Sony will not be attending E3 for the second year in a row.
In a statement to Gamesindustry.biz, a Sony Interactive Entertainment spokesperson said:
“After thorough evaluation SIE has decided not to participate in E3 2020. We have great respect for the ESA as an organization, but we do not feel the vision of E3 2020 is the right venue for what we are focused on this year. We will build upon our global events strategy in 2020 by participating in hundreds of consumer events across the globe. Our focus is on making sure fans feel part of the PlayStation family and have access to play their favorite content. We have a fantastic line up of titles coming to PlayStation 4, and with the upcoming launch of PlayStation 5, we are truly looking forward to a year of celebration with our fans.”
Although Sony didn’t attend E3 last year either, many people expected them to be present this year to promote the PlayStation 5. The decision to not attend the event again in such an important year speaks volumes for both Sony’s confidence in their new console and their views on the importance of E3. In a statement responding to Sony missing another conference, E3 organiser ESA said:
“E3 is a signature event celebrating the video game industry and showcasing the people, brands, and innovations redefining entertainment loved by billions of people around the world. E3 2020 will be an exciting, high-energy show featuring new experiences, partners, exhibitor spaces, activations, and programming that will entertain new and veteran attendees alike. Exhibitor interest in our new activations is gaining the attention of brands that view E3 as a key opportunity to connect with video game fans worldwide.”
While this may be another blow for E3 which seems to be losing some of its buzz in recent years, it also poses another huge opportunity for both Microsoft and Nintendo to garner some attention for their upcoming hardware and games without having to worry about being overshadowed by Sony. I certainly expect Microsoft to show off some more of the Xbox Series X, and they’ll now be able to do so without the threat of a major PS5 reveal taking away any player interest.
All of this does pose one big question though – will Sony ever attend E3 again? It’s beginning to look unlikely.
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