Well, mostly upcoming games
In previous years, Nintendo has held a “Play Nintendo” event to showcase upcoming games in a public setting. In addition to being like an E3 that most people can actually visit, the kiosks are full of Nintendo charm and glee while also offering demos for upcoming games. I’m not sure if that is really needed (the internet is great for downloading things!), but maybe some people aren’t sold on a console; an event like this will give them the chance to experience that device to its fullest potential.
With a slight name alteration, the Nintendo “Summer of Play” tour will be kicking off next month with dates around the US for the entirety of the season. Starting in Irvine, CA and ending in Baltimore, MD, the tour will have demos for a bunch of Switch and 3DS games (that, by the end of the tour, will already be out in stores). If you missed the Splatoon 2 Global Testfire or really just want to play Arms a few weeks before launch, this is your chance!
The games included for this tour are Splatoon 2, Arms, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Snipperclips, 1 – 2 Switch, Ultra Street Fighter II, Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Super Bomberman R and Minecraft: Switch Edition on the Switch while 3DS titles will feature Hey! Pikmin, Super Smash Bros. for 3DS, Miitopia, Pokemon Sun and Moon, and Super Mario Maker for 3DS. The dates are below.
Experience #NintendoSwitch and Nintendo #3DS in cities across the country during our #SummerofPlay tour! https://t.co/3ydjU6HhbP pic.twitter.com/omdb9kTahj
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) May 23, 2017
Summer of Play 2017 Tour Dates:
- Irvine, California, June 9 – 11 @ Irvine Spectrum Center
- Pleasanton, CA, June 16 – 18 @ Alameda County Fair
- Bloomington, MN, June 23 – 25 @ Mall of America®
- Milwaukee, WI, June 30 – July 2 @ Henry Maier Festival Park(Summerfest Grounds)
- Chicago, IL, July 7 – 9 @ Navy Pier
- Glendale, AZ, July 14 – 16 @ Arrowhead Towne Center
- San Diego, CA, July 20 – 23 @ San Diego Comic-Con (Marriott Marquis)
- Arlington, TX, July 28 – 30 @ The Parks Mall at Arlington
- Miami, FL, August 4 – 6 @ Aventura Mall
- Bethlehem, PA, August 11 – 13 @ Musikfest
- Brooklyn, NY (NYC), August 18 – 20 @ DUMBO Waterfront
- King of Prussia, PA, August 25 – 27 @ King of Prussia Mall
- Baltimore, MD, September 2 – 4 @ Harborplace
Times and locations are available on Nintendo’s website and you can also get a My Nintendo metal water bottle if you sign up for an account and bring a QR code to the event. Supplies are limited (obviously), but if you plan on going anyway, I guess getting a free item is neat.
I remember before the launch of Skyward Sword, Nintendo held something similar to this in various malls around the US. For some reason, they decided to come to Danbury, CT, so I make the trek and got a couple of Skyward Sword lanyards. That was fun, even if driving 45 miles wasn’t really worth a $10 freebie.
Summer of Play 2017 [Nintendo]