Nintendo hasn't hosted a live E3 press conference for a few years now, but that hasn't stopped the third leg of the Big 3 tripod from making some big announcements during the annual trade show.
However, fans hoping for Nintendo to announce new information about the company's intriguing new console, codenamed Nintendo NX, might be a bit disappointed. During a recent investors meeting, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata reiterated that the company has no plans to talk specifics regarding the Nintendo NX at E3.
“We do not plan on talking specifics about the the NX until 2016,” Iwata said during the investors meeting, essentially reiterating what he said earlier this year when the system was first announced.
“Presently, we cannot talk about the time period when it [the NX] will go on sale or what it’s like,” Iwata continued. “Because we are calling it a ‘new concept,’ we are not thinking of this as a ‘simple replacement’ for the 3DS or the Wii U.”
Iwata also said Nintendo doesn't plan to talk about its smart device initiative at E3 either.
“Incidentally, we’re getting various questions for this year’s E3, like ‘Won’t there be a NX announcement?’, ‘Will there be a presentation on smart devices?’, or ‘Will there be more on the quality of life platform?’ However, since we understand that E3 is an event for dedicated video game machines, we do not intend to discuss the smart devices as well as quality of life.”
Of course, then you get into the whole debate — "is gaming on smart devices really considered gaming?" For what it's worth, I think it is, but it appears Nintendo thinks otherwise.
Earlier this year, Nintendo announced a "business and capital alliance" with DeNA Co. to develop and operate games for smartphone devices starring Nintendo characters and to build a new multi-device online membership service. We know that Nintendo hopes to release its first smartphone game featuring characters from one (or maybe more) of its iconic franchises this year, but last week the company revealed plans to release five smartphone games by March 2017. I suppose that gives them time to talk about these projects at a later date.
So if no NX or smart device talk at E3, what will Nintendo announce during its Nintendo Direct broadcast?
[Kotaku]
