As it did with its last few E3 presentations, Nintendo is forgoing the traditional stage-based press conference in favor of one of its prerecorded Nintendo Direct videos. These presentations give Nintendo time to jump from announcement to announcement while still managing to show off extended gameplay from its biggest upcoming releases, which include Switch exclusives Super Mario Odyssey and Splatoon 2. Here is how you can watch the presentation for yourself.
Where to watch
Nintendo will hold its “Nintendo Spotlight: E3 2017” event at noon ET on June 13, with a live-stream of the show available on the company’s E3 page, as well as its YouTube and Twitch channels. You can also view the Twitch broadcast directly above, right here on this page. Nintendo’s presentations tend to be short and sweet, as there is no live audience, so expect it to last less than an hour. A Nintendo Treehouse event will take place after the presentation, and will give extended looks at some of the latest Switch and 3DS games.
What to watch for
Nintendo has already revealed a few of the games you can expect to see during its E3 presentation. The show will be led by Super Mario Odyssey, which is coming to the Switch this holiday season, as well as the multiplayer games Arms and Splatoon 2. The plumber’s latest adventure takes Mario into the “real” world, with skyscrapers and much taller humans serving as a unique backdrop for his backflips and coin collecting.
Though Nintendo said in an announcement that the event will focus on 2017 Switch releases, we also expect to hear more about next year’s Fire Emblem game, which was first announced earlier this year. With Fire Emblem Warriors scheduled to hit the 3DS and Switch in late 2017, it would seem to be the perfect jumping-off point.
With the Switch already out in the wild and selling like hotcakes, we don’t expect to hear any information about new revisions or price cuts, but we should learn more about Nintendo’s online service, which will begin costing money this autumn. Addition details on the “free” games available each month and the dedicated smartphone application seem particularly likely. More information on The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild‘s post-launch content is all but guaranteed, as well.
We don’t expect too many brand-new game announcements from the show this year, but we’re still holding our breath for the latest project from Retro Studios. The team behind games like Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze and Metroid Prime is sure to deliver innovative new gameplay experiences on the Switch, which is perfect for both the handheld and docked play styles thanks to its simple side-scrolling platforming.
