Sony is dropping out of E3 next year

Several years ago, Nintendo made the decision to drop out of E3 for the first time. Instead of relying on the famed show, Nintendo has focussed on keeping in touch with fans directly via regular Nintendo Direct streams instead. Now, Sony might be making a similar move, as the company has announced that it has no plans to participate in E3 2019.

So, Sony won't be at E3 next year but what is even more unfortunate is that the company isn't planning to hold its own off-site event in conjunction with E3. That means if you were hoping to see more Death Stranding, Ghosts of Tsushima or The Last of Us Part II at the show, you will be out of luck.

As part of a statement given to Game Informer, a Sony Interactive Entertainment spokesperson said: “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.”

Microsoft will be at E3 in June and Nintendo will likely host its own Direct stream alongside the show, while also bringing games to the show floor for attendees. From the sounds of it, Sony will be saving all of its announcements and reveals for its own event at some other point during the year. We already know that there won't be a PlayStation Experience event this December, so perhaps we'll see that return next year with a more impressive showing.

KitGuru Says: Sony dropping out of E3 is a pretty big deal but whether or not this is a permanent move remains to be seen. I reckon this has something to do with the PS4 generation winding down, giving Sony some extra time to get its remaining PS4 exclusives in order for a big sendoff. Then in 2020, we'll finally start hearing about the next-gen console. Are any of you disappointed that PlayStation won't be at E3 next year? It certainly makes the show a bit less exciting to me.

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