After being a part of the Electronic Entertainment Expo for over 20 years, in an unexpected move by the company, Sony has announced for the first time that it will not be attending E3 next year.
This is another blow to the lucrative industry trade show as Sony ditches their traditional booth and press conference, and follows the trend of big name industry players, such as Microsoft and Nintendo, which have left the event in order to produce their own shows.
This announcement follows Sony’s decision to also not host their annual PlayStation Experience fan event this year. In an article from Game Informer, Sony provided a statement on the company’s withdrawal from the expo and what they hope to accomplish with this 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.”
Senior Vice President of Communications for PlayStation Jennifer Clark, also responded to the question of whether or not Sony would still be hosting their PlayStation Experience fan events in the future.
"We are looking at events as a whole and how we can speak more to our fans and continue to wow them. The timing of PSX and E3 didn't allow for that. But lots of exciting things to come, and we hope to share shortly. Some of our biggest games will have key milestones next year so we will work hard to blow those up."
The Entertainment Software Association has held E3 at the Los Angeles Convention Centre since 1995, but this year could be potentially the final time. Former ESA CEO Michael Gallagher, has previously stated that the organization would consider pursuing other options if the LACC doesn’t upgrade the venue.
E3 will be taking place at the Los Angeles Convention Centre from June 11-13, 2019.
