Sony is skipping E3 for the second year in a row, the company has confirmed. In a statement sent to GamesIndustry.biz, the PlayStation company has indicated that it doesn't feel "the vision of E3 2020" suits its own focus this year.
"After thorough evaluation SIE (Sony Interactive Entertainment) has decided not to participate in E3 2020," a spokeperson for the company told GamesIndustry. "We have great respect for the ESA as an organization, but we do not feel the vision of E3 2020 is the right venue for what we are focused on this year."
Instead, Sony will participate in "hundreds of consumer events across the globe". With the PlayStation 5 launching later this year, Sony will likely host its own big press conference dedicated to that, as well as its regular State of Play livestreams.
It was a big deal when Sony bowed out of last year's convention: while publishers like Activision and Electronic Arts have scaled back their appearances in recent years, opting to skip big showroom floor presences, the absence of Sony's press conference was conspicuous - in addition to their first-party offerings, there were always trailers and announcements relevant to the PC space.
Update: ....and just in case you thought there might be a big console exodus from E3 2020, Microsoft will definitely be in attendace:
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 #E32020January 14, 2020
