E3 2020 cancelled: Nintendo Direct to showcase Breath of the Wild 2? Latest Update, Rumours & more

So E3 2020 has been cancelled due to concerns about Coronavirus, which leaves game developers like Nintendo having to react.

With the Nintendo Direct live stream allegedly going ahead this Thursday, we're expecting a pretty big update on Breath of the Wild 2.

This game comes off the back of a wildly successful prequel, which propelled the sales of the Nintendo Switch at launch in 2017.

But enough about that, and more about Nintendo Direct - find all the details we have on the live stream below.

Nintendo Reacts to E3 2020's cancellation

For Nintendo fans this is heartbreaking news.

2020 is set to be Nintendo's big year to breathe some life back into the Nintendo Switch console, with a string of highly anticipated releases such as Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2.

E3 2020 Cancelled Plans
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E3 2020 CANCELLED: Concerns over large gatherings have forced E3 to cancel the event

The statement released by Nintendo regarding the E3 2020 cancellation is below:

"We"ll continue to be flexible and redirect our efforts to other ways of keeping our fans up to date about our activities and products. Because of the COVID-19 outbreak, large industry events may be untenable for the foreseeable future.

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But we are considering various ways to engage with our fans and will have more to share as the year continues."

This may seem like a major setback for Nintendo at first, but there is no doubt that Nintendo won't let down their fans and provide them with some kind of online broadcasts to keep fans in the know.

Plans for Nintendo Direct broadcasts

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A BLOW FOR NINTENDO: Will there be light at the end of the tunnel?

So what will these broadcasts consist of?

At this moment no one knows for sure what Nintendo will release to fill the void caused by the lack of E3 2020 coverage, but going off the rumours it seems certain that Nintendo will release at least one Nintendo Direct broadcast.

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It's been a while since Nintendo did a Nintendo Direct broadcast on a selection of their games and fans are crying out for more.

The Animal Crossing: New Horizons Nintendo Direct broadcast in February was a fantastic showcase of one title but we need to see more, and it's sorely needed if Nintendo want to keep up with momentum.

Nintendo statement

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NINTENDO DIRECT: A much-needed broadcast to fill the void.

The latest rumours circulating are that Nintendo is putting the finishing touches to a Nintendo Direct set to be released very soon, with some insiders on Twitter such as Jeff Grubb saying it is set to drop in March:

“It's likely coming next week. That could change, pencil in March 18 (maybe March 19). It'll have a number of third-party games along with whatever it shows to fill out its 2020 lineup.”

If this is true it could give Nintendo the lift they need to get out of the hole caused by the lack of E3 2020 and give fans the much-needed updates they crave.

Alongside this Nintendo Direct in March, it seems likely that Nintendo will also showcase something in June to coincide with Sony and Microsoft also releasing broadcasts but there is no set date confirmed yet.

Nintendo Direct launch for Breath of the Wild 2?

The next instalment of the Zelda franchise has been highly anticipated.

Fans were hoping to get a peak at Breath of the Wild 2. After all, it was at E3 last year that the first look trailer came out.

While other games companies will crowd the market around early June with updates and new announcements, the one that will cut through the noise most for Nintendo is something about Link's next adventure.

If they wanted to make headlines and steal the spotlight from next-gen consoles, this would be the one.