Sony Interactive Entertainment, SIE, have decided not to attend the Electronics Entertainment Expo, E3, for the second year in a row. They have instead decided they would attend “hundreds of consumer events” across the globe.
The news comes from gamesindustry.biz, where a spokesperson told GI.Biz,
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.
From this quote, it sounds like SIE and PlayStation are trying to build fan loyalty by attending fan events such as PAX. It is also likely there will be some PlayStation events for fans to attend as well. Could this year see the return of PlayStation Experience? (I would love that!)
In the past, PlayStation has used E3 as venues to debut to the world their new consoles. In particular, E3 2013 saw the unveiling of the PlayStation 4, and the new “For the Players” ad campaign. Among the many memes that came from the show that year, PlayStation’s focus on games and gamers really propelled them ahead of the competition.
E3 is the largest North American video game expo, and has been a staple event on the gaming calendar for years. 2019 marked the first time Sony would miss an E3 since it’s creation in 1995. There was no PlayStation presence on the show floor, nor did they hold their annual press conference. It was a shake-up, especially for the Entertainment Software Association.
In recent years, there have been numerous conversations about what E3 should do in order to remain relevant. Losing the support of large publishers like Electronic Arts, which had decided years ago to switch to their own E3 adjacent event, was seen as troubling, but not overall devastating. To see one of the “Big Three,” which traditionally consisted of Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo, back out is something else entirely. To see SIE pull out for a second year could be spelling trouble for E3, but time will tell.
Are you upset by Sony not attending E3? Think you’ll be at one of their “hundreds” of fan events? Are you hoping for the return of PSX as much as I am? Leave a comment or hit me up on Twitter @OmegaSpider227, or anywhere else on the internet for that matter.
