Nintendo Shares E3 2017 Plans With Playable ‘Super Mario Odyssey’ And ‘Splatoon 2’ Tournaments

Nintendo officially announced its E3 plans Thursday. As expected, the house of Mario will host another live-stream presentation over a media briefing. However, the Nintendo Switch will have a presence on the show floor, with attendees getting the chance to play Super Mario Odyssey for the first time plus tournaments featuring ARMS and Splatoon 2.

The Nintendo E3 festivities will start on Tuesday, June 12 at 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT with a Nintendo Spotlight: E3 2017 video presentation. This will be available to view from the company’s website and likely YouTube and Twitch. The focus will be on games launching for the Nintendo Switch in 2017, with special attention paid to Super Mario Odyssey.

The rest of the live-stream events will be from the Nintendo Treehouse: Live at E3 from the show floor when the conference opens June 13 to June 15. Games for both the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo 3DS consoles will share the online stage along with interviews from developers and other personalities from the games maker.

In addition to the live stream, Nintendo will have a massive booth space at E3 that will open at noon on June 13. This will be the first chance to go hands-on with Super Mario Odyssey along with other upcoming Nintendo Switch titles.

A pair of tournaments will also be hosted on the E3 show floor and live-streamed to viewers. The 2017 Splatoon 2 World Inkling Invitational will take place on June 13. Four squads of competitors pre-qualified from the United States, Japan, Europe, and Australia will face off for the first ever international Splatoon 2 competition.

The following day, June 14, Nintendo will host the 2017 ARMS Open Invitational. The crazy one-on-one fighting game is releasing to the Nintendo Switch right after E3, so this will be an opportunity for show attendees to try the game out themselves.

“Our various E3 activities will showcase the next steps for Nintendo Switch, from a summer of social competitive gaming to a holiday season highlighted by a milestone Mario adventure,” said Reggie Fils-Aime, the president and COO of Nintendo of America. “With Nintendo Treehouse: Live at E3, fans at home can watch in-depth gameplay of Nintendo Switch and Nintendo 3DS games launching this year.”

What other content Nintendo will have on display beyond Super Mario Odyssey, ARMS, and Splatoon 2 is up for debate. Games announced so far for 2017 include Xenoblade 2, Fire Emblem Warriors, Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star, Redout, and RIME. There’s also the just announced NBA 2K18 plus Bethesda’s The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

Another strong candidate to be shown at E3 is DLC content for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The first DLC pack was announced by Nintendo last week, with a planned released for this summer and a $20 price. This will add a Hard Mode difficulty to the game, where enemies have been buffed by one power level and will gradually gain health.

Additionally, a “Trial of the Sword” challenge mode is being added where Link has to clear trials rooms full of enemies. There are 45 rooms in total. The DLC will also add new sets of armors like Majora’s Mask, Midna’s Helmet, and Tingle’s Outfit.

Nintendo typically remains very tight-lipped about its upcoming game plans with very few leaks. There are plenty of other franchises fans would like to see on the Nintendo Switch, including a new Mario Smash title, a new Metroid title, and the always requested F-Zero.

What do you think of Nintendo’s E3 plans, and what would you like to see announced for the Nintendo Switch? Sound off in the comments below.

[Featured Image by Nintendo]