According to GamesIndustry.biz, Sony will be skipping E3 this year, marking the second year in a row that the PlayStation brand has chosen not to attend. Sony feels that the event does not seem right for what the company has planned for the year, and instead will participate in 'hundreds' of consumer events to showcase everything it has planned for the year.
"After a thorough evaluation, SIE has decided not to participate in E3 2020," said a Sony Interactive Entertainment spokesperson in a statement. "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."
Since the very beginning, Sony has used E3 as a platform to reveal details on its next consoles and games. Sony first attended E3 in 1995 and unveiled the US launch of the original PlayStation. The practices and strategies of E3 organizer ESA have failed to satisfy all of its members participating in the show by limiting what can be shown off at the event. Video game publishing giants like Sony and EA, on the other hand, want E3 to turn into a fan celebration for games.
Aside from Sony's absense, E3 has always been exciting nonetheless. It is an event that features video game reveals and unmatched press conferences. At the same time, exhibiting at E3 can be very expensive. This is partly one of the reasons why many companies have moved away from E3 and have chosen to exhibit elsewhere. For example, EA's Play Event has left E3 entirely, and takes place at the Hollywood Palladium.
