Nintendo Direct is a series of online presentations or live shows produced by Nintendo, where information regarding the company's upcoming content or franchises is presented, such as information about games and consoles. The presentations began in Japan and North America with the first edition on October 21, 2011, before expanding to Europe, Australia, and South Korea.
Format Nintendo Direct presentations vary in format between different presentations and regions.
Regional differences Nintendo Directs generally come in both regional and international formats.
International For subjects of a general worldwide appeal, a single main Nintendo Direct is often localized for a simultaneous international broadcast. Usually, these will be recorded in Japanese and presented by a Japanese presenter. Prior to Nintendo president Satoru Iwata's death, he would host Directs in both English and Japanese, with other languages' presentations being subtitled.
Upon Iwata's death, the main Nintendo Directs did not receive a worldwide host until 2017, when Senior General Manager Yoshiaki Koizumi from Nintendo Entertainment Planning & Development took over this role. Since 2018, Koizumi has shared this responsibility with Shinya Takahashi, the Executive General Manager of Nintendo EPD. From September 2023 to March 2025, Takahashi was the sole host of the main Nintendo Directs; Koizumi would not host another main Nintendo Direct until September 2025. E3 Directs sometimes featured Reggie Fils-Aimé as a host for a short period of time until his departure in 2019.
Since 2017, the Japanese presenter and any narrators' roles are dubbed or subtitled for international release, including into English.
Presentations scheduled for around the time of the Electronic Entertainment Expo were originally produced by Nintendo of America, presented in English and dubbed or subtitled into other languages for international broadcast. From 2019 until the last event in 2021, E3 Directs were produced by Nintendo in Japan, presented in Japanese and dubbed or subtitled into other languages for international broadcast.
Japan In Japan, Nintendo Directs were most commonly presented by Nintendo's global president Satoru Iwata until his death in 2015. Yoshiaki Koizumi started serving as host for the main Nintendo Directs in 2017. Shinya Takahashi started sharing the hosting duties with Koizumi in 2018. From March 2018 to September 2019, Koizumi only hosted the Directs in the first half of the year, while Takahashi hosted the Directs in the second half of the year. From February 2021 to September 2022, this format for Directs was switched with Takahashi hosting the Directs in the first half of the year and Koizumi hosting the Directs in the second half of the year. The E3 2021 and June 2023 Directs (the latter of which was the last that Koizumi hosted until September 2025) had both hosts appear at the same time. From September 2023 to June 2026, one host would be part of a number of consecutive Directs, each held every nine months.
Since 2017, Japan has hosted region-specific "Indie World" presentations, focusing on indie games published for Nintendo Switch.
Directs focused on Super Smash Bros. and Kirby Air Riders are typically hosted by Masahiro Sakurai, the creator and director of the Super Smash Bros series, the creator of the Kirby series, and the director of Kirby Air Ride and its sequel, Kirby Air Riders.
North America In North America, the videos were often presented by Nintendo of America president, Reggie Fils-Aimé (before he retired in 2019), and Bill Trinen.
For international Directs produced in Japan since 2017, Nintendo of America airs the original Japanese audio with English narration; although two notable exceptions of having it subtitled instead of dubbed were the Mr. Sakurai Presents presentations starting with "Min Min" from Arms in 2020 and up until the final presentation with "Sora" from Kingdom Hearts in 2021 (with the sole exception of Sakurai's appearance in the 2021 E3 Nintendo Direct following Kazuya's reveal), as well as the Super Nintendo World Directs hosted by Shigeru Miyamoto. This was due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which made it difficult to record the voice-overs. Despite pandemic restrictions easing since then, the Kirby Air Riders Directs hosted by Sakurai were also subtitled instead of dubbed.
Since 2017, Nintendo of America has aired presentations focusing on indie games published for Nintendo Switch. Between 2017 and 2019, these were branded as "Nindies Showcase" hosted by Trinen, before aligning their branding to the Japanese "Indie World" banner.
Europe and Australia European Directs were presented by former Nintendo of Europe president, Satoru Shibata. These presentations were also broadcast in Australia.
Australia only aired the European output, but one Direct was created specifically for the region, broadcast on September 24, 2014. This Direct was hosted by Tom Enoki.
For international Directs produced in Japan since 2017, Nintendo of Europe and Nintendo Australia air the original Japanese audio for the presenters, but use an English dub for the narrated sections. These are then subtitled for broadcast in other languages. Since 2019, the "Pokémon Direct"/"Pokémon Presents" are the only Directs that are dubbed for Europe and Australia in English, however, they are subtitled in different languages with the English dub.
Since 2017, Nintendo of Europe has broadcast presentations focusing on indie games published for Nintendo Switch. From 2017 to 2018, Nintendo of Europe broadcast the American "Nindies Showcase" presentations. In 2018 and 2019, Nintendo of Europe hosted its own "Indie Highlights" videos. Since 2019, they returned to broadcasting Nintendo of America's presentations, now under the "Indie World" banner, with Nintendo Australia broadcasting later on.
South Korea South Korea also aired exclusive Nintendo Directs hosted by Nintendo of Korea president, Hiroyuki Fukuda.
Hong Kong and Taiwan A few Nintendo Direct presentations were produced specifically for Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Types Outside of the general Nintendo Direct presentations, which cover a range of titles, there are also Directs centred around specific titles or series. These are usually presented by the producer or director of the game or series, or employ a narrator. +List of Nintendo Direct presentation types Type Duration Content Nintendo Direct 25–60 minutes The main type of Nintendo Direct presentation. Showcases information about software and hardware across all Nintendo platforms. In 2017, the series transitioned to a format showcasing games in quick headlines while showcasing particular upcoming first and third-party titles in dedicated segments. Nintendo Direct Mini 5–30 minutes A shorter version of the main type of Nintendo Direct that showcases information about software and hardware across all Nintendo platforms but may focus on some smaller releases. In 2018, the hosts of this Nintendo Direct were removed as the series transitioned to a format showcasing games in quick headlines while showcasing particular upcoming first and third-party titles in substantial presentations. This type of Nintendo Direct, unlike the main type of Nintendo Direct, is usually shadow dropped, being aired without any prior announcement beforehand. Nintendo Direct Mini has not been hosted since a Partner Showcase in 2022, and a full Nintendo Direct Mini has not occurred since 2020. Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase5–30 minutesA variation of the main type of Nintendo Direct that showcases information about software on Nintendo platforms from third-party developers and publishers, including titles published by Nintendo from external studios. From 2020 to 2022, Nintendo adopted the Direct Mini format to deliver game information to its audience in lieu of being able to produce traditional Directs with the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic, which included several dedicated Direct Mini presentations for titles coming to Nintendo Switch from their publishing partners. Long-form Partner Showcase presentations with the duration of a standard Nintendo Direct began in 2024. Nintendo Direct special 5–50 minutes A presentation that covers specific software titles, both from Nintendo and third-party developers. Usually hosted by the game's producer or director or makes use of a narrator. Each Direct of this type has its own logo. Pokemon Presents 10–27 minutes A presentation focusing on the Pokémon franchise, including games for Nintendo consoles and mobile devices. Succeeding the prior "Pokémon Direct" presentations from 2013 to 2020, these events are organized by The Pokémon Company without direct involvement from Nintendo unlike the former. Indie World 15–28 minutes A presentation focusing on titles by independent developers coming to Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2. This type of Nintendo Direct was originally only shown in Japan but later added to North America and Europe.Discontinued Nintendo Direct presentation types Nintendo Direct Micro 17 minutes A one-off presentation in 2015 that covered software and hardware across all Nintendo platforms. This type of Nintendo Direct was only shown in North America and has since been discontinued. Nintendo 3DS Direct 30–50 minutes A Nintendo Direct specifically concerning software and hardware related to the Nintendo 3DS family of consoles. This type of Nintendo Direct was discontinued after its run from 2013 to 2016, although Nintendo 3DS games appeared outside of this type until 2019 following the hardware family's discontinuation. Wii U Direct 30–50 minutes A Nintendo Direct specifically concerning software and hardware related to the Wii U console. Running in 2012 and 2013, this type of Nintendo Direct was discontinued following the end of Wii U production prior to the launch of the Nintendo Switch. Nindies Showcase 10–30 minutes A presentation focusing on titles by independent developers coming to Nintendo Switch. This specific presentation type was only shown in North America and Europe. This type of Nintendo Direct ran from 2017 to 2019 and was replaced by "Indie Highlights" in Europe in 2018 before both were replaced by "Indie World" worldwide. Indie Highlights 17–23 minutes A presentation focusing on titles by independent developers coming to Nintendo Switch. This specific presentation type was only shown in Europe. This type of Nintendo Direct ran from 2018 to 2019 and was replaced by "Indie World". Nintendo E3 Presentations/Directs 20–45 minutes A presentation on upcoming first/third party games that aired live during E3. The presentation covered games that would release sometime between E3 and the end of the calendar year. Each Direct of this type had its own logo. There were no presentations of this type in 2016, as well as in 2020 and 2022 (due to E3 being cancelled these years because of the COVID-19 pandemic) and in 2023 (because all major publishers including Nintendo pulled out of the event that year). This type of Nintendo Direct was discontinued when the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) permanently discontinued E3 in December 2023.
Nintendo E3 Directs