
There's a chance that Nintendo will reveal the Switch Pro before E3 2021 and will show some of the new games running on its hardware. It's possible that they could give a first look at the Breath of the Wild sequel on Switch Pro hardware, which would potentially allow them to better show off a new system. Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe are currently the best-selling games on the Switch, but neither of them are graphical powerhouses. The original Breath of the Wild was a game that impressed many fans when the Switch first launched, as it was a gorgeous title that lost none of its beauty when played in handheld mode. Breath of the Wild sold the original Switch to many people, and the sequel could do the same for a possible Nintendo Switch Pro.
Source: Nintendo of America/Twitter