Sony will not be attending E3 in 2019, the first time the publisher has skipped the show in its 24-year history. Murmurs that Sony may no-show E3 2019 have been floating around for a while, but the company confirmed the move today in a statement to Game Informer…
“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.”
Sony scaled back their presence at E3 2018, showing only four games (Spider-Man, Death Stranding, The Last of Us Part II, and Ghost of Tsushima) during their pre-show press conference, and small handful of others on the show floor. The company also recently cancelled this year’s PlayStation Experience event, admitting they didn’t have enough PS4 games in the pipeline to make the show worthwhile.
Shunning E3 is certain to generate plenty of speculation about what Sony may be preparing behind the scenes. Sony’s CEO has said next-generation hardware is “necessary,” and it certainly seems like Sony is now focusing its energies on the PlayStation 5. Sony no-showing E3 2019 makes it seem unlikely the PS5 will arrive that year, but a 2020 release is feeling more and more plausible.
Despite giving E3 the cold shoulder, Sony still has a decent lineup of exclusives slated for 2019, including Days Gone, Dreams, Death Stranding, and, let's hope, The Last of Us Part II.
Meanwhile, the Entertainment Software Association, which organizes E3, says Sony's absence won't stop them from having their biggest show yet in 2019. They’ve also confirmed both Nintendo and Microsoft will be participating in E3. This year, Microsoft held a standalone Xbox Experience away from the main E3 show floor, so it will be interesting to see if they repeat that in 2019. The ESA has also confirmed Activision, Bethesda, Capcom, Epic Games, Konami, Square Enix, Take-Two, Ubisoft, and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment will be attending E3 2019.
What are your thoughts on Sony skipping out on E3? Is it a bad thing for PlayStation fans, or just a sign of bigger things to come?
