Why Was Nintendos Switch Pro Missing From E3?
There was a bunch of cool stuff to get excited about during todays E3 2021-adjacent Nintendo Direct presentation. Metroid Dread is real, Advance Wars is back, and Tekkens Kazuya Mishima dropped the entire Super Smash Bros. Ultimate cast into a volcano. But one major announcement was notably missing in action: an upgraded Switch console. I cant blame anyone for expecting Nintendo to reveal a New Nintendo Switch or Nintendo Switch Pro or Super Nintendo Switch or what have you alongside E3 2021. It seemed far more likely than Metroid Dread being revived, at least. Not only is E3 the biggest video game industry event of the year, but the months leading up to the show were full of credible reporting about an imminent Switch-related announcement. And I dont mean from some random jerk on Reddit or 4chan. After reporting on Nintendos plans to produce an upgraded Switch model in August 2020, Bloomberg dropped a follow-up story in March 2021 with new details, specifically indicating that the hybrid console would feature a larger, OLED handheld screen and enough power to output 4K graphics while docked. Nintendos plans were reportedly to begin production over summer 2021, for a holiday release. Two months later, speculation went into overdrive. A third Bloomberg report, published on May 26, claimed that Nintendo was preparing to unveil the new Switch model ahead of E3 2021s June 12 start date in order to give publishers the opportunity to announce exclusive games for the beefier console. A day later, Bloombergs Jason Schreier (who didnt write the original story) backed up his colleagues reporting, teasing the possibility of a reveal that night. His tweet has since been deleted but a screenshot has been saved here. Bloombergs details were echoed by other reputable publications, like Eurogamer, who suggested that their own independent reporting supported Bloombergs findings. Other Nintendo insiders, like Emily Rogers, tweeted that an announcement was imminent. A new Switch model was also listed by various online retailers (which may or may not have been prompted by rumours) and folks pointed to a GameStop advertisement mentioning a New Nintendo Switch as evidence of an E3 reveal. (A source with first-hand knowledge of GameStop policies told Kotaku that the company often capitalises words like New, Pre-Owned, and Refurbished in promotional copy to avoid confusion among guests.) Yet a Switch Pro did not materialise on the suggested timeframe. As you now know, it didnt appear at this weeks 2021 E3 event, either. To date, and despite the copious leaks, Nintendos not made a single peep about any sort of plans for a new Switch. Its hard to say with any certainty why Nintendo didnt use E3 2021 to show off the upgraded Switch that we all know is coming at this point, but we can make some educated guesses. The last year has been pretty difficult for the video game industry, not to mention the world at large. Although profits are up for many major companies, developing games and manufacturing hardware has been a nightmare. Not only did the covid-19 pandemic force many studios to implement work-from-home policies, which hampered aspects of development like motion capture, but the chips necessary to make consoles have also been in short supply. Sony, for instance, expects PlayStation 5 shortages to last into 2022. Its not hard to imagine these issues extending to production of a new Switch model. Another factor is that Nintendo doesnt really need the large stage of E3 to launch a new product because its done such a great job of creating its own brand of PR event via its semi-regular Nintendo Direct presentations. Nintendo can launch a Switch Pro whenever it darn well pleases, totally assured that fans and press will be eager to consume and propagate the news whenever NIntendos ready to share it. The most entertaining possibility is that Nintendo simply held back the announcement in response to the aforementioned reports and rumours. While beloved after decades of creating some of the most enduring icons in gaming history, the Japanese company has also been known to cut off its own nose just to spite its face. According to comedian and Adam Ruins Everything host Adam Conover, Nintendo pulled the plug on a live-action Legend of Zelda series after The Wall Street Journal uncovered plans for one in a 2015 report. Conover further claimed to have been working on a claymation Star Fox show that was also cancelled in response to the leak, despite not having been mentioned. A month later, suddenly there were reports that Netflix wasnt going to do Legend of Zelda anymore, Conover said. I was like, What happened? And then I heard from my boss that we werent going to do Star Fox anymore. I thought that was weird, so I asked him what happened, and he said, Oh, someone at Netflix leaked the Legend of Zelda thing. Nintendo freaked out.  Whatever the case, its also a fact of life that plans just change sometimes, even at a show as big as E3 2021. Theres little doubt that an upgraded Switch model is on the way, especially as new releases like Immortals: Fenyx Rising and Super Mario 3D World: Bowsers Fury continue to chug and lag on the original console. It all just comes down to when Nintendo feels its best to officially let the cat out of the bag. Until then, I guess well just have to be content with looking forward to Metroid Dread and Breath of the Wild 2. Its difficult, I know, but Im sure well manage. Somehow.