E3 2021: Nintendo shows off more Zelda Breath of the Wild 2

Nintendo showed off more of the hotly-anticipated sequel to its Zelda: Breath of the Wild in its E3 show.

New game footage revealed that the game will involve floating islands, skydiving, and new powers in the same world as its predecessor.

But it will not release this year, and is currently pencilled in for a 2022 release date.

There was also no reveal of a widely-rumoured "Switch Pro" console, which Nintendo has yet to confirm.

The Japanese firm had sought to play down reports from several news outlets that the company was set to show off a revised model of the Switch at E3.

When it announced the date of its E3 show, it stressed it would be software only.

• E3 2021: Forza Horizon 5 - is bigger also better?

• E3 2021 kicks off with Avatar and Mario reveals

• E3 2021: Halo Infinite, Starfield, and a new Forza

Nintendo also ruffled feathers in the streamer community when it clarified early in the day that it was not granting permission for "co-streaming" - where gaming personalities can stream the presentation on their own channels with their own commentary.

Some creators opted to take the copyright risk and do it anyway - while streaming site Twitch boycotted the stream from its own gaming channel in solidarity with disappointed streamers.

Nintendo was still able to broadcast the show on its own Twitch channel.

Zelda soars skyward (again)

Nintendo's presentation was the same pre-recorded video format the company has used in recent years.

And while the trailers for games came thick and fast, many were for smaller or previously announced titles.

Expectations had been high for a glimpse of the new Zelda title, as this year marks the franchise's 35th anniversary.

The new footage for the next title - a sequel to the 2017 game which was widely reviewed as a masterpiece - came in the last few minutes of the 40-minute show.

It showed the existence of floating islands and in-game skydiving, and a new ability which seemed to show the hero Link moving through solid objects as if made of water.

But no game title was shown, and no release date beyond 2022. The game was first teased at E3 2019.

And apart from a collectable retro Game and Watch, the company said "we don't have any other campaigns or Switch games planned" to mark the franchise's 35th year.

The previously-announced Legend Of Zelda Skyward Sword HD - a remaster of the 2011 Nintendo Wii game - will still release as planned on 16 July.

Metroid with a horror twist

Beyond Zelda, Nintendo showcased a handful of other new first-party titles.

Metroid is getting a new game - but not the beleaguered Metroid Prime 4, which had to restart development in 2019 after the first studio making it was deemed not up to standard.

Instead of the 3D shooter, fans were shown a new side-scrolling game, Metroid: Dread, which Nintendo said was the first 2D Metroid game in 19 years.

The title is a nod to the apparently un-killable robot which chases players throughout the game.

Nintendo also showed off a new entry in the WarioWare series - the first since 2013's Game & Wario spin-off.

WarioWare: Get it Together uses the same party game style as its predecessors, with players competing madcap, nonsensical minigames. But this title will allow two players to play at once in a co-op mode.

Many of the other new games shown were Nintendo Switch versions of games already coming to other platforms, such as Square Enix's just-announced Guardians of the Galaxy, or collections and remasters of older titles.

But many fans were excited for other titles from the Japanese firm - such as a remastered collection of the classic Advance Wars and Danganronpa games.

In closing the show, the hosts said: "We are diligently continuing development on a number of other games we didn't show today."

Tuesday is the final day of E3, which went online-only for the first time this year, and Nintendo's conference is the last of the largest developers, with Bandai Namco and smaller events closing out the day.