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Nintendo bows out of Gamescom 2022 appearance early

A spokesperson for Nintendo of Europe apparently confirmed that the company is skipping a presence at Gamescom 2022.

TJ Denzer

June 3, 2022 9:40 AM

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By all accounts, Gamescom is set to return this year. As one of the largest video game events of the entire year, there’s a lot to be curious about when the Cologne, Germany-based event returns. One thing that it seems we can be less curious about, however, is what Nintendo is going to show there. Recently, Nintendo reportedly confirmed that it will be skipping an appearance at Gamescom 2022. Apparently, Nintendo will instead focus on a smaller tour of Nintendo Switch events around the country during that time.

Nintendo’s early bow out of the possibility of appearances at Gamescom 2022 was reported recently via German gaming publication Games Wirtschaft. Reportedly, a spokesperson for Nintendo of Europe was recently in contact to say that Nintendo would not be present during Gamescom 2022 in August. Gamescom organizers confirmed that the event would returning in physical capacity to the Koelnmesse convention and trade center in Cologne, Germany during the dates of August 24 to August 28. As the event’s first return to physical form in two years, Gamescom 2022 stands to be an important event for the organizers despite ongoing COVID-19 issues worldwide.

Gamescom 2022 is also a part of Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest festivities. Geoff Keighley already confirmed that Gamescom Opening Night Live would also be returning for the event via his personal Twitter. During the time in which Gamescom has been absent from physical events, Keighley’s Opening Night Live has been a solid replacement showcase for the reveals that would have taken place at Gamescom.

Nonetheless, Nintendo’s exit from the situation is a notable one. Reportedly, Nintendo is instead moving to host a series of Nintendo Switch events in which it will tour across the country, allowing fans to play new and upcoming Nintendo games. A similar Nintendo Switch Road Trip tour has also been announced for the United States.

With that in mind, it may very well be that Nintendo is still nervous about the prospect of large events and would rather run the smaller Road Trip tour to be in further control of the space in which it does its summer gaming reveals and festivities. As we get closer to Gamescom 2022, stay tuned for further news and updates on which developers and publishers will and won’t be there.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.