Nintendo announces its E3 plans, including a 40-minute Direct

By Giovanni Colantonio Published June 2, 2021

Nintendo has finally revealed its E3 2021 plans. The company’s strategy this year is largely the same as it has been in previous years, with a main Direct presentation and a Treehouse stream featuring demos afterward.

While this year’s E3 is different than previous installments thanks to the move to all-digital, not much is changing for Nintendo. The company has long ditched physical presentations in favor of digital showcases, so it’s right at home with the format change.

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Nintendo will make its E3 appearance on the final day of the show: Tuesday, June 15. It’ll air a Nintendo Direct at 9 a.m. PT on that day, which will run for 40 minutes. The company says that the video will mostly focus exclusively on software, most of which is launching in 2021. That kills any hopes that the rumored Switch Pro will be at the show this year.

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🗓 Nintendo at #E32021: 6/15, 9am PT!

Tune in for a #NintendoDirect with roughly 40 minutes of info focused exclusively on #NintendoSwitch software, mostly releasing in 2021, followed by around 3 hours of gameplay in #NintendoTreehouseLive | E3 2021.
https://t.co/TMjlZ5G37G pic.twitter.com/Hh1l6y0WVh

— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) June 2, 2021

Following the Direct, Nintendo will air a live Treehouse presentation featuring demos and deep dives into specific games. The presentation will run for roughly three hours following the Direct.

It’s a somewhat sparse showing for Nintendo. The company usually has a full presence at E3 with Treehouse streams throughout the expo. This is a much shorter content plan by comparison.

Details on E3 2021 are still shockingly sparse considering the digital expo is just over one week away. While Microsoft has confirmed its conference timing, we still don’t have an idea of the full schedule, which is unusual for the event.

E3 2021 begins on Saturday, June 12, and will run until Tuesday, June 15. Fans can register for the event, which will take place through a digital app.

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Giovanni Colantonio

Senior Gaming Editor

As Digital Trends' Senior Gaming Editor, Giovanni Colantonio oversees all things video games at Digital Trends. As a veteran…

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E3 is officially dead, as the ESA retires the historic gaming expo

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the organizer of the E3 video game industry expo, confirmed that E3 is dead and that it has no plans to bring the show back.

"After more than two decades of serving as a central showcase for the video game industry, ESA has decided to end E3," The ESA explained on X. "ESA remains focused on advocating for ESA member companies and the industry workforce who fuel positive cultural and economic impact every day."

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Play these 3DS and Wii U games before Nintendo shutters their online features

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In April 2024, Nintendo will discontinue online services across its Wii U and 3DS consoles. While the eShops for both systems were shut down in March 2023, this will remove the online functionality of many apps and games, making gaming on either of these platforms an almost entirely offline experience. As a result, many games on those systems will lose important features and never be quite the same to play afterward. So, you'll need to get some gaming time in by next April if you want to refresh and preserve the memories of playing online on these two underdog Nintendo platforms.
While the aforementioned eShop closures make it impossible to buy new games digitally, plenty of games that you likely already own physical copies of or already had downloaded have online features that won't work properly come April 2024. As such, we recommend you play the following games online before the discontinuation of those services next year.
Kid Icarus Uprising

Kid Icarus Uprising is mostly remembered for its entertaining story, charismatic characters, and odd controls, but it also features a surprisingly fun multiplayer experience in Together Mode. In multiplayer, up to six players can use powerful weapons and abilities from the main adventure in one of two modes. Free-for-all lets players loose on a map, tasking them with racking up the most kills within a set time limit. Light vs. Dark is more complex, as two teams of three face off until enough players are defeated that one respawns as an angel; when that powered-up angel is killed, the match is over.
While far from balanced, Kid Icarus Uprising's Together Mode is one of the most entertaining competitive multiplayer experiences exclusive to 3DS. It can be played locally, using bots to fill in empty spots, so thankfully it won't stop working entirely. Still, it's not easy in 2023 to come across multiple people near you who have copies of Kid Icarus Uprising and want to play. As such, check out this cult classic 3DS game's hidden gem of a mode before praying that the rumors of a remaster eventually become true.
Nintendo Badge Arcade

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Nintendo is shutting down online services for 3DS and Wii U next April

Mega Man and Mario fight in Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and Wii U,

Nintendo confirmed it will widely shut down online services for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U games in April 2024, which will be just over a year after it discontinued the Nintendo eShop on those systems.
This deactivation of most of the online services for those platforms was revealed on X (formerly Twitter) and Nintendo's support site early Wednesday. "In early April 2024, online play and other functionality that uses online communication will end for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U software. This also includes online co-operative play, internet rankings, and data distribution," the message says. "We will announce a specific end date and time at a later date. Please note that if an event occurs that would make it difficult to continue online services for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U software, we may have to discontinue services earlier than planned. We sincerely thank players for using the online services of Nintendo 3DS and Wii U software over a long period of time and apologize for any inconvenience."
Essentially, this means that after April 2024, you won't be able to use any online features in things like 3DS Pokémon games or Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and Wii U anymore. Nintendo does say in the Q&A section of its support article that people will still be able to play games offline and redownload updates and games from the Nintendo eShop for the foreseeable future. Pokémon Bank will remain unaffected, so it'll still be possible to transfer Pokémon from Ruby and Sapphire all of the way to Pokémon Home. However, SpotPass support and other online-focused applications like Nintendo Badge Arcade will stop working entirely.

Just like the Wii U and 3DS eShop closure that caused a ruckus earlier this year, this move is a blow to game preservation and will forever harm some games not available anywhere else. While it's understandable that Nintendo might want to move on from these systems' dated online infrastructure, it's still a disappointing move for those of us who spent a lot of time playing games offline and online on these systems.