For the first time in PAX East history, Nintendo won't attend

Nintendo will not have an official presence at PAX East next month, marking the first time since the show's inception in 2010 that the Mario maker won't attend the Boston industry event.

"Interacting directly with our fans and letting them play our games firsthand is a key component of our approach," a Nintendo spokesperson told Polygon. "That doesn't include PAX East this year, but we will offer our fans a variety of opportunities to get their hands on Nintendo products in 2014."

Nintendo did not elaborate as to why it won't attend this year's event. The company also scaled back its E3 presence last year, trading its traditional main presentation for more intimate briefings.

PlayStation developer Sony is also not attending PAX East 2014, making Microsoft the only company of the "Big Three" to attend next month's show. Other high-profile exhibitors include Ubisoft, Oculus VR, Twitch, Square Enix, Blizzard, 2K Games, and Double Fine.

PAX East runs April 11-13 in Boston, Mass. GameSpot will be in attendance.