It likely won’t surprise you to know that one of the Comic-Con features I most look forward to every year is the big Nintendo stall that lights up the Gaming Hall; A huge area showcasing a slew of the latest games, plus fun activities for families and a pop-up store to buy our favourite Nintendo merchandise (often with some pretty decent sales) had become one of the stand-out locations for many to visit when attending the expo. Unfortunately, this year Nintendo Distributor South Africa has decided “not to be present at Comic Con Africa 2024”.

Last year’s Nintendo stall featured a demo of Super Mario Bros. Wonder (before it was officially released) This is something we fans in SA don’t often get to experience and despite enjoying the whole 2023 event, this was definitely my highlight. So, I’ve got to be honest, it was a big blow to find out that we wouldn’t be seeing anything of the sort this year. Of course, there may be a variety of reasons why the local distie made the decision not to attend this year (possible rising costs, rumours of the imminent release of the Switch 2 affecting how Nintendo wants to market their current products etc). However, rather than speculate – I’m happy to report that after attending Comic Con on Thursday there’s still a lot Nintendo fans can look forward to by attending the event…

3 reasons Nintendo fans can still look forward to Comic Con Africa 2024!

1.

KidsCon (Hall 7) is bigger than ever this year and for parents of kids hoping for some Nintendo-style fun – the good news is that ‘Mario and Luigi’ will be present at all days of Comic-Con for Meet and Greets plus photo opportunities. Plus, thanks to many many cosplaying fans – your likely to see a bunch of Nintendo characters all over the place. Along, with this, this year Toys R Us has a big presence right in the middle of the hall and along with Hot Wheels, Star Wars and other toys – there’s also a small Nintendo section in the store that includes a few Nintendo specials to look forward to too. (Plus, while Nintendo doesn’t have their own store at the expo, both their Sandton store and online store feature Comic-Con Deals for the duration of the show).

2.

Next, while the Gaming Area (Hall 5) is conspicuously missing the big Nintendo stall, Mario Kart fans will be happy to know that Toyota VS Gaming is hosting a Time-Trial competition throughout the day for every day of the Con. Fastest racers every hour win a Bluetooth Speaker and the fastest overall at the end of each day can look forward to some Takealot vouchers (to use towards that upcoming Switch 2) no doubt.

3.

Finally, while not gaming-related one of the best experiences we had on Thursday was spending some time in the expanded Otaku Town area in Hall 6. For those not aware, Otaku Town is a celebration of all things Japan and Anime. There’s Pokemon of course, but a lot more than that… in fact, we joined in for a Japanese Cooking session and loved every moment of it. And, of course, we haven’t even mentioned Artist Alley (also found in Hall 6) where you’re bound to find some amazing art of your favourite characters if you look hard enough,

In short, yes it’s a bummer that Nintendo doesn’t have as big a presence at Comic-Con as they have had in previous iterations – however, the good news is there’s still a lot to do and explore at Comic-Con Africa 2024! Plus, as well all know most of us Nintendo fans are fans of geekdom in general – and because of that – whether its Star Wars, Anime, Dr Who or Table-top games there’s tons to look forward to! So see you there!