The Electronic Entertainment Expo, popularly known as E3, is one of the biggest trade events for the video game industry. Unfortunately, Sony PlayStation is skipping out on the event for the third year in a row. Instead, Sony uses a different strategy to showcase their teased games, release dates, and plans for the future.
Most gamers are anticipating the E3 2021 event. Active since 1995, E3 is a yearly event where organizers, developers and publishers advertise upcoming games, gaming console hardware or accessory updates, as well as other game-related merchandise for the year.
E3 2021 is a four-day event that started on June 12 and ends on June 15. The specific schedules of events break down as:
- June 12 - Ubisoft Originals games, Gearbox Entertainment & GamesBeat
- June 13 - Xbox & Bethesda Games, Square Enix, PC Gaming Show, Future Games Show, Warner Bros. Games, Back 4 Blood, and 24 Entertainment
- June 14 - Mythical Games, Freedom Games, Razer, Capcom, and Take-Two Interactive
- June 15 - Nintendo Direct and Treehouse Live, Bandai Namco, Yooreka Games, and GameSpot.
Note that these events are arranged in chronological order according to presentation time.
Why Is Sony Skipping the Event?
Sony is skipping out on this big event for the third year in a row due to a bunch of different reasons.
Sony abstained from the E3 2019 because, as Clutchpoints reported, the company launched its semi-regular digital event called State of Play, where it showcases gameplay, teasers, and previews for upcoming titles. State of Play also acts as Sony's version of live broadcast where it can announce new updates or release dates.
In E3 2020, Sony didn't attend the event due to the global pandemic, and the company said it was not a good time to showcase new games while the crisis was this in full tilt. Eventually, the E3 2020 event itself got canceled for everyone's safety.
During both refusals, Sony hinted that it is innovating new ways to engage with the community. Sony also drops a statement saying that E3's conference vision does not align with Sony's goal.
With E3 2021 moving to an online-only event, Sony officially moves away from E3 in favor of using their own version of live broadcast. In this way, the company does not share its mainstream appeal and audience with competitors such as the ones listed above.
What Is State of Play?
State of Play uses an erratic pattern of announcements. Some broadcasts happen twice a month, while others happen once every two months. Each broadcast also has a different video length, where some last for a few minutes while others stream for hours.
Keep an eye on the State of Play announcement by bookmarking the PS5 YouTube channel and Twitter page.
The last State of Play happened on May 27, where Sony showcased their latest game "Horizon Forbidden West." Techradar predicts that the next State of Play should happen sometime this July, where Sony would showcase both PS4 and PS5 upcoming titles.
