The closing day of Nintendo Direct. Being the show that popularized digital gaming events, the June 15, 2021 Nintendo Direct was a fitting closer for the first all-digital E3. After being canceled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, E3 returned remotely in 2021, and Nintendo ed in for its usual Direct and Treehouse: Live presentations.
Ahead of E3, Nintendo revealed the Direct would feature "roughly 40 minutes" of content "focused exclusively on software" - seemingly ruling out rampant rumors of a Switch Pro at E3 2021. Fans had long been hoping for news of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild's sequel this year, along with updates on Metroid Prime 4 and other dormant franchises, but Nintendo gave no hints of what would appear, besides saying the Direct's games are "mostly releasing in 2021."
The Nintendo Direct began with a look at the newest Super Smash Bros. Ultimate character, Kazuya from Tekken, showing him drop the bodies of several Smash characters into molten lava. Game director Masahiro Sakurai followed the announcement with a short video revaling Kazuya's various moves in the game, teasing a full showcase on June 28.
Every Game & Trailer From The E3 2021 Nintendo Direct
The following games were shown off during the E3 2021 Nintendo Direct livestream. Follow the linked text for full trailers and more information about those particular titles. Brand new game and DLC announcements are bolded.
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate new character, Kazuya Mishima from Tekken
- Life Is Strange Remastered Collection Nintendo Switch version (Square Enix) - 2021
- Life Is Strange True Colors Nintendo Switch version (Square Enix) - September 10, 2021
- Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy: Cloud Version (Square Enix) - October 26, 2021
- Worms Rumble (Team17) - June 23, 2021
- Astria Ascending (Artisan Studios) - September 30, 2021
- Two Point Campus (Sega) - 2022
- Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania remastered collection (Sega) - October 5, 2021
- Mario Party Superstars - October 29, 2021
- Metroid Dread - October 8, 2021
- Just Dance 2022 (Ubisoft) - November 4, 2021
- Cruis'n Blast (Raw Thrills Inc.) - fall 2021
- Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot + A New Power Awakens Switch version (Namco Bandai) - September 24, 2021
- Mario Golf: Super Rush - June 25, 2021
- Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin (Capcom) - July 9, 2021
- WarioWare: Get It Together! - September 10, 2021
- Shin Megami Tensei 5 (Atlus) - November 12, 2021
- Danganronpa Decadence (Spike Chunsoft) - 2021
- Danganronpa S: Ultimate Summer Camp (Spike Chunsoft) - 2021
- Fatal Frame Maiden of Black Water Switch version (Koei Techmo) - 2021
- DOOM Eternal: The Ancient Gods Part 1 (Bethesda) - available today
- Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2 Switch version (Activision) - June 25, 2021
- Strange Brigade Switch version (Rebellion Developments) - available today
- Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope (Ubisoft) - 2022
- Advance Wars 1 + 2 Re-Boot Camp - holiday 2021
- Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity Expansion Wave 1 (Koei Techmo) - June 18, 2021
- The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD - July 16, 2021
- Game & Watch: The Legend of Zelda - November 12, 2021
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sequel - 2022
Highlights from the Direct include Metroid Dread, the first new 2D Metroid game in almost 20 years, and WarioWare: Get It Together!, which finally brings the minigame series to Switch. The new trailer for Breath of the Wild's sequel seemingly confirmed no playable Zelda, so fans of the character will likely be disappointed unless otherwise is revealed at a later date. Following the Nintendo Direct, the company began streaming three hours of gameplay for the Treehouse: Live E3 2021 event, starting with Metroid Dread gameplay. Stay tuned to Screen Rant for coverage of any news revealed in the Treehouse livestream.
