For the gaming industry, 2020 proved to be a challenging year due in large part to the Coronavirus pandemic. While revenue and sales for games like Pokemon GO and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare were up across the board thanks to most people being stuck at home, most companies had to find new ways to market and broadcast their games. Many big annual events like E3 were outright canceled, while others switched to a digital only format, ultimately changing how fans interacted with them.
With all these industry changes, some companies like Sony, Square Enix, and Ubisoft opted to hold their own smaller digital broadcasts multiple times through the year to show off upcoming content and games. Nintendo, on the other hand, seemingly reverted back and instead focused on small direct presentations typically focused on indie games or third party titles. In fact, Nintendo's release schedule for 2020 was even lighter than most expected it to be, not having a ton of major exclusives and making Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity its big holiday 2020 launch title.
Many Nintendo fans would likely agree that the company has been largely impacted by the pandemic. Opting for much smaller announcements rather than a big Nintendo Direct, fans have been waiting for updates on some of the company's biggest games, like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2. For all the lack of major updates in 2020, Nintendo likely has more fan pressure on it to deliver in 2021 than it ever has before. With E3 2021 back on the map, Nintendo could be bringing out the big guns this year. Here's what fans should expect from Nintendo at E3 2021.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2
Arguably the biggest name on this list for many is The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2. Serving as a sequel to the beloved Switch launch title, Nintendo originally revealed the teaser trailer as a big surprise at the end of its E3 2019 presentation. The tease showed Link and Zelda descending into a dungeon of sorts, where at the bottom a zombified creature seemingly reawakens. Fans have taken this as a clue to Ganondorf's revival but since that trailer, Nintendo has been frustratingly quiet on details, leaving fans to simply generate their own theories and rumors.
With two years of development time now complete, it stands to reason that Nintendo's return to E3 would be the perfect time to finally show off the progress of the latest Zelda title. It remains one of Nintendo's biggest franchises and most anticipated games upcoming for the Switch. While there has been endless amounts of speculation regarding story beats and gameplay elements, many have linked Breath of the Wild 2 to the Switch Pro, which could line up nicely for a big E3 presentation. Regardless, Nintendo did promise more information on the upcoming game later in 2021, so it stands to reason that there may not be a better time than E3, when gamers around the world are tuning in.
Metroid Prime 4
Besides the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2, Metroid Prime 4 is typically the next big franchise game fans turn to when wondering what Nintendo has planned. Metroid Prime 4, unlike Breath of the Wild 2, has had a tumultuous development cycle that has seen multiple developers try their hand at the game. Initially announced back in 2017 with just a simple teaser image at E3, Metroid Prime 4 has been missing in action for the past four years. By 2018, then Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime confirmed development was going well, with reports indicating that Bandai Namco Japan and Singapore developing it.
Then, in January 2019, Nintendo EPD general manager Shinya Takahashi confirmed that Metroid Prime 4 had essentially been rebooted at Retro Studios in Texas, the studio that originally developed the previous games in the franchise. Since then, nothing has come out regarding the game outside of rumors and speculation resulting from job postings listed by Retro Studios. At this point, fans are hoping for any sort of news from Nintendo, even if it's just a short trailer. With two years now gone, many are pointing to E3 2021 as the perfect time to reveal something.
Bayonetta 3
Another instance of a game getting teased and then going completely dark is Bayonetta 3. Originally announced at the 2017 Game Awards, fans were treated to an extremely short teaser trailer and a logo. Since then, both Nintendo and Platinum Games have been completely silent on where the title actually is in development. Even Platinum Games co-founder Hideki Kamiya recently came out and said that fans should just forget about Bayonetta 3 for now.
Whatever is going on with Bayonetta 3, it stands to reason that Platinum Games is not in charge of when it gets revealed in full. With Nintendo publishing the title, Kamiya's comment isn't meant to be negative, simply implying that whenever something does get announced, it'll be a nice surprise. While his comments came in January, there's still plenty of time for Nintendo to pull the curtain back on Bayonetta 3. If Nintendo manages to not only reveal Bayonetta 3 at E3 2021 but Metroid Prime 4 and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2, it could be one of the company's biggest events ever.
Switch Pro
Over the past year, there has seemingly been countless leaks and rumors pertaining to a new Switch model. Considering both Sony and Microsoft have just released newer consoles and the fact that the Switch is now four years old, many fans are expecting some sort of refresh to the hybrid system. Nintendo continues to deny the rumors of a new Switch model coming anytime soon and doubled down by releasing new Switch bundles with recent games like Monster Hunter Rise.
Rumors continue to be all over the place in terms of details including those that believe new Nvidia tech will be integrated, 4K resolution, the console will launch towards the end of 2021, the console will have exclusive games, and more. Whatever the case may be, fans seem to agree that with many ambitious titles in development like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 and Pokemon Legends Arceus, the added horsepower of the Switch Pro console could really help elevate these games. With E3 being one of the biggest events in gaming, the timing would be right to make a splash with a new console announcement.
Pokemon
Thanks to the 25th Anniversary Pokemon Direct earlier this year, fans got an early look at two upcoming games. Pokemon Shining Pearl and Pokemon Brilliant Diamond bring players back to the Sinnoh region with an all new visual style with sprites on the overworld that resemble chibi characters. While the story and gameplay will largely be the same, the game is being developed by ILCA with oversight by Game Freak.
Game Freak is instead working on an all new title called Pokemon Legends Arceus, an action-RPG that features a true open world setting which builds off of the Wild Area in Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield. While not much is known about the game, early gameplay shows an ancient version of Sinnoh where the player is tasked with creating the region's first Pokedex. Players can also capture Pokemon in the world without first having to engage in combat.
Naturally, since these games have already been announced and have release dates within the next year, fans shouldn't be surprised to see actual gameplay from these games at a major event like E3.
Splatoon 3
While it may not have been the showstopping announcement many fans had hoped for following the first mainline Nintendo Direct in 2021, Splatoon 3 served as the "one more thing" moment. The trailer showed off what many believe is a post-apocalyptic wasteland complete with an upside-down Eiffel Tower. New weapons are highly likely as the trailer shows a bow and arrow type of weapon along with updated versions of weapons like the Charger, Shooter, and Blaster.
Although the game is due out in 2022, Nintendo showed off a good chunk of footage during the February 17 Direct. As such, it shouldn't be too surprising to see the game featured again at more 2021 events like E3.
Retro Studios
While the studio is hard at work on Metroid Prime 4, there was a big gap in time between its last release with Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze back in 2014 to 2019 when Nintendo reassigned Metroid. Neither Nintendo or Retro Studios has discussed what was actually being developed during that time, with most information fans received originating from rumors and speculation. Still, five years is a huge amount of time in the games industry and there are those that believe Retro was able to create something which could still be released.
One of the most popular theories is a Star Fox racing game with an adventure mode similar to Diddy Kong Racing, while others have mentioned a revival of the long dormant F-Zero series. Other rumors have claimed that Retro was working on a brand new musical-inspired RPG game that was ultimately canceled. If Nintendo does intend to release whatever it was Retro was working on, perhaps an announcement at E3 could be the venue to do it.
The Treehouse
While Nintendo has opted to not hold a massive press conference at E3 for a few years now, it does typically have a special session held by the Nintendo Treehouse following its digital event. Typically, this is where fans get lengthier looks at games through gameplay as well as interviews with developers to provide additional insight. While E3 2021 is a digital event and won't have huge booths like in years past, it stands to reason that Nintendo would opt to hold its own Treehouse Live event following what many expect to be another Digital Direct Showcase. Rumors have even indicated that Nintendo is planning something big this June, which now happens to perfectly line up with the revamped E3.
Not only is this a great chance to further show off the just announced titles, but it also gives fans greater insight into the experience. In year's past, Nintendo Treehouse Live has had a number of high profile guests to help demo games and reveal even more about the game such as Eiji Aonuma, Shigeru Miyamoto, Junichi Masuda, and Shigeru Ohmori to name a few. It's also a prime opportunity to give games more time to be in the spotlight outside of the quick 2 minute window in a typically jam packed Nintendo Direct.
Surprise Announcements
It wouldn't be a Nintendo Direct without at least a couple of surprises. While Nintendo remains fairly secretive about showing games off before they're ready, in the past few years the company has seemingly relaxed on it's former hardline announcement rules. The games mentioned above were all announced seemingly out of the blue and well before the games were deep into development. In addition, Nintendo has shown a willingness to work with other companies like bringing former Xbox exclusives to the Switch or even collaborating with Ubisoft to bring Fox McCloud to Starlink: Battle for Atlas and combine Mario and the Raving Rabbids in a turn based tactical RPG. As such, fans should expect at least one reveal at the very end of the presentation.
E3 2021 will take place digitally on June 12-15.