The Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) is probably the most prestigious videogame event on the industry calendar, having ran for 24 years and held in Los Angeles, California. While the event attracts the biggest companies from across the globe, for the first time ever Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) and its PlayStation brand will not be in attendance.
The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) recently announced its plans for E3 2019 this week, confirming videogame companies like Microsoft/Xbox, Nintendo of America, Activision, Bethesda Softworks and several more would be attending. One notable exception which Variety picked up on was the absence of SIE, receiving a statement from the company which said:
“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. 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.”
This lack of participation not only means one of the biggest stands at E3 won’t be there, but there also won’t be the usual PlayStation press conference. This will certainly mean a drought in PlayStation news regarding videogames. VR is likely to be hit even harder at the event, with PlayStation VR dominating ES 2018. There were indie booths demoing content on Oculus Rift’s and HTC Vive’s but neither of those headsets had a dedicated stand with the floor presence of PlayStation VR.
This could mean E3 2019 is a lot more barren when it comes to VR than in previous years. This also follows on from Sony Worldwide Studios Chairman Shawn Layden confirming in September that the annual PlayStation Experience in December has been cancelled, citing a lack of content.
Additionally, with rumours that PlayStation 5 might be coming in 2020, SIE maybe quietening things down for PlayStation 4 in 2019, ready for an even bigger display the following year. Could that also mean an updated PlayStation VR, who knows? VRFocus will be following events closely to see what happens.