For the second year in a row, Sony Interactive Entertainment is skipping E3, North America’s marquee video game expo, which is organized by the Entertainment Software Association.
In a statement to Polygon, a Sony spokesperson said: “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 news was first reported by Gamesindustry.biz.
Sony opted not to attend E3 2019. It did not have a booth on the E3 show floor, nor did the company host its annual pre-E3 press conference, which had in recent years become a playlist of trailers, with few onstage appearances from PlayStation executives or game developers. At the time, Sony said it was “exploring new and familiar ways to engage our community in 2019.”
Last year, Sony launched State of Play, a video series that delivered PlayStation-focused news, a la Nintendo Direct and Inside Xbox. The company has already announced plans to release the PlayStation 5 in time for the 2020 holiday season.
The ESA represents the interests of games publishers and is largely funded by revenues gained from E3. Following Sony’s announcement, the trade body issued an announcement: “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, [marketing plan] 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.”