Nintendo’s presence at E3 this year is that of a company reborn.
After rejecting the gaming convention at large during the reign of the Wii U, in retrospect, it’s obvious that the Switch was the “in” Nintendo needed to rejoin the fold. After recapturing the world at large with it’s unpredictable, immense popularity, they had nowhere to go but up in the months since, absolutely slaying the conference last year with Super Mario Odyssey on the show floor.
Looking back on the first year of the Switch, we’ve been slammed with high-profile franchise after franchise, as if Nintendo had nothing to lose. Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey, Mariokart 8 Deluxe, Kirby Star Allies, the list goes (and went) on. It was as if they had a checklist of their most necessary franchises, and wasted no time running down the list, much to the delight of all. I know personally, my Switch had a bit of a storage issue only months after buying it, and with good reason.
Which brings us to a year after its debut, figuratively, the second shoe dropping if you will. Leading into E3 2018, the biggest question following Nintendo should be: What’s next? After such a strong first year, you could be forgiven for wondering if Nintendo might’ve rushed it with so many high profile releases in such a short span of time. Is there anything left? Can the hybrid console score another victory and completely dominate E3 2018 with offerings too strong to ignore? The Nintendo Direct, the firm’s preferred method of showing off their new titles holds the answer.
Of course, before we head in, there has to be some light speculation.
Nintendo does have an online service launching in September, which makes predicting titles like Super Smash Bros, Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate, and Fortnite a given. But what of titles like Bayonetta 3, or Metroid Prime 4, both titles teased but never shown? Anything third-party in the wings? Every Switch owner has questions, and hopefully, Nintendo has some satisfying answers.
Join my timestamps and I, as we peruse the E3 2018 Nintendo Direct in real-time.
We’ll find the truth together.
