In a bit of unprecedented news, Sony Interactive Entertainment has announced that they will not be attending E3 in 2019. This is the first time in 24 years, Sony will not be present at the Electronic Entertainment Expo.
In a statement to Game Informer, the company says that, “As the industry evolves, Sony Interactive Entertainment continues to look for inventive opportunities to engage the community,” the company told Game Informer in a statement. “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.”
In order to really gauge what this announcement meant, Game Informer further asked if Sony was planning on pushing its event off-site similar to what Electronic Arts has been doing the last few years. Senior Vice President of Communications Jennifer Clark answered stating that, “We will not activate or hold a press conference around E3.”
Sony’s PlayStation conferences and events have been in flux for the past year. Ever since their bizzare but effective decision to only show demos to four of their big upcoming titles which included, Spider-Man, The Last of Us Part II, Ghost of Tsushima, and Death Stranding, at E3 2018, the company has been rethinking their strategy for further events and reveals.
This announcement has come on the heels of Sony canceling their annual fan event, PlayStation Experience (PSX), for 2018, with no date announced for the next year. Sony’s official statement suggests that something for the fans is indeed coming in the new year, but whether that is PSX or something new entirely is anybody’s guess. In 2013, Sony held an entire conference to show off and announce the release date for the PlayStation 4, so something similar may be in the works. Here’s hoping next year’s event is a revamped PSX with a potential PS5 reveal and some game announcements to go along with it.
What do you think of Sony’s absence from E3 2015? Sound off in the comments below.
