The Nintendo Direct for E3 2021 has officially been announced and it’s happening June 15 9am PT. We can expect about 40 minutes of content “focussed exclusively on Nintendo Switch software, mostly releasing in 2021, followed by around 3 hours of gameplay [during the] Nintendo Treehouse Live” event happening immediately after.
Nintendo at #E32021: 6/15, 9am PT!
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) June 2, 2021
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.
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Based on this, we can conclude that the rumored Nintendo Switch Pro will not be revealed at E3 2021 but this only increases the likelihood it’ll be revealed any day now leading up to June 15 — assuming the rumors are true.
The featured games being “mostly” 2021 titles also indicates that some games won’t have a date or will be slated for 2022 and beyond.
In classic pre-E3 fashion speculation is running wild. Breath of the Wild 2 was revealed at the last E3 in 2019 but we’ve yet to see a release date or gameplay footage. And given the fact that it’s a direct sequel many have speculated that the development cycle would be shorter than other games in the franchise. All of this points to a strong possibility we’ll see more from BOTW 2 this year.
Nintendo is no stranger to celebrating anniversaries. Donkey Kong turns 40 this year and there have been rumors of a new 2D game in the series coming out so there’s a chance DK gets a moment in the sun this year at E3.
Considering Nintendo’s recent update to Super Mario Party, that added online multiplayer, folks are wondering if we could see a new entry in that series or more updates coming to dormant games like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
Pokemon Legends and Pokemon Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl both recently got release dates so there’s a chance we get a closer look at these titles, though they could also easily appear in their own separate Direct closer to launch.
And, of course, if the Switch Pro does get revealed ahead of this direct there’s a good chance we hear about games being optimized for the platform, taking advantage of the hardware, or even being exclusive to it.
Comment below with your Nintendo Direct E3 2021 predictions.
