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E3 2016: 2-Day Nintendo Treehouse Live Will Show More Than ‘Zelda,’ Program Includes ‘Pokémon,’ ‘Monster Hunter,’ And More

By Asma M
Published on: 18:14 PST, Jun 2, 2016

With E3 2016 less than two weeks away, Nintendo is revealing a bit more about what fans can expect from the Big N at the gaming industry’s biggest annual event. Nintendo is going to be live-streaming straight from the show floor with a special “Nintendo Treehouse: Live from E3!” program on Tuesday, June 14 and Wednesday, June 15. Interested viewers can watch the show live on Twitch, YouTube, or Nintendo’s dedicated E3 news site.

In late April, Nintendo announced The Legend of Zelda for Wii U would be the focus of E3 2016 for the company. Although previously announced to release prior to the end of the year, Zelda for Wii U is now slated for a simultaneous Wii U and NX launch in early 2017. Fans have many questions about the direction of the title, and E3 may provide the perfect stage for Nintendo to answer them.

The Legend of Zelda series celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2016, kicking off the celebration with the release of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD earlier in the year. The HD remake boasts amiibo compatibility, including a special Wolf Link amiibo figure featuring Midna that is exceptionally detailed. Not only does the amiibo look pretty slick, but Nintendo of America President and COO Reggie Fils-Aime stated in the November 2015 Nintendo Direct presentation that some save data on the Wolf Link amiibo will carry over from Twilight Princess HD to Zelda for Wii U.

But, there’s more to this year’s live E3 Nintendo Treehouse programming than The Legend of Zelda for Wii U. According to the official Nintendo site, on June 14, viewers can tune in to “…a day of live-streaming gameplay focused on The Legend of Zelda for Wii U,” but it is going to preceded by “…the first live gameplay of Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon that kicks off the program,” which begins promptly at 9 a.m. PST. Considering Pokémon is also celebrating its 20th anniversary, this day is looking to be a celebration of both the past and future of these franchises.

The second day of the live-streaming festivities begins at 10 a.m. PST on June 15 with a Pokémon GO developer Q&A session. It will be followed by a full day of Nintendo 3Ds and Wii U titles. Among the titles scheduled to be shown are “Monster Hunter Generations, Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past and Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE.” For those keeping score, Dragon Quest is also celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2016.

E3 2016 also marks Nintendo’s first E3 without renowned President and CEO Satoru Iwata, who passed on almost a month after E3 2015 on July, 11, 2015. His presence will be missed by many this year, and in the years ahead, but he is immortalized through the countless gaming experiences he has brought to the world. Iwata hosted Nintendo’s E3 kick-off digital event last year with Mario and Zelda creator Shigeru Miyamoto, and Nintendo of America’s Fils-Aime. (See the full video below.)

As far as surprise announcements go, perhaps the most unexpected announcement in 2015 came in the form of a partnership with Activision to create amiibo figures that cross over into the popular Skylanders series. The Wii U and Nintendo 3DS versions of Skylanders Superchargers include the exclusive characters Bowser and Donkey Kong. The figures for each character include a handy switch that allows players to switch between amiibo or Skylander functionality. Activision also announced Skylanders Imaginators this week; although, no official word on the future of the amiibo partnership was made, leaving the possibility open for Nintendo to announce something Skylanders related at E3 2016.

Big publishers may be shaking things up, but Nintendo is reassuring fans there will be plenty more than The Legend of Zelda Wii U at their E3 2016 booth.

[Image via Nintendo]

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