History of Nintendo Direct in Timeline

By Popular Timelines Editorial Team · Updated: March 28, 2025

Nintendo Direct is a series of online presentations by Nintendo to share information about upcoming games and consoles. The presentations started in Japan and North America on October 21, 2011, and later expanded to Europe, Australia, and South Korea.

October 21, 2011: First Nintendo Direct

On October 21, 2011, Nintendo launched the first Nintendo Direct presentations in Japan and North America. These online presentations provided information about upcoming content, franchises, games, and consoles.

2012: Last Nintendo E3 Press Conference

In 2012, Nintendo held its last press conference at E3, which included a mix of new hardware for the Wii U and game announcements, but the presentation left little for fans of the company to be excited for.

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June 2013: Nintendo Opts for Direct Platform over E3 Press Conferences

Starting in June 2013, Nintendo began utilizing the Nintendo Direct platform as an alternative to traditional large-scale Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) press conferences.

2013: Website Technical Difficulties

During the stream of the pre-recorded broadcast for E3 2013, Nintendo's website experienced technical difficulties due to overloaded servers, making the live video unwatchable for many viewers, which prompted an official apology from Satoru Iwata.

September 24, 2014: Australia-Specific Direct

On September 24, 2014, Nintendo broadcasted a Direct specifically created for the Australian region, hosted by Tom Enoki. Typically, Australia airs the European output.

2015: Death of Satoru Iwata

In 2015, Nintendo's global president Satoru Iwata passed away. He was the main presenter of Nintendo Directs in Japan until his death.

2017: Yoshiaki Koizumi becomes worldwide host

In 2017, Yoshiaki Koizumi from Nintendo EPD took over the role of worldwide host for Nintendo Directs, following Satoru Iwata's death.

2017: Yoshiaki Koizumi Hosting

In 2017, Yoshiaki Koizumi started serving as a host for Nintendo Directs.

2017: Japan Hosts Indie World

Since 2017, Japan has hosted region-specific "Indie World" presentations, focusing on indie games published for Nintendo Switch.

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2017: English Dubbed Versions of Directs

Since 2017, Nintendo of America has aired dubbed versions of the international Directs produced in Japan, in English.

2017: Nindies Showcase Launch

Since 2017, Nintendo of America has aired presentations focusing on indie games published for Nintendo Switch, initially branded as "Nindies Showcase" hosted by Bill Trinen.

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2017: Japanese Audio with English Dubbed Narration

Since 2017, Nintendo of Europe and Nintendo Australia have aired international Directs produced in Japan with the original Japanese audio for the presenters but use an English dub for the narrated sections.

2017: Nintendo of Europe Indie Game Presentations

Since 2017, Nintendo of Europe has broadcast presentations focusing on indie games published for Nintendo Switch.

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2017: International Dubbing/Subtitling

Since 2017, the Japanese presenters and narrators' roles in Nintendo Directs are dubbed or subtitled for international releases, including in English.

March 2018: Koizumi Hosts First Half of Year

From March 2018, Yoshiaki Koizumi hosted the Nintendo Directs in the first half of the year.

2018: Nindies Showcase Broadcast

From 2017 to 2018, Nintendo of Europe broadcast the American "Nindies Showcase" presentations.

2018: Koizumi Shares Hosting Duties

In 2018, Yoshiaki Koizumi began sharing the hosting responsibilities for Nintendo Directs with Shinya Takahashi.

September 2019: Takahashi Hosts Second Half of Year

Until September 2019, Shinya Takahashi hosted the Nintendo Directs in the second half of the year.

2019: COVID-19 Pandemic Impact

After E3 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic began impacting the video game industry.

2019: Branding Aligns to Indie World

In 2019, Nintendo of America aligned the branding of its indie game presentations to the Japanese "Indie World" banner.

2019: Reggie Fils-Aime's Departure

In 2019, Reggie Fils-Aime departed, ending his occasional appearances as a host for E3 Directs.

2019: Return to Indie World Banner

Since 2019, Nintendo of Europe returned to broadcasting Nintendo of America's presentations, now under the "Indie World" banner, with Nintendo Australia broadcasting later on.

2019: Pokémon Directs Dubbed

Since 2019, the "Pokémon Direct"/"Pokémon Presents" are the only Directs that are dubbed for Europe and Australia in English, but they are also subtitled in different languages with the English dub.

2019: Production by Nintendo of Japan

Starting in 2019, E3 Directs were produced by Nintendo of Japan, presented in Japanese, and then dubbed or subtitled for international audiences.

March 2020: E3 2020 Cancelled

In March 2020, E3 2020 was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

2020: "Min Min" Presentation

In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mr. Sakurai Presents presentations started to be subtitled instead of dubbed, with the "Min Min" presentation for Arms being the first instance.

February 2021: Takahashi Hosts First Half of Year

From February 2021, Shinya Takahashi switched to hosting Nintendo Directs in the first half of the year.

June 2021: Nintendo Continues Direct Platform over E3 Press Conferences

Up until June 2021, Nintendo continued to utilize the Nintendo Direct platform as an alternative to traditional large-scale Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) press conferences.

2021: E3 2021 Held Online

In 2021, E3 2021 was held online, with Nintendo only holding an E3 Direct and Treehouse Live streams.

2021: "Sora" Presentation

In 2021, the Mr. Sakurai Presents presentation with "Sora" from Kingdom Hearts was the final presentation to be subtitled instead of dubbed, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, following Kazuya's reveal.

2021: Final E3 Direct Produced by Nintendo of Japan

In 2021, the last E3 Direct produced by Nintendo of Japan was broadcast, continuing the practice of presenting in Japanese and then dubbing or subtitling for international audiences.

March 2022: E3 2022 Cancelled

In March 2022, E3 2022 was cancelled.

September 2022: Koizumi Hosts Second Half of Year

Until September 2022, Yoshiaki Koizumi hosted the Nintendo Directs in the second half of the year.

March 2023: Nintendo Pulls Out of E3 2023

In March 2023, Nintendo pulled out of E3 2023, which was later cancelled due to the "lack of sustained interest".

June 2023: Koizumi and Takahashi Host Together

In June 2023, Yoshiaki Koizumi and Shinya Takahashi both appeared as hosts at the same time for the Nintendo Direct, which was the latest Direct hosted by Koizumi.

December 2023: ESA Permanently Discontinues E3

In December 2023, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) permanently discontinued E3, leading to more publisher-specific showcases, including main Nintendo Directs with headlines.

2024: Summer Game Fest Takes Over

As of 2024, Summer Game Fest has taken over as the most popular summer video game showcase since E3's discontinuation. While a Nintendo Direct is often still shown in June around the time of the event, Nintendo is not an official partner and has mostly avoided the show.