UPDATE: The Electronic Software Association have released a public statement on Sony's decision to miss this year's show, saying: "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."
You can read their full statement here, and we'll let you know about those aforementioned new experiences and partners as soon as we do.
ORIGINAL: Sony have announced their PlayStation E3 2020 plans, and just like last year, the Japanese company won't have a presence at this year's event.
In a statement to GamesIndustry.biz, Sony said that after careful consideration, they "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," said a Sony Interactive Entertainment spokesperson.
There was a sense that Sony would be making a big (potentially PS5-related) announcement around E3, and as GamesRadar+ previously reported, there were rumors swirling that the company could be skipping the show for the second year in a row. Kotaku news editor Jason Schreier even tweeted that "Sony skipping again would make total sense."
E3 is in the worst shape it's ever been -- last year it was half-empty, and that was before they doxed thousands of attending journalists -- so Sony skipping again would make total sense. I'd expect them to announce their own big PS5 event(s) insteadJanuary 13, 2020
Earlier this week, industry insider Michael Pachter told VGC that, “As far as I know, they [Sony] don’t plan to attend [E3 2020]” claims Pachter. “I think that’s a huge mistake, as their ‘focus on the consumer’ is not inconsistent with their attendance at the premier industry trade show. I hope they change their minds, but [I] am skeptical.” He was right to be skeptical, wasn't he?
Sony skipped E3 last year as well, and with the increased scrutiny the event is under after leaking the personal information of over 2,000 journalists in 2019, some are saying the event's importance is waning. However, Microsoft still plans to attend, so we may be getting some Xbox Series X news out of this year's conference.
Stay tuned for more information about E3 2020, as we'll be updating you as soon as we hear any breaking news.
Sony is planning a month-long "Experience PlayStation" event.
