Nintendo Will Not Be Attending The Biggest Game Convention
Well that's unexpected.
The summer is nearly upon us, and this year’s season of gaming conventions has finally begun with the beginning of Sony’s State of Play, which proved to be quite bountiful for the fans of the Resident Evil franchise. Unfortunately, Nintendo’s fans aren’t as lucky this season because the gaming giant already announced its absence from this year’s Gamescom 2022 showcase scheduled for late August this year.
According to Destructoid, Nintendo Europe issued a statement to a German news outlet Games Wirtschaft, noting that it won’t be joining the other industry players gathering at Gamescom 2022. Instead, the company will attend various smaller, regional trade events in and around Germany, where its loyal fanbase would be able to try out the company’s various wares that are currently in development. The company hasn’t revealed any specific reason that would back up its decision.
But that doesn’t mean that the reason isn’t there. According to the company’s official statement, Gamescom 2022 seems like a major event in Nintendo’s events calendar. Still, after “careful consideration,” the company decided to devoid Gamescom 2022’s attendants of its presence at the event, opting to instead show its upcoming lineup of titles and products at smaller events in Germany, like the SWR Summer Festival and the Stuttgart Children and Youth Festival.
The company will also attend the Main Matsuri Japan Festival in Frankfurt (Germany), as well as the DoKomi event in Dusseldorf, and the AnimagiC event in Mannheim. As per the company’s statements, fans of Nintendo, their games, and their handheld console, which finally dropped in price, will be able to try out the newest games for Switch at the aforementioned events. The company had quite a few successful years thanks to the massive success of Switch, so it’s quite unclear as to why it decided to add Gamescom 2022 to its expanding list of events whereat the company won’t be attending.
Admittedly, the studio has become increasingly insular when it comes to news releases regarding its ongoing projects, preferring to adhere to its Nintendo Direct live streaming and an occasional “Treehouse” demonstration. As previously reported, the company even pulled its signature fighting game, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, from the worldwide fighting game championship EVO 2022. It would seem that, at least for this year, Nintendo remains adamant about sitting at its own exclusive table.
Anyone else remember a prominent gaming company whose success prompted it to shift the majority of its focus on exclusive titles? You know, the same one that ended up tucking tail ten years later and dropping exclusivity in favor of multiplatform releases. In any case, Sony… oops, we mean Nintendo, won’t be attending this year’s Gamescom event, which returns as a hybrid event held on-site in Cologne and simultaneously online.
The event will open its doors to trade visitors, press, and content creators ahead of four-day public access for ticket holders. Of course, besides the usual offering, excluding Nintendo, Gamescom 2022 will also feature additional sections, like cosplay, retro and indie gaming, and numerous other activities. However, the full list of attending gaming companies hasn’t been published yet, and only a handful of game developers and publishers have confirmed their attendance.
