Part of the fun, or the ruining, of E3 is when all the announcements leak. Publishers and developers work hard to deliver huge reveals, and some insider with a Twitter account spoils it all with a simple sentence. That said, you can't always trust every person with a Twitter account calling themselves an insider. Sometimes they're just plain wrong. That's exactly what happened when a rumor claimed that Nintendo and Microsoft were teaming up for a big E3 surprise.
The idea of Microsoft and Nintendo collaborating doesn't actually seem too far-fetched. They seem to be buddying up behind the scenes lately, with plenty of industry insiders saying that something is going with the Switch and Xbox Live. And Shigeru Miyamoto did appear at Ubisoft's 2017 E3 conference to promote a Mario/Rabbids crossover. So when Nibellion, a Twitter leaker with a good track record, shared that Miyamoto would appear at Microsoft's 2019 E3 show, it seemed viable. And very exciting.
As for what it could mean, there were two big theories. As Mario's creator and the face of Nintendo at past E3 shows, Miyamoto's appearance would mean a big announcement on Nintendo's part. Perhaps Nintendo really would put Xbox Live on the Switch, establishing an unprecedented level of cross-play and franchise-sharing. Or maybe, just maybe, it indicated the reveal of a new Super Smash Bros. fighter. A Microsoft-themed fighter. For many, that means one name and one name only: Banjo.
The bear, and his bird sidekick Kazooie, started on Nintendo 64 but are now owned by Microsoft. Microsoft representatives have said in the past that they're down to put Banjo in Smash, but we never heard from Nintendo. Miyamoto's guest starring at Microsoft's E3 could have been the sign we were looking for.
Unfortunately, as gamers saw Sunday night, Miyamoto never showed up to Microsoft's conference. Now, the same French site that Nibellion got the rumor from is saying it mistook Miyamoto for Keanu Reeves. An easy mistake to make, as creating Mario and being John Wick are basically the same thing.
We can still hope, however, as E3 has just begun. It's possible that the idea of the rumor is correct. Maybe a big Microsoft/Nintendo announcement is coming, but during Nintendo's E3 showing. Microsoft did share the Nintendo E3 Direct date on its official Twitter account. Banjo is not out of the running yet.