The upcoming Yoshi game for Nintendo Switch has been delayed "until 2019", according to Nintendo.

The game was conspicuously absent from Nintendo's E3 Direct presentation on Tuesday, and now we know why. After the game's absence from the presentation, Nintendo updated its UK and US websites, changing the Yoshi listing page to mark the new release date as "2019".

Yoshi was originally announced for the Switch back at last year's E3, where it was playable on the event floor. A specific release date wasn't originally announced for the game, although The Verge's coverage of it stated that Yoshi would be out "sometime next year" (2018). Speaking to Kotaku, Nintendo of America product marketing director Bill Trinen stated that although the game was not at E3, development was progressing, adding "we'll have updates later this year". Polygon, meanwhile, spoke to Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime, who stated that the game was "making great progress".

If you're a huge Yoshi fan and this news comes as a blow, don't worry; everyone's favorite green dinosaur will still be making plenty of appearances in Nintendo titles this year. You'll be able to tear it up as Yoshi in Super Mario Party, serve an ace in Mario Tennis Aces and beat up other beloved Nintendo characters in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, you monster.

Yoshi (not necessarily its final title) is an upcoming 2D puzzle-platformer currently in development for Nintendo Switch. Good-Feel, the folks behind Yoshi's Woolly World and Kirby's Epic Yarn, are handling development. This feels appropriate since Yoshi takes on a cardboard aesthetic and allows players to "flip" stages Super Paper Mario-style to see behind objects. Not a huge amount else is known about the game yet, so stay tuned for more announcements later in the year.

Are you disappointed that Yoshi has been delayed? Were you looking forward to hearing about it at E3? Let us know in the comments below! If you're interested in learning more about Yoshi, Mario, and the Nintendo crew be sure to take a look at our E3 2018 Coverage Hub for all of the latest news.