Nintendo Direct | E3 2021 + Treehouse Live (15th June 2021 @ 17:00 BST)

[Julius]

All aboard the hype train 

Edited June 3, 2021 by Julius

[Ronnie]

Nice! 

[darksnowman]

17:00 BST.

[Ashley]

"focused exclusively on Nintendo Switch software" seems like expectation management and yet it'll still fail with some. 

The 3 hours of Treehouse after is curious though. 

[Ronnie]

Shame Treehouse is only three hours long, I really miss those three days of livestreams they did in the past, but obviously this is a weird year.

Quote

Tune in for roughly 40 minutes of info focused exclusively on software—mostly releasing in 2021—for the Nintendo Switch™ system. 

Masters of managing expectations! A very good thing given what the gaming community. Next they'll be saying what colour clothes Koizumi and Aonuma will be wearing.

Edited June 2, 2021 by Ronnie

[darksnowman]

1 minute ago, Ashley said:

"focused exclusively on Nintendo Switch software" seems like expectation management and yet it'll still fail with some. 

 

1 minute ago, Ronnie said:

Masters of managing expectations! Next they'll be saying what colour clothes the hosts will be wearing.

The 3DS hype train:

4 minutes ago, Ashley said:

The 3 hours of Treehouse after is curious though. 

180 mins of amiibo here we go. 

[Dufniall]

40 Minutes seems like a proper length. The last one was 55 minutes and was pretty crammed full so if they keep that speed we should be getting some nice things. And the software phrasing, probably means we'll get the New Switch revealed tomorrow and they wouldn't have lied.

[Dcubed]

40 mins for the main event is pretty short for an E3 Direct... Likewise, 3 hours is VERY short for a Treehouse Live...

Doesnt bode well  

[Ronnie]

4 minutes ago, Dcubed said:

40 mins for the main event is pretty short for an E3 Direct

2017: 25 mins
2018: 42 mins
2019: 43 mins

4 minutes ago, Dcubed said:

Likewise, 3 hours is VERY short for a Treehouse Live

Covid.

No show floor to livestream from.

[Ashley]

37 minutes ago, Ashley said:

"focused exclusively on Nintendo Switch software" seems like expectation management and yet it'll still fail with some. 

The 3 hours of Treehouse after is curious though. 

Just realised this is the E3 one that's why.

I'm so used to these being announced with 48 hours notice that I thought it was some pre-E3 thing.

[Aneres11]

35 minutes ago, darksnowman said:

180 mins of boring Fire Emblem here we go. 

Fixed 

[Julius]

Nintendo E3 Directs have consistently been anywhere between good and great in my eyes since I started watching them, and even in off years they're still one of the better events at E3, and other Directs in the year normally make up for them. 

The part where it mentions a focus on games "mostly releasing in 2021" kind of knocks down my high hopes for the Breath of the Wild sequel, especially given the length of the Treehouse. I think this year was always me being optimistic for that game, but I'll continue to have that outlook until they tell us otherwise! 

With regards to the rumoured hardware, I agree with @Vileplume2000. The rumours were saying that it would be a pre-E3 announcement, and the fact that they emphasise the Direct focusing exclusively on software actually makes me think it's more likely that we see said hardware ahead of E3, because I see little reason to explicitly state that you're only bringing software (they absolutely could have left that morsel out). 

Guess we'll have to wait and see, but if we see an announcement pre-E3, then the Treehouse could end up showing live gameplay on the new hardware, which I was hoping for anyways! 

13 minutes ago, Dcubed said:

40 mins for the main event is pretty short for an E3 Direct...

Weren't both the E3 2018 and E3 2019 Directs just a smidge over 40 minutes too? They do always tend to go by quickly though!

Considering that the latter half of 2021 is virtually empty besides Pokémon and Skyward Sword, I think it could end up being pretty packed. 

Or at least that's what I'll go in hoping 

42 minutes ago, Ronnie said:

Shame Treehouse is only three hours long, I really miss those three days of livestreams they did in the past, but obviously this is a weird year.

E3 2016 was the first E3 I watched live, and I remember just having Treehouse on in the background after coming home from college, occasionally looking up to see something completely hype-worthy from Breath of the Wild. Love the Treehouses for this reason. 

Yeah, it sucks that it's shorter this time around, but like you mentioned, COVID and not having floorspace (potentially doing it from home as they did with some of the others?) is probably the reason why. But it's another thing which knocks down my Breath of the Wild sequel expectations, considering just how long they showed the first game off for at E3 2016, only having a 3 hour Treehouse here makes it tough to be optimistic. 

Edited June 2, 2021 by Julius

[Ike]

Didn't they just rotate the same games in last year's Treehouse?

[Ronnie]

7 minutes ago, Julius said:

The rumours were saying that it would be a pre-E3 announcement, and the fact that they emphasise the Direct focusing exclusively on software actually makes me think it's more likely that we see said hardware ahead of E3, because I see little reason to explicitly state that you're only bringing software (they absolutely could have left that morsel out). 

I actually think it suggests the opposite. I'm still 50:50 on before/after, but now I'm thinking why the need to manage expectation about an event that's (supposedly) happening after a hardware reveal? The wording makes more sense if the Switch Pro is revealed afterwards, so people don't get annoyed at no Pro reveal during E3. If the Pro is being revealed tomorrow, why the need to manage expectations about a show 2 weeks from now.

7 minutes ago, Julius said:

But it's another thing which knocks down my Breath of the Wild sequel expectations, considering just how long they showed the first game off for at E3 2016, only having a 3 hour Treehouse here makes it tough to be optimistic. 

I think we'll almost certainly see something of BOTW2 but I don't think it'll be a full deep dive on gameplay. They can easily do a dedicated Direct + Treehouse for that at the end of the year or early next year. 

Edited June 2, 2021 by Ronnie

[Ashley]

8 minutes ago, Ronnie said:

I actually think it suggests the opposite. I'm still 50:50 on before/after, but now I'm thinking why the need to manage expectation about an event that's (supposedly) happening after a hardware reveal? The wording makes more sense if the Switch Pro is revealed afterwards, so people don't get annoyed at no Pro reveal during E3. If the Pro is being revealed tomorrow, why the need to manage expectations about a show 2 weeks from now.

Unless the New Pro Max 4K isn't some big flashy thing they'll try and push anyway. They reveal it before and allude to more details in the (medium) term and the E3 event is focused on the software perhaps occasionally peppered with "enhanced by new hardware" kind of notes. They might just want to confirm the existence and broad details and then in a few months go into it in more detail. If there is indeed "more" to go into (if it's just "upscales, will cost around the same" there's only so much you can really say).

[Julius]

2 minutes ago, Ronnie said:

I actually think it suggests the opposite. I'm still 50:50 on before/after, but now I'm thinking why the need to manage expectation about an event that's (supposedly) happening after a hardware reveal? The wording makes more sense if the Switch Pro is revealed afterwards, so people don't get annoyed at no Pro reveal during E3. If the Pro is being revealed tomorrow, why the need to manage expectations about a show 2 weeks from now.

Yeah, I get where you're coming from, and at the very least, we know that it won't be revealed during this E3 Direct.

But coming out and saying something like this very heavily implies that there is hardware to reveal, acknowledging the rumours, and I mean, it may well be the case that if the hardware is revealed beforehand that it's not immediately available for pre-order or they announce a deeper dive for later in the summer; there could be a reason we would go into this E3 Direct expecting more hardware news otherwise. 

I don't think they needed to clarify at all whether or not the Direct was going to be focused exclusively on software (why even mention it?), so it's either coming before E3 or a bit down the road (not this month). I lean towards the former partly because it's been thrown out there by insiders that we'd hear about it before, but more importantly because - especially now that we have a confirmed Treehouse - there's zero reason to keep a new model, footage of games running on it, etc., and it being played hidden away during what I would assume to be a livestream.

Directs are huge anyways, but their E3 ones especially so. Nintendo going last and closing out E3 as they normally do - even when it's not on a show floor - shows that they know the importance of having all eyes on you, and I think it would be a bit of a waste to not have it turn up here in some capacity, namely being what the games are being played on. 

Guess we'll have to wait and see, but I would lean towards it coming before. Could totally be wrong and they could announce tomorrow that we won't see it until next month, but it's just a gut reading from their wording. 

19 minutes ago, Ronnie said:

I think we'll almost certainly see something of BOTW2 but I don't think it'll be a full deep dive on gameplay. They can easily do a dedicated Direct + Treehouse for that at the end of the year or early next year. 

The E3 and Switch presentation trailers for Breath of the Wild are among my favourite game trailers, so I'm really hoping that we get something like those. Also just show me a bigger town (rebuilt Castle Town?) and maybe a new character and my hunger will be satiated...for now 

[Ashley]

Yeah that's a good point @Julius, Treehouse would be a good opportunity for those cringey "and we're using the new Joy-Cons, look how great they are!" "they are indeed Becky, but I still like my trusty old ones too!"

[Dcubed]

1 hour ago, Ronnie said:

2017: 25 mins
2018: 42 mins
2019: 43 mins

Touché.  They were shorter than I remembered!

Quote

Covid.

No show floor to livestream from.

All the more reason why it could go on longer.  They don’t need to clear the floor for anyone else.  So 3 hours is very short indeed.

Makes me think that they’ve got something they want to demonstrate in detail in particular, rather than new post-Direct reveals and drawn out gameplay sessions.  Might not be a bad thing mind you.

Edited June 2, 2021 by Dcubed

[S.C.G]

Nintendo Direct E3 2021 to be broadcast on 15/06/2021

Up on the main page.

The full roundup article with the press release etc will probably be up on the main page shortly after the event airs in just under two week's time.

Personal expectations? Metroid Dread.

Realistic expectations? New amiibo, (which I won't buy... unless Metroid) New Switch console, (hardly any need to upgrade) and 1-2-3 Switch! (...)

[Hero-of-Time]

2 minutes ago, S.C.G said:

Personal expectations? Metroid Dread. 

I’d love it to finally show up, even it arrives as Metroid V. I’d much rather see a new 2D Metroid over Metroid Prime 4.

[Dcubed]

5 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said:

I’d love it to finally show up, even it arrives as Metroid V. I’d much rather see a new 2D Metroid over Metroid Prime 4.

It's been rumoured for so long that it's really now or never.

It's been 4 years since Samus Returns came out.  It's time.

[Jonnas]

I expect:

• The remaining two Smash newcomers to be announced;
• Some sort of Fire Emblem announcement;
• And this is practically a gimme, but of course: Mole Mania - Journey to Moledavia

As long as two out of these three happen, I'll pat myself on the back.

What I wish for:

• Lloyd Irving as one of the SSBU newcomers;
• Skies of Arcadia remaster;
• A collection of Tales games, previously unreleased in the west, now being localized. And also Symphonia HD coming to Switch;
• Binding Blade remake;
• Almyra 1160. A cookie for those who know what that means;
• Castlevania Collection with all the Metroidvania titles (PS1, GBA, DS);
• A new entry of a Nintendo franchise being made by an Indie developer;
• Playable Zelda and/or Ganon in BotW 2

A single one of these would be enough to hype me through the roof.

Edited June 2, 2021 by Jonnas

[Hero-of-Time]

Just now, Jonnas said:

IWhat I wish for:

• Lloyd Irving as one of the SSBU newcomers;
• Skies of Arcadia remaster;
• A collection of Tales games, previously unreleased in the west, now being localized. And also Symphonia HD coming to Switch;
• Binding Blade remake;
• Almyra 1160. A cookie for those who know what that means;
• CastleMetroidvania Collection;
• A new entry of a Nintendo franchise being made by an Indie developer;
• Playable Zelda and/or Ganon in BotW 2

[Aneres11]

Expectation. 
Fire Emblem somewhere. 
New Smash characters.

News on Zelda / Metroid. 
 

What I would like: 

New Mario Kart. Either fully fledged DLC or new game. 
Super Princess Peach 2. Pls. 
Luigis Mansion 4. 
New Yooka Laylee. Not a Nintendo thing really, but be great if new YL made an appearance at e3 at some point! 
Kid Icarus sequel. Or 3DS remake with decent controls. 
New Donkey Kong 

GC virtual console 
 

[Hero-of-Time]

1 minute ago, Aneres11 said:

What I would like: 

New Mario Kart. Either fully fledged DLC or new game. 
Super Princess Peach 2. Pls. 
Luigis Mansion 4. 
New Yooka Laylee. Not a Nintendo thing really, but be great if new YL made an appearance at e3 at some point! 
Kid Icarus sequel. Or 3DS remake with decent controls. 
New Donkey Kong