Not all of the reveals will be Switch games, but some of them have to be - right? UPDATED
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/sitenews/53891/our-complete-list-of-not-quite-e3-digital-events-to-watch
Normally this kind of post would be reserved for telling you all about our plans for E3 2020, but due to *gestures wildly* that won't be happening this year. Instead, here's the list of events that we'll be keeping an eye on over the coming weeks as third party announcement season has stretched into July now.
Also, some of these dates are subject to change. One item we were going to track has already been delayed to TBA, and another that was going to start Friday is now due to kick off on Monday.
IGN Summer Of Games
Dates: June 10 - 16
Probability of Switch announcements: See below.
Kicking off on Wednesday is IGN's extended announcement session that will blow you away (ign.com). Although largely focused on the "8K twins", there could be Switch announcements as it stands now from Merge Games (a new game and a classic revival), Fabraz (the Slime-San devs will be showing a new game), and up to four unannounced games. And if you just want to veg out there's a celebrity Animal Crossing: New Horizons showcase on the 16th.
Dates to watch: 10th (4:45pm ET), 11th (5:15pm ET), 15th (3:30pm ET), 16th (2pm ET)
The Escapist Indie Showcase
Date: June 11, 12 p.m. ET
Probability of Switch Announcements: Moderate
The Escapist and PC store Good Old Games (GOG to the cool kids) are teaming up for two hours of indie releases including gameplay and dev diaries. Given the sponsorship there's probably going to be a lot of PC, but at least some of it will work its way to Switch eventually.
Guerrilla Collective
Dates: June 13 - 15
Probability Of Switch Announcements: Moderate
Hosted by Greg Miller (Kinda Funny Games) and put on by the folks who run the Mix party at E3, Guerrilla Collective is a Saturday -> Monday event that will kick off each day at 1 p.m. ET for three days on Twitch. Although largely PC focused, their list of presenters includes such friends of the Switch as Sega, Humble Bundle, Thunderful, Headup Games, and Nightdive Interactive.
Future Games Show
Date: June 6 13, 5:30 p.m. ET
Probability of Switch Announcements: Mild
GamesRadar and their publisher Future will be throwing a digital shindig that will be hosted by the Uncharted series power couple of Emily Rose and Nolan North. Promising "a number of exclusive trailers and announcements from the most exciting upcoming titles of 2020 and beyond", it's hard to say if there'll be anything Switch there but we'll be watching with interest.
EA Play Live
Date: June 11 18, 7 p.m. ET
Probability of Switch Announcements: Aside from FIFA 21 Legacy Edition?
EA actually has a Switch game coming out eight days after their annual show that usually kicks off E3, but don't count on Burnout Paradise Remastered showing up again beyond a commercial break. Their support for Switch has been limited, but they did say in a recent earnings call that they do want to give more support, so... maybe...?
New Game Plus Expo
Date: June 23, 11 a.m. ET
Probability of Switch Announcements: Guaran-bloody-teed.
There's at least one person on the site for whom this is basically their E3 replacement. A majority of Switch-supporting Japanese developers (along with WayForward) are doing an hour presentation followed by seven hours of game streams. Sega fans will probably recognize the date as an important anniversary in the Western history of that company, and Atlus may look to strike while the iron is hot, but at least one staffer is hoping for two of the other publishers (Spike Chunsoft and NIS America) to make a deal and not leave them in ultimate despair. More on this later.
BitSummit Gaiden
Dates: Overnight June 26-27 (or June 27-28 Japan time)
Probability of Switch Announcements: Guaranteed, though localization is a question.
The BitSummit expo, also known as the one trade show our Daan Koopman was going to this year, is shifting online and bringing a host of Japanese indie game announcements with it. Inti Creates usually is good for a couple of announcements here as well if they don't blow it out on Tuesday.
Anime Expo Online
Dates: July 3-4
Probability of Switch Announcements: High
No mistake here (aside from anime itself): Anime Expo usually brings a surprising number of announcements from Japanese pubs (Bandai Namco, come on down). Also, the key art for the show prominently features The World Ends With You. At worst, it's an anime.adaptation, but maybe it's another shot at redemption for the most disappointing game of 2018.
Limited Run Games Presentation
Date: July 8, 3 p.m. ET
Probability of Switch Announcements: If not, Donald will eat a hat.
The third annual tribute to the physical cartridge will undoubtedly feature some previously digital-only indie titles getting the LRG release treatment - but as a publisher themselves, they're also likely to show a new game or two. They've also revealed games coming to Switch for the first time like Cosmic Star Heroine and Dust: An Elysian Tale, and may actually show a 3DS game during the presentation as well if last year's is any indication. Since last year they've also hired Jeremy Parish (of Retronauts fame) for additional background on any stray retro reproductions they may announce.
Ubisoft Forward
Date: July 12, 3 p.m. ET
Probability of Wii Announcements: Surprisingly high
Ubi is delaying their usual presentation by over a month, so we won't get to see dancing bears, vowels and consonants... sorry, towers galore, and the odd game that makes us all go "Wait, REALLY?" until July. Though it does give us plenty of time to run the betting pool on how many generations of hardware Just Dance 2021 shows up on. Does it get yet another Wii release?
We'll keep this updated with any date changes or shows that get announced late. Enjoy the silly season.
Updated 6/4 due to the change of the Future Games Show, the Limited Run Games show, and the Guerrilla Collective. Updated 6/7 for date change of EA Play Live, new dates for IGN, and adding the Escapist Indie Showcase. Updated 6/13 with the confirmed date of the Limited Run showcase.
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