While Nintendo attempts to push forward with the Wii U, the company has said it will not hold its traditional press conference at E3 2013.

The announcement was made in the recent Nintendo investor briefing by Nintendo president Satoru Iwata. It's a surprising move for the Japanese company, especially as Nintendo's sales figures for its Wii U, announced this week, were so disappointing.

That said, Nintendo will still be at E3, instead choosing to hold several closed events that are primarily focused on software.

The next gen war has begun

"We have decided not to host a large-scale presentation targeted at everyone in the international audience where we announce new information as we did in the past," said Iwata, who has just been appointed Nintendo's new American CEO.

"Instead, at the E3 show this year, we are planning to host a few smaller events that are specifically focused on our software lineup for the US market."

Now that the Wii U and 3DS are both on the market, Nintendo's desire to focus entirely on software this year is understandable.

But with yesterday's announcement that the new Xbox will be unveiled on May 21, and the PS4 also on its way, we can't help but think Nintendo needs the biggest stage it can get right now.

Via GamesIndustry