Nintendo Stocks Fall After Lukewarm E3 Showcase

Fans were ready to be amazed by Nintendo during the company’s press briefing at the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo (or E3) in Los Angeles this week. The Tuesday live-stream instead focused on a number of smaller announcements before devoting a huge chunk of time to the newest “Super Smash Bros.” game.

That approach sent Nintendo’s stock price down the drain during a time when other video game companies usually see a surge, according to CNN Money. Shares have fallen by 16 percent in June, while other heavy hitters like Electronic Arts have seen theirs rise in the wake of their E3 announcements.

The decline is being attributed to Nintendo’s modest E3 showcase. The expectation going in was that “Super Smash Bros.” would be the main event, but that Nintendo would also surround it by one or two other major games for 2018, along with a smattering of other titles. Instead, the Japanese gaming giant let “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate” do the heavy lifting while keeping other highly-anticipated games under wraps.

There was no mention of the previously announced “Metroid Prime 4” or the oft-requested debut of “Animal Crossing” for Nintendo Switch. The company made its major “Pokemon” announcements weeks in advance, so there were no surprises in that department, either.

Almost everything else Nintendo showcased was leaked in advance. “Fire Emblem Three Houses” and “Super Mario Party” were the other reveals, but they apparently were not enough to please investors. Even the debut of “Fortnite” did not move the needle for shareholders, despite the game’s immediate success on Switch.

The company’s perceived weak E3 showing did not alleviate concerns that the second year of the Nintendo Switch’s life would be uneventful. The console launched in March 2017 and by the end of that year, had brand new, critically adored games in the “The Legend of Zelda” and “Super Mario” franchises. In less than a year, it outpaced the lifetime sales of Nintendo’s previous console, the Wii U.

“Super Smash Bros. Ultimate” will almost certainly be a big seller when it launches in December. That said, shareholders clearly do not believe it, alongside the upcoming “Mario Tennis Aces” and “Super Mario Party,” can carry the Switch to the promised land in 2018 by themselves.