Nintendo’s E3 2019 booth lineup does not include Animal Crossing

By Felicia Miranda June 6, 2019

Image used with permission by copyright holder

In a press release on Thursday morning, June 6, Nintendo detailed the games fans can expect to see on the showroom floor at E3 2019. Titles such as Pokémon Sword and Shield, Luigi’s Mansion 3, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, and Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order were all confirmed to be in attendance, but one of the most anticipated Nintendo titles of 2019 was not included: Animal Crossing.

While this doesn’t necessarily mean that it won’t an appearance at E3 at all, especially since the release mentions these games are “in addition to other games playable in Nintendo’s booth,” its absence from the list could spark concern among fans that have been waiting to hear more about the long-awaited title.

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More about Animal Crossing could be in the plans for the Nintendo Direct scheduled for Tuesday morning, June 11. The statement alludes to this by adding in a reassuring line about how fans can expect to “hear details about additional upcoming titles for Nintendo Switch.” The direct will be followed up by a Nintendo Treehouse: Live on Thursday, June 13, which will have a focus on indie games.

Nintendo goes on to detail all the other activities fans can participate in, in addition to the Direct and Treehouse events, during the week of E3 2019. There will be several game tournaments held on Saturday, June 8 that will include a Super Mario Maker 2 Invitational, Splatoon 2 World Championship, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate World Championship. Remote viewers can join in on the fun by tuning in on Nintendo’s YouTube and Twitch channels.

Fans can also play Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order ahead of release by visiting one of the 80 Best Buy locations participating in an early access event. Participating locations can be found on the Best Buy website.

Nintendo New York will also be holding free, open-to-the-public activities of its own that include viewing parties for all the E3 Nintendo Events (tournaments, Direct, and Treehouse) along with hands-on time with the games “featured at E3”.

In celebration of E3 2019, A Nintendo eShop sale will kick off on June 11 at 10 a.m. PT, and run through June 18 at 11:59 p.m. PT, so make sure you check the sale page for any games you’ve been dying to grab for cheap during all the festivities.

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Felicia Miranda

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Born in '89 and raised through the 90s, I experienced what I consider to be the golden age of video games. At an early age, I…

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Nintendo confirms that it won’t be part of E3 2023

Pikmin and Bulborb in Pikmin 4.

Nintendo has confirmed reports that it won't be participating in E3 2023, meaning the gaming trade show will be missing one of its key vendors when it returns in-person this June.
"We approach our involvement in any event on a case-by-case basis and are always considering various ways to engage with our fans," a Nintendo spokesperson said in a statement to The Verge. "Since this year’s E3 show didn’t fit into our plans, we have made the decision to not participate. However, we have been and continue to be a strong supporter of the ESA [Entertainment Software Association] and E3."
After taking 2020 and 2022 off and being digital-only in 2021, this year was supposed to mark the grand return of E3, which was once a dominant game industry trade show that attracted every big video game company. Although Sony hasn't participated since 2019, it still came as a shock in January when IGN reported that both Nintendo and Microsoft would not be attending E3 this year as well. It appears that the report is true, as Microsoft has not confirmed any E3-related events outside of its independently run Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase.
Nintendo skipping E3 2023 not only takes away a vendor that dominated the show floor in previous years, but also raises questions about whether or not the company will hold an exciting Nintendo Direct around then. While Nintendo typically holds a big showcase with lots of first-party game announcements around June every year, in 2022 it only held a third-party driven Partner Showcase in June. Now that we know it won't be at E3 2023, we're left to wonder when exactly then next big Nintendo Direct will be.
E3 2023 will take place between June 13 and June 16, but don't expect Nintendo, Sony, or Microsoft to have a big presence there.

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Here’s what E3 2023 could look like without Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft

Playstation character wall at E3 2018

Let's start with the good news: E3 2023 will be held in its in-person format once again after three long years of digital events necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, this time with ReedPop at the helm. The bad news is that Sony, Xbox, and Nintendo -- gaming's "Big 3" -- may not show up at the industry’s biggest convention this summer.

This is according to a report from IGN citing multiple sources, who claimed the companies won’t be a part of the show or make appearances on the floor at the Los Angeles Convention Center in any way. Their absence from this year’s E3, especially Nintendo’s, may come as a shock to the gaming community, but it's not such a surprise when looking at the past few iterations of E3. Even before the pandemic locked everyone down in 2020, Sony and Xbox had been hosting their own E3-style livestreams, so it was more likely they would do it again this year anyway. Nintendo, on the other hand, managed to show off its upcoming games via Nintendo Direct streams and at its booth, console kiosks and all.

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Summer Game Fest returns just before E3 2023 next June

The official artwork confirming Summer Game Fest's return on June 8, 2023.

Geoff Keighley has confirmed when Summer Game Fest will return in June 2023. It will begin with a live kickoff show on June 8, 2023, placing Keighley's game announcement alternative less than a week before E3's grand (intended) 2023 return.
Unlike past years, Summer Game Fest Live Kickoff 2023 will feature a live audience, like Geoff Keighley's The Game Awards. It will take place in the YouTube Theater at Hollywood Park, with tickets going on sale in early 2023. It will still be livestreamed across platforms like YouTube and Twitch, though. It's currently unknown who's participating, how long Summer Game Fest will run afterward, or if it will feature a Summer Game Fest Play Days-like element for fans. Still, Keighley says all of that info will be revealed ahead of the event next year, teasing what people can expect.
"In keeping with tradition, we'll have tons of exciting announcements from the developers that are pushing the games industry forward, and will once again highlight other publisher digital events, demos, and more surprises to be announced in the coming months," Keighley says in a press release.
That June 8 start date, and the other Summer Game Fest events likely to follow, put Keighley's show just ahead of E3 2023. The ESA and ReedPop plan to bring E3 back between June 13 and June 16, 2023. With five days of lead time on E3, Summer Game Fest can coexist with the long-running gaming conference and encompass the plethora of publisher showcases that tend to precede E3.
Geoff Keighley made it clear that he wants Summer Game Fest and E3 to coexist for a while. "We've had extensive conversations with ReedPop about E3," he said in an interview with Epic Games Store. "I think it'll kind of fit together and flow kind of from what we're doing into what they're doing and stuff. E3, to me, is this kind of master brand that represents gaming news in June."
With the start date of Summer Game Fest confirmed, the coexistence of these two summer gaming events is a reality. Summer Game Fest returns on June 8, 2023.