Well, well, look who’s coming to Gamescom 2023: Nintendo.
The publisher, which over the past decade has opted for YouTube broadcasts over formal participation in video games’ major industry expos, said Wednesday that it would make an appearance at Gamescom 2023 in Cologne, Germany this summer. The expo runs from Aug. 23 to Aug. 27.
Nintendo’s marketing strategy since 2013 has reshaped how everyone gets now gets their game news, regardless of console. The company hasn’t done a live, on-stage presentation — you know, the kind of glitzy extravaganza that made former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime a household name — since E3 2012. Since then, the company has instead aired a series of immensely popular Nintendo Direct broadcasts whenever it’s had anything to announce. And other publishers and platform-holders have followed that lead.
Even as Nintendo moved to its pre-recorded broadcasts, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic shut down so much of video gaming’s traditional calendar, the company still maintained a booth on the show floor at major expos. Last month, however, the Electronic Software Association, which organized E3, canceled the show for good.
Gamescom, which unlike E3 is open to the general public, is a different show altogether. Nintendo’s exhibit at Cologne will follow the July 21 launch of Pikmin 4, so it’s possible the company will have something to show then that it hasn’t announced so far.
Gamescom is a gaming trade fair and expo hosted in Germany since 2009. Last year, Gamescom’s Opening Night Live livestream, hosted by Geoff Keighley, revealed launch dates, updates, and other announcements for more than 30 games, including Dead Island 2, Hogwarts Legacy, Gotham Knights, and Sonic Frontiers.