Nintendo confirmed this week that the company has no plans to attend E3 2023 this year, a confirmation that makes it the first of the big three to confirm its lack of attendance.
This news followed reports earlier in the year suggesting that PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo would be skipping this year’s event. However, as those who follow Nintendo events will know, the fact that the company isn’t attending E3 in no way prevents it from hosting at least one major gaming event over the summer.
A statement from Nintendo to VentureBeat confirmed the company’s intentions to move on from this year’s E3 event.
“We approach our participation in any event on a case-by-case basis and are always considering various ways to interact with our fans,” Nintendo said. “Since this year’s E3 show did not fit into our plans, we have made the decision not to participate. However, we have been and continue to be a strong supporter of ESA and E3.”
Again, this shouldn’t be particularly surprising if you’ve been keeping up with how Nintendo likes to run its events and were aware of reports earlier in the year that the big three wouldn’t be at E3. While PlayStation and Xbox have gotten more into Nintendo Direct-style presentations in recent years, Nintendo is largely considered a forerunner in that area with its Nintendo Directs that broadcast information, trailers, and trailers directly to viewers.
It’s lumped those Directs under the umbrellas of bigger events before, but with at least two of them on the way in the next few weeks, Nintendo doesn’t need to be a part of any major event to have its eyes on its reveals.
