Nintendois delaying it’s massive June Direct, according to reports. The annualNintendoDirect would normally air the week of E3, however, because of the coronavirus pandemic and the state of emergency in Japan, Nintendo is pushing back the Direct to a further date.
Many of Nintendo’s employees areworking from home, including Sakurai, the director ofSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate, and this transition has made it so that first-party software has needed additional time in development. Nintendo has specifically reached out to its partners to communicate that this is the case, according to VentureBeat and Eurogamer.
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Fans have wondered what kind of impact thecancellation of E3 2020would have on the industry, or at least on announcements to that specific time of year. It has become a yearly tradition among fans to expect massive reveals in early June, wrapped around E3. However, just as COVID-19 has effected the world at large, video game plans have certainly been altered as well.
There is no information yet on when a new date for a Nintendo Direct could take place. Nintendo has, however, reached out to its partners to let them know that the third-party games that were planned on being revealed during the June Nintendo Direct can simply be announced by those developers individually if they please. This means that Nintendo will most likely save all of its own announcements until a large E3 later in the Summer, where fans still hope to learn information aboutBreath of the Wild 2,and to see if theleaks for theBreath of the Wildsequel from Februarywere real.
Many Nintendo supporters were also holding out hope that this would be a big year for Mario, as this is the 35th year anniversary of the plumpy plumber. Rumors have pointed toSuper Marioremasters headed to the Switch, including games likeSuper Mario GalaxyandSuper Mario Sunshine. The leaks could still be true, but fans may have to wait a bit longer to find out.
Nintendo often reveals its Direct plans with very short notice, except for when it comes to E3. The entire gaming world knows that E3 takes place every June, and the ESA sets up the event with a rather clean and organized schedule. This means that fans usually know what timeframe each publisher will have their “show” months in advance, as the press conferences often take place the day of or before the doors are officially open for E3.
For those who are anxious to find out new details on the sequel toBreath of the Wild, ifMetroid Prime 4will finally be released, if the Mario remasters are real, or if Nintendo will ever work onMother 4,hopefully, the big Summer Nintendo Direct is sooner rather than later.
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