PlayStation Won't Be Joining This Year's E3

Fans waiting for Sony to reveal the PlayStation 5 during this year's E3 will be disappointed to know that the game company won't be joining the yearly gaming event – for the second time.

A Sony Interactive Entertainment spokesperson, speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, said the company did a “thorough evaluation” and finally decided to skip E3 2020 because it believes the annual event isn't the right place to reveal anything related to the PlayStation.

“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,” the spokesperson said.

Those who feel that PlayStation's decision is a major letdown, however, shouldn't as the company said that instead of joining E3, it will participate in “hundreds of consumer events across the globe.” This simply means that the company is working to bring all things PlayStation to more interested people and not only those who will be flying to Los Angeles to join the event.

Same strategy?

GamesIndustry.biz noted that Sony's decision not to join E3 2020 came from the fact that the event's vision is different from what it was focused on.

The report said he PlayStation maker, along with Electronic Arts (EA), wants the yearly event to be a “fan celebration of games.” Other member companies, on the other hand, want E3 to be an “industry-focused affair.”

Meanwhile, the ESA, the group that organizes E3, is sandwiched between the two parties. It has tried to satisfy both parties by introducing compromises, such as consumer elements, to the event.

Sony's absence in this year's E3 is seen as a letdown to PlayStation fans who would've wanted to see the gaming giant at the event. It's also seen as a free pass for the company's rivals, notably Xbox, because they won't have to compete with PlayStation during the event.

Nevertheless, it might not be that bad. The SIE spokesperson above said the company will instead make its presence felt in hundreds of events worldwide. It appears that the company is once again using the same strategy that it used last year when it skipped E3 2019:

First, Sony's absence at E3 2019 didn't seem much of a problem as the company instead employed a long-term PR strategy characterized by a steady drip feed of information about the PS5, occurring before, during and after the event.

Second, PlayStation wasn't present in E3 2019, but a host of games for the platform were. These huge titles, which included the likes of “Final Fantasy VII Remake,” “Death Stranding,” “Cyberpunk 2077,” “Marvel's Avengers” and “The Outer Worlds.” All of these pointed to the PlayStation, which pointed to Sony.