Nintendo told IGN today that company President and CEO Satoru Iwata would be skipping E3 for the second consecutive year in a row.

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In a statement, the company said, “Nintendo’s 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. Mr. Iwata’s focus in this period will be on other areas of our business that require his presence in Japan.”Nintendo assures that Iwata will be in "constant contact" with the away team in Los Angeles, and he will monitor the reaction to Nintendo’s announcements. Iwata skipped out on E3 last year due to an unfortunate illness. At the time, he was advised by a physician not to travel. Nintendo recently announced its fiscal earning for the year, where the company posted its first annual profit in years . The company will launch a new action shooter IP, called Splatoon, at the end of the month

Jose Otero is an Editor at IGN and host of Nintendo Voice Chat . You can follow him on Twitter