After skipping E3 2019, and making plans to skip E3 2020 before it had to be canceled anyway, it was no surprise to learn that Sony wouldn't be attending E3 2021 either. What is somewhat surprising, though, is that it, or more specifically, PlayStation will be part of this year's Summer Game Fest, which will partially run at the same time as this year's E3 event.
This was revealed in a Twitter post earlier today from the official Summer Game Fest account, which confirmed that more than 30 partners will be in attendance, and among them is PlayStation. While this does mean that there will be announcements and updates related to PlayStation titles, there is no official information about what exactly it will bring to the table.
At the very least, a quick look at the Summer Game Fest schedule shows that, unlike Ubisoft and EA, it won't be hosting its own presentation, like a special State of Play. It's also unlikely that Sony intends on making major first-party announcements during the event. Not only would it likely prefer to do so during an event of its own, organizer Geoff Keighley, in a statement to VGC, has asked that people keep their expectations in check.
"I think there are going to be some good games that we’ll get to see, but I would also manage expectations that things have been delayed. I know fans want to go back to the full-on, E3 onslaught of true insanity, and I think there will be good things, but I do think it’s going to take a little while for things to ramp up.”
At best, Sony will probably provide updates on upcoming releases. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, its next major exclusive, will be releasing for the PlayStation 5 the day after Summer Game Fest begins, so it's safe to assume that it will receive one final trailer ahead of launch. If Sony does intend on holding a big E3-like State of Play this summer, it has yet to announce it.
Regardless, this summer is going to be an incredibly busy time. Between both Summer Game Fest and E3, there are bound to be announcements that will excite viewers. Summer Game Fest alone has quite the pedigree of partners, ranging from the likes of Annapurna and Dotemu to major publishers like Capcom, Sega, and even Microsoft.
Perhaps the most notable omission is Nintendo, which also passed on last year's Summer Game Fest as well. It will apparently have a major presence at E3, with fans speculating/hoping that it will have new trailers for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 and Metroid Prime 4.
Summer Game Fest was initially conceived last year to fill the void that E3's cancelation had left. There was some speculation about whether E3 was even needed anymore, with perhaps Summer Game Fest becoming the new replacement. For the time being, though, it looks like everyone will be able to enjoy both.
Source: Summer Game Fest, VGC