Everyone's favourite face of Nintendo, Satoru Iwata, will be missing his second consecutive year at E3.

Iwata was advised against travelling to E3 last year due to health issues, but thankfully, his absence this summer is purely down to business commitments.

Nintendo released a statement to IGN explaining that their "focus for E3 this year will be showcasing the many games we have coming for both Wii U and Nintendo 3DS. Mr. Miyamoto and other members of our development team will be in Los Angeles to explain these games and the unique experiences that each offers."

On the subject of Iwata, they stated that "Mr. Iwata’s focus in this period will be on other areas of our business that require his presence in Japan." all the while staying in contact with the E3 team and keeping tabs on reactions to the company's announcements.

Nintendo is upping their game this year, building on the success of the Treehouse by bringing back the Nintendo World Championships.

Nintendo's digital event at E3 will kick off at 9am PDT on Tuesday June 16 - that's 5pm UK time.