Nintendo's set to host its first convention outside of Japan in September

Nintendo has announced Nintendo Live 2023, a fan convention set to run in Seattle, Washington this September.

Details on the event are currently light - specific dates and registration info have not yet been revealed - but the company promises in a press release that attendees will get "a new way to experience the games and worlds of Nintendo, with fun gameplay, live stage performances, exciting gaming tournaments, memorable photo ops, and more."

Note what's not in that list: announcements. The publisher typically hosts a Nintendo Direct sometime in September and it's certainly possible this event will coincide with that broadcast, but Nintendo Live itself is meant to be a gathering for fans rather than an industry showcase for upcoming products.

YouTube

Watch On

Similar events have been held several times in Japan, and the standout pieces of those shows have been the live converts. A Splatoon 2 concert held in 2019 featured KK Slider opening for hologram renditions of Pearl and Marina performing alongside a delightful group of live musicians. If that doesn't sound incredible to you, I don't think we can be friends.

While this will be a very different type of event, it's particularly notable to see Nintendo announce its own North American convention in the wake of E3 being canceled. Messaging around E3's cancellation suggested that it came down to a lack of publisher interest, and if Nintendo's already going out and running its own fan events instead, it attending E3 2024 isn't looking very likely, either.

We're still trying to figure out what catchy name to give the 'summer video game news week,' but for now our E3 2023 schedule will break down everything from Summer Game Fest to the Xbox Games Showcase.