Tuesday 12 June: Nintendo @ 9am (watch here)

E3 2018 conference schedule e3 2018 rumours

Confirmed:

  • Super Smash Bros. for Switch – Announced a few months ago, Smash Bros. is the big one for Nintendo this year. There’ll be a good chance to take a look at it too. Nintendo is hosting a tournament with some well-known eSports players who’ll be taking the game out for a road test live at E3.
  • Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu and Pokémon Let’s Go Eevee – After announcing this pair of Switch games last week, the onus is on Nintendo and The Pokémon Company to really sell these titles. The games already raised a few eyebrows at their announcement. There’s been conflicting reports about the kind of experience they’ll offer too. It’ll be interesting to see what Nintendo has to show with these ones.

Almost certain:

  • Mario Tennis Aces – Given that it comes out the week after E3, expect to see this in some capacity. Still, it’s already had several showcases so don’t expect Nintendo to waste too much conference time on it.
  • Yoshi – Announced at last year’s E3, fans of Mario’s dinosaur friend haven’t heard a peep from the character since then. Expect this one to show up again, possibly with a new subtitle.
  • Metroid Prime 4 – First hinted at during last year’s E3, don’t expect to see much of this sci-fi game. There’s a chance we’ll get a trailer or some other small tease. Just don’t expect Nintendo to go into details here.
  • Bayonetta 3 – After a surprise reveal at The Game Awards last year, Bayonetta 3 could certainly make an appearance. Don’t expect gameplay, but a trailer could happen.
  • Some more Wii U ports – Nintendo’s Wii U was a great console which had terrible sales. Since it flopped, Nintendo has been churning out Wii U ports onto the Switch. Expect to see a few more of those before the day is done.
  • A couple of 3DS games – With the success of the Switch, Nintendo has almost entirely abandoned its pre-existing handheld, the 3DS. Still, we know that Luigi’s Mansion and Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story + Bowser Jr.’s Journey are on the way to the ailing handheld. Plus, there’s a chance Yokai Watch Busters 2 could come Westwards too.

Rumours:

  • Fortnite on Switch – There’s so much evidence to say the hugely popular battle royale game is coming to Nintendo Switch it’s basically confirmed at this point. What will be interesting is to see whether or not the game will be the full version released on PS4 and Xbox One or the pared-down mobile version.
  • Spyro: Reignited Trilogy on Switch – Again, this one is pretty much a dead cert. Many gamers were surprised when the game was announced for Xbox One and PS4 but not the Nintendo Switch. Rumours say that’s because the Switch version will offer extra functionality for the remaster of this 1990s classic.
  • Splatoon 2 battle royale mode: Nintendo has already found some success in the eSports industry with Splatoon 2, and with a major expansion already confirmed, it wouldn’t be too surprising if the rumour about the game getting a battle royale mode of its own came true.
  • Star Fox Grand Prix – Nintendo’s beloved first-party outfit Retro Studios is working on an outer-space racing game based on the Star Fox franchise, according to rumours. The last game in the series released in 2016. It got serious criticism at the time so it’d be surprising to see Nintendo come back to it so soon.
  • The Legend Of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD – A rumoured remaster of the 2011 title. Still, given its focus on motion control using the Wii Remote Plus, it could be a real challenge to port this one.
  • Nintendo Classic Mini: N64 – We’ve had mini versions of classic Nintendo consoles for the past two years. It wouldn’t be surprising to see another.

On the last page of this article, we’ll share details on other games that are confirmed and rumoured for E3 2018.