Sony says it's skipping E3 2019
There won't be a big PlayStation press conference at E3 next year. Or a booth on the show floor. In fact, Sony isn't showing up at all.
Hoping to see a PlayStation 5 at E3 2019? You'd better sit down: Sony Interactive Entertainment announced Thursday that it wouldn't have a presence at the next Electronic Entertainment Expo, as spotted by Variety.
That means no offsite events fans, no big livestreamed press conferences packed with game trailers and, apparently, no booth presence on the E3 show floor.
The company's retreat from the show was quietly announced in an Entertainment Software Association announcement, and was later confirmed by a statement issued to GameInformer.
"As the industry evolves, Sony Interactive Entertainment continues to look for inventive opportunities to engage the community. PlayStation fans mean the world to us and we always want to innovate, think differently and experiment with new ways to delight gamers," the company said. "As a result, we have decided not to participate in E3 in 2019. We are exploring new and familiar ways to engage our community in 2019 and can't wait to share our plans with you."
CNET reached out for additional details, but Sony Interactive Entertainment did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The company had already announced that it would be dialing back fan events, cancelling this year's PlayStation Experience due to a lack of games -- with Spider-Man and God of War already out, there just isn't enough on the horizon to justify the convention. "We wouldn't have enough to bring people together in some location in North America to have that event," Sony Interactive Entertainment chairman Shawn Layden said at the time.
It's not the first time one of the big three gaming companies has scaled back its appearance at E3 -- Nintendo canceled its live events in favor of Nintendo Direct digital announcements years ago -- but it is the first time one of these major players has skipped the show altogether.
Still, Sony says it's "exploring new and familiar ways" to engage with its community next year. There will be something for PlayStation fans to pay attention to in the next 12 months -- it just won't be at E3.
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