In a move unseen by Sony during the entire existence of E3, PlayStation will be skipping the expo, citing a desire for alternative means to share their software in 2019. The news comes not long after Sony confirmed that the company was also eschewing a PlayStation Experience event this year.
The initial report comes from Variety and is corroborated by Game Informer, who includes a statement from the company:
“As the industry evolves, Sony Interactive Entertainment continues to look for inventive opportunities to engage the community. PlayStation fans mean the world to us and we always want to innovate, think differently and experiment with new ways to delight gamers. As a result, we have decided not to participate in E3 in 2019. We are exploring new and familiar ways to engage our community in 2019 and can’t wait to share our plans with you.”
Of course, “participating in E3” has become a strange semantic thing, with EA hosting their own event outside E3 that just happens to be in close proximity to the venue and date. When Game Informer asked PlayStation senior vice president of communications, Jennifer Clark, she provided the strangely-worded response: “We will not activate or hold a press conference around E3.”
Clark continued when asked about the possibility of reviving the PlayStation Experience event:
“We are looking at events as a whole and how we can speak more to our fans and continue to wow them. The timing of PSX and E3 didn’t allow for that. But lots of exciting things to come, and we hope to share shortly. Some of our biggest games will have key milestones next year so we will work hard to blow those up.”
Naturally, the news has led some PlayStation fans to put on their tin-foil hats over a potential “PlayStation 5” announcement. In addition to a lack of 2019 software, Sony could be holding certain big announcements for their own event in the future. The most recently released home consoles, the Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Sony’s PlayStation 4 were all announced at their own events rather than E3.
Still, the news is a bit surprising, considering Sony’s commitment to their E3 shows as of late. Remember that one year with the orchestra? And while their 2018 showing only had a few games, the presentation for each title was quite lavish. Perhaps Sony couldn’t get a big enough tent for The Last of Us Part II this time around.
Whatever the reasons may be, Sony’s lack of presence in E3 2019 will be noticed. Game companies have been coming up with alternative ways to showcase their lineup at the show, whether it’s through EA’s means or Nintendo’s video Direct presentations. To skip the event entirely is a whole different matter.