Sony PlayStation won’t be participating in E3 2020, twice in a row now

tech2 News StaffJan 14, 2020 20:27:12 IST

Sony is passing up on attending this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), arguably the world’s largest gaming expo. This is the second year in a row that the company has decided to miss and rather focus on other smaller events to promote its upcoming games.

The new PlayStation 5 logo. Image: Sony

Reported first by Gamesindustry.biz, Sony feels that the vision of E3 2020 doesn’t fit the company’s plans for 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,” a spokesperson from Sony Interactive Entertainment told the publication.

Sony has been putting out official announcements of the upcoming next-gen PlayStation console steadily. The latest reveal was the PS5 logo at CES 2020 which didn’t change much from the PS4 logo. It isn’t clear yet whether Sony is going to announce the PS5 at its own standalone event or during another event or expo.

In contrast, Xbox already unveiled the Xbox Series X at the Game Awards 2020. Naturally, more announcements will be made at E3 2020 along with the games arriving on the platform. While we don’t know for sure whether we will actually see new or exclusive titles, Xbox boss Phil Spencer has already confirmed the company’s presence at the expo.

Our team is hard at work on E3, we look forward to sharing with all who love to play what's ahead for us. Our artform has consistently been propelled by the cross-section of creativity and technical progress. 2020 is a milestone year in that journey for Team Xbox. #XboxE3 #E32020

— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) January 14, 2020

On Sony’s consecutive absence at E3, its organiser Entertainment Software Association (ESA) said, “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.” ESA didn’t mention explicitly mentioned Sony.