E3 2019 Will Feel Emptier with Sony Skipping It
Sony Interactive Entertainment dropped a bombshell this afternoon by confirming that the company will not be attending E3 2019 next year. This means they not only won’t have a conference, but also won’t display upcoming PlayStation 4 games at the convention. This will mark the first time Sony is skipping the event since they entered the video game industry with the original PlayStation console, and attended the first-ever E3 in 1995. (The PlayStation had notably launched in Japan by this time.) This is a big deal, and a hell of a blow to E3’s organizers at the Entertainment Software Association.
It’s also a surprise because it’s happening soon after Sony confirmed they wouldn’t be holding a PlayStation Experience event next month either, the previously-yearly celebration for PlayStation fans they first established in 2014. Sony presumably cancelled this because they felt they wouldn’t have enough upcoming PS4 games to show. They clearly struggled with this at E3 2018, where they focused on showing four games instead of revealing and showcasing a plethora of them, with the result of this experiment being divisive at best. Instead of putting on a potentially disappointing showing for fans who sometimes have their expectations too high, they felt that pulling out entirely was a better alternative.
It’s not a surprise that this is happening. Skepticism about the future of the Electronic Entertainment Expo has existed for years — nearly a decade, in fact. The format of companies displaying their games and holding press conferences for writers to cover has been a trusted one for years. But with the continual rise of new media, that format is looking ancient. There’s less need for the press to document everything that occurs at press conferences thanks to the existence of livestreaming, while playable games don’t have to be exclusive to E3 thanks to demos — though few companies take advantage of the latter. This is also why the show was opened to fans instead of remaining a press-only event, which started last year.
Another big problem is how the gaming industry has grown to the point that companies don’t have to gather under one roof at one point of the year. They can hold their own shows, or provide presentations directly to the player. EA hasn’t properly attended E3 in years, instead opting for EA Play events held immediately before E3. (They’re also bad, but that’s another topic.) Meanwhile, companies like Rockstar Games have skipped the event entirely, though their games sometimes appear at press conferences from hardware manufacturers. But this is the first time that a hardware manufacturer has decided they’ll no-show the thing entirely.
You’ll want to note the “entirely,” by the way. It seemed like they were following in Nintendo’s footsteps at first, but there are key differences with Sony. Nintendo hasn’t held a “traditional” E3 conference since 2012, just before the Wii U launched. They’ve instead opted for Nintendo Directs or similar digital presentations, though they also didn’t commit to that when they focused entirely on The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild in 2016, thanks to how they wanted to reveal the then-upcoming Nintendo Switch on their own terms. Sony here is going much further than Nintendo, at least thus far.
The big question is how Sony will address their audience. In a statement to Game Informer, the company mentioned that they’ll “look for inventive opportunities to engage the community.” But they gave no details about how they’ll go about this. Sony also made sure to quickly shut down speculation that they might have an outside show close to, or simultaneously with, E3 like EA. This doesn’t mean they can’t bring a presentation directly to their audience next year if they want to show off games like The Last of Us Part II or Ghost of Tsushima, either close to E3 or at any other point.
Skipping E3 directly implies that Sony is gearing up for the launch of the next PlayStation console, which they’ll likely play it safe by calling the “PlayStation 5.” There’s a good chance they’ll follow the reveal format of the PS4, meaning they’ll have a PlayStation Meeting early in 2020 revealing the platform and software, return to E3 to further showcase it in the same year, and launch it for the holiday season. Kotaku’s Jason Schreier mentioned in his article about this news that the system is due in 2020 according to his sources, so a timeline similar (if not identical) to the above might happen.
The lack of Sony’s presence will absolutely be felt at E3 next year, and some publishers who counted on their games being shown at their booth have to make other plans or partner with other publishers. E3 2019 should still make for an entertaining time, since Microsoft’s Phil Spencer confirmed they’ll be there, and Nintendo will presumably attend in their usual capacity. But Sony’s absence will be missed for anyone who likes the spectacle the show provides on an annual basis. It’s truly a sign of the times.
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Geoff
News Editor | Geoff is some nerd who writes for a blog and thinks he's knowledgeable. He write a lot about video games, but is capable of writing about other subjects, too. Twitter
