TOKYO, Jan 15 — With the PlayStation 5 launching later in 2020, Sony’s console brand will “participate in hundreds of consumer events across the globe”, just not the once-dominant Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3).
Sony Interactive Entertainment will be absent from video games’ Electronic Entertainment Expo for the second year on the trot.
After altering its approach to focus on just four core games in 2018 — “Marvel’s Spider-Man”, “Death Stranding”, “Ghost of Tsushima” and “The Last of Us Part II”—it subsequently withdrew from E3 2019 altogether.
In 2020, Playstation continues to explore alternative ways to present its console and games to the public, away from San Francisco-based E3.
“We do not feel the vision of E3 2020 is the right venue for what we are focused on this year,” Sony Interactive Entertainment said in a statement to the press, choosing to “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 favourite content,” the original statement continued.
“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.”
Sony not only skipped E3 in 2019, as focus shifted to the PlayStation 5 and E3 organizers looked at ways of increasing public attendance, it also put its year-end PlayStation Experience showcase on hold.
However, a number of other major annual expo and trade shows remain in play over the course of 2020.
Those include the Taipei Game Show and Seattle’s PAX East in February, TwitchCon Amsterdam in May, Gamescom in Germany and PAX West in Boston in August, the Tokyo Game Show and TwitchCon San Diego in September, and then Paris Games Week and PAX Australia in October.
In addition, Sony’s PlayStation division may call a one-off press conference, or PlayStation Meeting, to present the PlayStation 5, just as it did for the PlayStation 4, PS4 Pro, PS Vita, and PlayStation 2.
Whatever the PS5 timeline may be, Xbox executive Phil Spencer was quick to remind fans and onlookers that Microsoft’s gaming division would be at E3 ahead of its own Xbox Series X launch.
Our team is hard at work on E3, we look forward to sharing with all who love to play what's ahead for us. Our artform has consistently been propelled by the cross-section of creativity and technical progress. 2020 is a milestone year in that journey for Team Xbox. #XboxE3 #E32020
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) January 14, 2020
Nintendo ceased live stage presentations at E3 2013, instead preparing a Nintendo Direct video and several days of live streaming from its E3 show floor display. — AFP-Relaxnews
