Leaks.

Leaks ruined E3 2018 for the Nintendo fan.

Each and every year, Nintendo endeavors to surprise and delight you. They spend months holding meetings about E3, planning their lineup, signing deals, scripting speeches, recording VO, and editing trailers meant to drop your jaw.

Each and every year, gamers scour Internet forums and fansites for the latest news, rumors, and speculation.

Is there any wonder why you weren’t in shock and awe after the Nintendo Direct?

For some unknown reason, Nintendo fans expect that they can examine every patent, floor plan, internal email, and industry job listing—yet STILL be blown away when it finally comes time for the Big N to show their big guns.

You can’t have it both ways!

Badly Kept Secrets

Do you know how epic (pun intended) it could have been when Fortnite was revealed? That was a moment that was passed over without fanfare because we knew it was coming. Imagine going into E3 blind, then finding out: not only is Fortnite confirmed for Nintendo Switch, it’s free… and you can get it now!

Or Killer Queen Black, a 5v5 arcade game that’s sweeping the scene with its unique gameplay and set up, now coming to a much more convenient portable/console hybrid.

Dragon Ball FighterZ, Paladins, FIFA 19, Overcooked 2, and more… all these announcements were stolen from Nintendo.

Unmet Expectations

Another way leaked information harms the industry is… well, sometimes it’s not true. And who are we to say what’s fake and what isn’t? Nintendo “doesn’t comment on rumor or speculation,” so anybody with a Resetera account can string along the entire community of Switch gamers, get every podcast and YouTube channel talking about them, just by making something up and saying they “heard” it. Since when did we decide to be this gullible?

There are actually people feeling down about the absence of Star Fox: Grand Prix and Simon Belmont in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate because those things didn’t materialize. You could argue that Nintendo is holding those cards for the future, and maybe they are—but I prefer not to peak at the player’s hand across the table. It takes the fun out of the game.

Put a Cork in It

Curious how Nintendo feels about E3 leaks? Here’s Reggie via IGN: “You know, as a company, we want to surprise and delight our fans. That’s what we live to do. So when leaks happen, it’s really disappointing. We work hard to maintain the confidentiality of our information. In this day and age where everyone has a camera and everyone is looking for their 10 seconds of internet fame, it’s really tough. But we try hard, very hard to keep our information confidential and keep leaks from happening.”

Nintendo is doing their part, but Reggie is right: after the advent of smartphones, leaks can’t be stopped. You simply can’t cork all the holes in the boat.

But you CAN put a cork in your mouth, and help stop the spread of leaks. If you find yourself underwhelmed at Nintendo’s announcements, maybe it’s time to start doing things differently. Make a change. Ask content creators to stop reporting leaks as news, or at least preempt them with a spoiler warning.

Let Nintendo surprise us again!

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(By the way, I heard Retro Studios is working on Mach Rider: The RPG. My name is Scott Campbell and I would love to be Internet-famous. Please spread the news!)