Sony will be absent from another of the world's largest video game conventions, as a report has confirmed that PlayStation is not planning to exhibit at Gamescom 2023. Gamescom is the most-attended video game convention in the world, with over 370,000 attendees for the 2018 show. Yet PlayStation is known for skipping significant events, including Gamescom, when it doesn't feel like it suits its purpose. Gamescom 2023 appears to be just the latest example of PlayStation's casual approach to events.Unlike many in-person conventions, Gamescom rushed to come back even as the COVID-19 pandemic lingered. As such, Gamescom held a hybrid online/offline event in 2021 and a full in-person event in 2022. Gamescom 2022's event even had over 265,000 attendees. This year's Gamescom is expected to be even larger, as more of the world grows comfortable with returning to large in-person events. Gamescom 2023 will be run from August 23 through August 27, hosted at Hoelnmesse in Cologne, Germany.With such a large in-person gaming convention occurring soon, it would be surprising to hear from major publishers like PlayStation and Xbox if they'll be exhibiting at the event. In fact, Xbox confirmed its participation in Gamescom 2023 as far back as July 2022. PlayStation, however, appears to have decided on a different direction. Speaking with German media outlet GamesMarkt, a Sony Interactive Entertainment representative stated that PlayStation has "no plans to exhibit at Gamescom 2023."
What that means is that PlayStation will not have an official presence at the event. There will be no keynotes, no official PlayStation game stations on the show floor. It doesn't mean that PlayStation won't be entirely absent from the show, of course. First-party PlayStation games could still make an appearance during the Gamescom Opening Night Live presentation, for example. A third-party partner could also give time or space to PlayStation for one reason or another. But fans should keep their expectations in check.
As for why PlayStation would choose to skip Gamescom, there's no known explanation. If Sony saw an opportunity in participating in Gamescom, it would likely be there. But modern Sony under Jim Ryan has different expectations for these kinds of events. Sony was one of the first major companies to choose not to participate in E3, after all. It may just be in a lull where its first-party games aren't ready to be shared or shown. It may just want to prioritize marketing for Spider-Man 2.
While there may not be a PlayStation booth at Gamescom this year, plenty of other gaming partners will be in attendance. As noted, Xbox confirmed its participation in 2022, as well as 2K Games, Ubisoft, THQ Nordic, and Koch Media. Other partners have announced they'll be exhibiting more recently including Nintendo and Bandai Namco. Expect plenty of other exciting Gamescom 2023 announcements between now and late August. It should be a great show, with or without PlayStation.
Source: GamesMarkt (via ResetEra)