The Electronics Entertainment Expo, known fondly as E3, is an institution of gaming. In 2019, the show will reach its 25th anniversary, but it’s going to be a bittersweet celebration. Sony has announced that they will not be attending E3 2019. That means no press conference, no presence on the show floor, and no bombastic announcements like we’ve seen in year’s past. After previously cancelling this PSX 2018, I didn’t expect this to come next, which begs the question: what now? Sony Releases Official Statement I’ve long described E3 as “Christmas for Gamers,” because it’s always this energetic celebration of gaming in all its forms. It also happens to be the place where the biggest announcements come in the form of orchestral performances, world premiere trailers, and guest stars. Some have said that E3 is on the decline. It’s true that less and less publishers have been showing up in recent years. Nintendo, for example, has not had a stage presence at E3 for several years. Even so, Microsoft and Sony always brought their A-game, so I just always assumed it would be there each year. In an official statement to Game Informer, Sony offered some details behind the decision: “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.” In February of 2019, Sony offered some addition clarity on their plans for a post-E3 world. PlayStation’s boss, Shawn Layden, sat down with CNET and spoke at length about their reasons for skipping E3. While his answer was long, it essentially boiled down to the fact that the world of gaming and trade shows have evolved with the rise of the internet, and E3 failed to evolve with it. It’s true that E3 has remained largely the same over the years, but Shawn went on to talk about Sony’s focus on less titles with higher quality and longer development times. As a result, he claims they wouldn’t have anything substantial to show by June of 2019. While I’m not sure if I totally believe that, it offers some additional detail as to why E3 will be lacking a bombastic Sony press conference in 2019. This puts a lot of pressure on PSX in the fall to deliver. As I’ve said before and will probably say again, I have a soft spot for E3, so no amount of promises will make this any easier to accept. Even so, with the cancellation of PSX and now this, Sony is taking a big step away from the limelight. I think you know where this is going… Should We Brace For PS5? Sony’s E3 2018 presentation was one of … Read More