PAX West begins shortly, running from Friday, September 4th through Monday, September 7th in Seattle, WA. PAX is one of the few conventions that Nintendo still attends, even if there is nothing new to showcase. However, Nintendo is blatantly absent from this year’s PAX West Exhibitor list, which is odd especially when Nintendo of America is located next door in Redmond, WA. So, why is Nintendo absent from PAX West…and does it have anything to do with an upcoming Direct?
While PAX is far from E3 or Gamescom, it still a prominent convention for developers and publishers of all sizes to showcase new or upcoming titles. Nintendo has notably attended PAX events for about 20 years (since 2005). While many times, they bring games that already released, sometimes they will share a demo of a future title such as The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom during PAX West 2024.
Nintendo usually announces their presence at PAX close to the event date; however, with PAX West 2026 only three days away, it’s almost a given that they are skipping out. Other major companies are still attending and bringing the big guns, including Konami with demos for METAL GEAR SOLID: MASTER COLLECTION Vol.2, SILENT HILL: Townfall, and Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse.
While no one knows why Nintendo has been silent this go-around, one can speculate on a few reasons. One is perhaps because of new Nintendo of America leadership. Devon Pritchard has succeeded Doug Bowser as President and Chief Operating Officer and Satoru Shibata finally filled the vacant role once held by Satoru Iwata. We haven’t seen or heard much from either of them since they took their positions, so it’s hard to say how they will approach conventions going forward. So, is that a reason? Possibly, but unlikely without some proof.
Then, enter Ubisoft. In a recent social media post, there is heavy speculation that the next Nintendo Direct will occur September 10th. Taking this all with a grain of salt, it is plausible that Nintendo is diverting all of its focus and resources to an epic Direct that is taking place right after PAX West. The timing makes sense, although it’s hard to reason the relation between the two.
These are all speculations, and perhaps it’s wishful thinking that Nintendo is skipping out on PAX West because they are off preparing an amazing Direct that will be so massive, it will knock our socks off. What I do know is that their absence, if continued in future years, may very well impact PAX attendance. We may see fewer ticket sales and perhaps other larger companies opting out as well. Let’s hope this is just a one time thing!
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