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Sony to Skip E3 2020 - VGChartz
Sony to Skip E3 2020

Sony to Skip E3 2020 - News

by William D'Angelo , posted on 13 January 2020 / 1,526 Views

Sony after not participating at E3 2019 last June has confirmed to GamesIndustry it will not be attending the event once again this year. Sony will instead attend "hundreds" of consumer events to showcase and announce PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 games. 

"After thorough evaluation SIE has decided not to participate in E3 2020," said a Sony Interactive Entertainment spokesperson. "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 ESA has released their own statement on Sony not participating in E3 2020:

"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. 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."

A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel dedicated to gaming Let's Plays and tutorials. You can contact the author at wdangelo@vgchartz.com or on Twitter @TrunksWD.


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19 Comments

pikashoe
pikashoe (on 13 January 2020)

I understood last year, but skipping this year seems like a poor choice.

  • +10
SanAndreasX
SanAndreasX (on 14 January 2020)

Not to me. They'll have their own event where the focus will entirely be on the PS5, with nothing from Nintendo or Microsoft to steal any of Sony's thunder. E3 is increasingly becoming a relic of a past age before companies could hold their own shows and broadcast them over the Internet.

  • +1
pikashoe
pikashoe (on 14 January 2020)

I've always found that e3 is good for getting fans who may not be invested in your product to give it a look. Xbox are more likely to give a Sony product a look purely because it'll be mixed in with coverage of Xbox and Nintendo. With things like state of play only appealing to people who are already fans of Sony. Also Sony's state of plays have been poor so far.

  • -1
KratosLives
KratosLives (on 14 January 2020)

That's actually smart. Let microsoft do their thing, then sony puts on a better show later. E3 used to be relevant back before the internet and internet media coverage, back when we relied and video magazines, and online written articles. Now all you need is a private show, the world to focus on one specific console, and an audience of journalists to spread the show, social media, youtube, twitter, instagram etc They don't need e3, just like rockstar games did.

  • +8
HollyGamer
HollyGamer (on 13 January 2020)

I can see Sony are preparing their own Huge Event for PS fans like PSX or perhaps bigger than that , or maybe PS meeting sooner to introduce PS5.

  • +8
The Last Belmont
The Last Belmont (on 14 January 2020)

E3 is becoming less and less relevant. Especially considering the information leak by the showrunners the ESA (as well as the other controversy with them allowing child gambling in games). I'd be perfectly fine if the show disappeared forever. Both Sony and Nintendo already do their own digital events anyway, Rockstar has never been to an E3, and consoles are never revealed at E3 anymore. E3 No longer has any great secrets or awesome surprises, it's virtually meaningless to everyone except react channels.

  • +7
TallSilhouette
TallSilhouette (on 13 January 2020)

Interesting. Perhaps they'll string their reveals out throughout the year instead of bunching them all in a few events each year?

  • +7
KBG29
KBG29 (on 14 January 2020)

I am very happy that Sony did not go back to E3 this year. There are so many better ways to show off Hardware, Software, and Services. Going forward, I want to see Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, Google, Apple, etc. doing events/showcases, on their own time. Products should be revealed when they are ready, not to meet a date irrelevant to the rest of their development.

  • +3
siebensus4
siebensus4 (on 13 January 2020)

I can't imagine that hundreds of consumer events will have the same impact as one of the biggest video game events in the year. The world still looks at E3. Another chance for Microsoft to steal the show. I hope Sony has a good marketing plan instead. Not every PS4 owner is a "PlayStation fan" or will buy a PS5 automatically. There are some PS3 reveal vibes in the air...

  • +3
SanAndreasX
SanAndreasX (on 14 January 2020)

The world looks at E3 a lot less than they used to. It's a dinosaur from a past age, honestly.

  • 0
pikashoe
pikashoe (on 14 January 2020)

Is there any proof that e3 is actually declining in terms of viewers? A quick Google shows that e3 2018 broke viewership records on twitch.

  • 0
garretslarrity
garretslarrity (on 13 January 2020)

I mean I guess makes sense since they already revealed the new logo

  • +2
DonFerrari
DonFerrari (on 14 January 2020)

Impossible, Patcher said they wouldn't be so it was certain for them to be there. Let's see how and where Sony will reveal PS5 and if it will be worth jumping E3, because the partners may prefer to them have their games show on Microsoft stage.

  • 0
S.Peelman
S.Peelman (on 14 January 2020)

I am also puzzled by the why.

  • 0
Paperboy_J
Paperboy_J (on 13 January 2020)

Oh hell naw!

  • 0
KratosLives
KratosLives (on 14 January 2020)

That's actually smart. Let microsoft do their thing, then sony puts on a better show later. E3 used to be relevant back before the internet and internet media coverage, back when we relied and video magazines, and online written articles. Now all you need is a private show, the world to focus on one specific console, and an audience of journalists to spread the show, social media, youtube, twitter, instagram etc They don't need e3, just like rockstar games did.

  • -1

Comments below voting threshold

Zenos
Zenos (on 14 January 2020)

After their poor showing in 2018 they seem to have decided to go the Nintendo Direct route. It seems the only E3 conference worth a watch will be Microsoft's. Again. "We have great respect for the ESA as an organization" - is that why you implemented a censorship board to completely disregard the decisions done by the ESRB?

  • -6
hunter_alien
hunter_alien (on 14 January 2020)

E3 is officially dead :-) Lets face it, Sony not being there makes this years show a bummer, no matter what anyone else shows off.

  • -6
Kanemaru
Kanemaru (on 14 January 2020)

"we are truly looking forward to a year of celebration with our fans" Well, it's a very bad start... Is that a strategy to announce in a few weeks that they changed their minds? If not, that would mean they got no real games for the PS5 and that the console announcement won't be enough to cover a full conference...

  • -7