With next generation consoles coming this holiday season, it seemed a foregone conclusion that both platform holders launching said systems would be at one of the biggest gaming conferences, even with Sony skipping last year. But it seems Sony has decided again to skip the event in 2020. In the long term, one of the major platform holders seemingly done with E3 spells some trouble down the road. For now, though, it seems the company behind E3 is doing what they can to downplay it.
The ESA (Entertainment Software Association) issued a statement regarding the surprising move via their official blog. You can read the full statement below or on the website through here. The overall statement basically no sales the move by not directly addressing what’s happened, instead emphasizing how important the event is to the many partners who do participate.
“E3 is a signature event celebrating the video game industry and showcasing the people, brands and innovations redefining entertainment loved by billions of people around the world. E3 2020 will be an exciting, high-energy show featuring new experiences, partners, exhibitor spaces, activations, and programming that will entertain new and veteran attendees alike. Exhibitor interest in our new activations is gaining the attention of brands that view E3 as a key opportunity to connect with video game fans worldwide.”
While most other major brands will be at the show in some capacity, such as Microsoft, it doesn’t bode well for the conference’s future. While conferences like E3 were once a major part of the gaming industry, with the rise of video services, social media and smaller gaming outlets (such as this one), their effect has been diluted over the years. We’ll see what the future holds as time goes on.
