Those of you who were hoping for some big PS5 news come June are probably going to be disappointed: Sony has announced that there will be no PlayStation E3 2020 conference.
The lack of a PlayStation E3 2020 conference was confirmed in a statement to GamesIndustry.biz, marking the second year in a row that Sony will not be making a showing at one of the biggest gaming conferences in the world. A spokesperson from Sony Interactive Entertainment explained.
After thorough evaluation SIE has decided not to participate in E3 2020, 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. We will build upon our global events strategy in 2020 by participating in hundreds of consumer events across the globe, Our focus is on making sure fans feel part of the PlayStation family and have access to play their favorite content. We have a fantastic line up of titles coming to PlayStation 4, and with the upcoming launch of PlayStation 5, we are truly looking forward to a year of celebration with our fans.
The Entertainment Software Association (the organization behind E3 and the ESRB) has issued a response in short order to the disappointing news for Sony fans.
"E3 is a signature event celebrating the video game industry and showcasing the people, brands, and innovations redefining entertainment loved by billions of people around the world," an ESA spokesman told GamesIndustry.biz in a statement. "E3 2020 will be an exciting, high-energy show featuring new experiences, partners, exhibitor spaces, activations, and programming that will entertain new and veteran attendees alike. Exhibitor interest in our new activations is gaining the attention of brands that view E3 as a key opportunity to connect with video game fans worldwide.”
Was the Lack of a PlayStation E3 2020 Conference Heralded by 2018's Smaller Show?
Sony stepping back from E3 2019 and E3 2020 may have been heralded by their most recent showing. As noted in our recap of the PlayStation E3 2018 conference, it was a much smaller venue than we were used to seeing from such a massive company.
"And as you can see from this evening, here again at PlayStation we've decided to mix it up a little bit in the way that we're doing our E3 presentation this year," said former SIE Worldwide Studios Chairman Shawn Layden at the opening of the E3 2018 conference.
Mr. Layden continued by joking about how the venue looked like a church and assured the several hundred attendees crammed into the space that it would not end like the movie Kingsman: The Secret Service, a film that featured a lengthy, violent shootout scene in a church. Compare 2018's conference to the massive auditorium that was used for E3 2017 and it looked like a pretty stark difference.
As things seem to be going, there is no shortage of companies willing to take over Sony's timeslot. Last year, the Square Enix E3 2019 presentation filled the gap. We don't know for certain if the same is going to be happening this year as the conferences for E3 2020 have not yet been announced, but some other company is sure to step up.
Without missing a beat Phil Spencer, Head of Xbox, took to twitter to confirm that Xbox as always will be returning to E3 2020 this year to share their future with everyone. This will likely be where more is heard about the Xbox Series X that was announced last month at the Game Awards 2019.
What do you think of there being no PlayStation E3 2020 conference? What do you think this ultimately means for the ESA's gaming convention? Let us know in the comments below!
