Nintendo Hints At Major E3 Announcements

Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime has stated that one of the company’s major new Christmas releases will be revealed for the first time at E3 2008 in July, suggesting that the title will please both existing gamers and the company’s new expanded audience. Although Nintendo has a number of high profile titles due for release in the remaining first half of the year, including Mario Kart Wii and Wii Fit, the company has revealed little about its plans for the second half of the 2008 calendar year. In a new interview with consumer website Gametrailers.com, Fils-Aime commented on a “big game for the holiday that gamers will want”. The new title will be announced at E3 2008, although likely the pre-expo Nintendo media briefing rather than the downsized event itself. When asked, Fils-Aime refused to comment on whether the game in question was a new Donkey Kong title, but did confirm that Wii Music/Orchestra was likely to be one of the games discussed at E3 – although in so doing appeared to imply that this was not the major new title in question. Although fan speculation has ranged from a new cel-shaded The Legend of Zelda to a revamp of the Kid Icarus franchise, one of the only major franchises previously mentioned by Nintendo but not currently scheduled is Animal Crossing. Although a Wii version has been confirmed by Nintendo in the past no time frame has ever been suggested for its release.