Nintendo E3 Directs
From June 2013 to June 2021, in lieu of traditional large-scale Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) press conferences, Nintendo opted to utilize the Nintendo Direct platform as an alternative method of conveying its news. Speaking at an annual March financial results briefing just two months prior, Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata stated that the company's decision was determined by the fact that "different people demand different types of information", and that the Nintendo Direct platform had established itself to the point that Nintendo would "be able to deliver [their] messages more appropriately and effectively … based on the various needs of different groups of people".[4] Christopher Dring of GamesIndustry.biz observed that the last press conference that Nintendo held at E3 in 2012 featured too much of a mix between Nintendo's new hardware for the Wii U and game announcements. Compared to other press conferences held that year, Nintendo's presentation left little for fans of the company to be excited for. By switching to Nintendo Directs, Dring opined that the company was able to better connect to fans using the Nintendo Direct presentations, made the faces of Nintendo's executives more visible, as well as having Directs outside of the E3 cycle to provide more frequent updates on game and hardware releases.[5]
During the stream of the pre-recorded broadcast for E3 2013, Nintendo's website suffered from technical difficulties in the form of overloaded servers, rendering the live video unwatchable for many viewers, and prompting an official apology from Satoru Iwata.[6] Despite these difficulties, Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aimé noted that secondary viewership following the initial broadcast still worked to popularize product promotion.[7]
The following year, in addition to the Direct, the company added "Nintendo Treehouse: Live @ E3" live streams to their presence at the trade event.[8] Named after the Product Development department at Nintendo of America, these were daily streams from the show floor that featured NoA localization staff and game developers demoing and giving in-depth coverage of titles that were announced during that year's Direct. The year also began a trend of Nintendo hosting a game tournament sometime during the week, in which the participants competed in titles that had yet to be released.
After E3 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the video game industry. E3 2020 was cancelled in March 2020 due to the pandemic,[19] E3 2021 was held online, with Nintendo only holding an E3 Direct and Treehouse Live streams,[20] and E3 2022 was cancelled in March 2022.[21] Nintendo also pulled out of E3 2023,[22][23] which was cancelled in March 2023 due to the "lack of sustained interest".[24] The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) permanently discontinued E3 in December 2023, leading to more publisher-specific showcases, including main Nintendo Directs with headlines.[2]
