Did Nintendo have a good E3 or not? It remains a somewhat open question. The company chose to narrowly focus on a small handful of key titles this year, most notably Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Pokémon: Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee. Apparently, investors weren’t satisfied, as Nintendo's stock has taken a tumble over the past few weeks.
But what about regular Nintendo fans? Were they happier with The Big N’s showing? GameStop vice president of merchandising Eric Bright certainly thinks so – according to him, Nintendo Switch sales doubled the week following the big E3 Smash Bros. Ultimate unveiling. There also seems to be plenty of excitement around Nintendo software and accessories…
"Nothing beats Nintendo's overall announcements. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is jumping right up to the top of the [pre-order] list. We're also seeing great reaction from Pokémon Let's Go, both SKUs, and then of course people are trying to get their hands on the [Poké Ball Plus controller] as well. Nintendo fans are definitely reacting.”
As is often the case, the real story likely lies somewhere in the middle. Could Nintendo have done more at E3 2018? Probably, but investors do seem to have reacted a kneejerk, overly-negative way. I certainly saw a lot of enthusiasm and excitement at E3 – the Nintendo booth was consistently the busiest at the show. I’m pretty sure Smash Bros. and Pokémon are going to do just fine.
And let’s not forget, Nintendo’s president has promised more 2018 Switch games, including big holiday titles, will be announced in the future. Who knows what might be added to this year’s Switch lineup? Everything from Star Fox, to Pikmin, to Mother 3 has been rumored, so cross your fingers. Nintendo isn’t doooooomed just yet.
You can check out Wccftech’s hands-on impressions of Nintendo’s E3 2018 lineup, right here.
