By: Trent Sullivan
Nintendo’s E3 2018 Press Conference is drawing closer, on Tuesday, June 12th at 12 pm EST. Two years after releasing the Nintendo Switch, Nintendo has become very popular again, with games like Splatoon 2 (a family friendly paintball game), Super Mario Odyssey, and The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild and its DLC (downloadable content). Additionally, games that were given a port from the Wii U like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Lego City Undercover have helped boost the Switch’s profile. The Switch’s new-found popularity has brought back Nintendo who can only add to their growing popularity by having a stellar E3 presentation.
The Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) is an annual gaming conference that the big 3 console makers (Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo) use to debut their new offerings for the year. It is held in Los Angeles every year and is now open to the public after being offered to select members of the gaming industry. In the past Nintendo would have very large stage presentations, which were broadcast through gaming sites until 2011. When they were replaced by Nintendo Directs, a prerecorded presentation that involved all of Nintendo’s major announcements.
This is expected to be a big press conference for Nintendo, although it is another pre-tapped conference expectations are high that Nintendo will have a strong showing. So, fans should expect a lot of Nintendo’s heavy hitters to make an appearance during the conference, like Platinum’s Bayonetta 3, Metroid Prime 4, and Super Smash Bros for Switch. Rumored games like a hybrid of StarFox 64 and Diddy Kong Racing, an offering from SEGA’s Sonic Team (the makers of Sonic the Hedgehog), and a random surprise title that has not been leaked yet (Mario and Sonic platformer anyone?) If Nintendo can nail this conference they could put themselves back into competition with Sony and Microsoft.
