The cancellation of E3 2020 was one of last year's biggest disappointments for the game industry. E3 is hugely influential as one of the main times that game companies come together to update each other and their fans on their current projects. It's largely responsible for summer's association with big video game news. E3 2021 promises to be a big deal, reuniting the video game industry after they weren't able to meet up digitally or in person in Los Angeles last year. In spite of the special context of E3 2021, though, Sony still isn't going. For the third year in the row, the developers of the PlayStation won't be coming to this highly influential game conference.
Video game fans can't be blamed for being surprised that Sony doesn't want to be at E3. It seems like such an important part of the industry would be one of E3's biggest hitters, and for a long time, it was. Now, though, Sony has seemingly reevaluated its approach to publicity. Joining up with its fellow console creators and game developers isn't a priority for Sony anymore. Instead, it's reveling in its independence. While it's not totally clear why Sony thinks this is the way to go, there's a few reasons that Sony might see E3 as optional rather than mandatory.
Letting Sony Projects Shine
The biggest problem that Sony might have encountered with E3 is competition. While it's exciting for so many developers, indie and AAA alike, to come together for one big conference, it also makes it hard for any one company to get a lot of attention. Even though Sony has big games like Horizon Forbidden West and God of War: Ragnarok that it could show off at E3 2021, there's more than enough competition. Things like Halo Infinite and Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 from its biggest competitors might discourage Sony from trying to fit in at the conference. If Sony makes all of its announcements on its own, then it doesn't have to worry as much about reaping its share of hype.
Sony's focus on independent announcements might also be a big reason that it's not going to E3. It's worth nothing that Sony's first State of Play was in 2019, the same year that Sony first opted out of E3. By now, Sony has settled into a pattern of hyping up new State of Plays and focusing on its own special occasions. In a way, it really doesn't need to be at E3, because it's already got experience putting together video conferences. That's not a perfect excuse to skip E3 forever, though. State of Play is very different from Sony representatives showing up in person at a traditional conference. E3 may be going digital this year, but Sony will still miss out on future opportunities to engage with peers if it keeps avoiding E3.
Different Visions
It's also worth noting that Sony offered some criticism of E3 2020 while deciding to skip the event last year. It said it disagreed with the vision for the event and described its own plans for fan-centric events. There's certainly something to be said for Sony's apparent interest in connecting with fans instead of other developers. After all, a good relationship with the PlayStation fanbase is one way to help ensure that PlayStations and their exclusive titles sell well.
The PS5 could have something to do with the decision to avoid E3 too. Maybe Sony thinks the PS5 will do better if it stands on its own rather than being at venues like E3 where it'll have more reason than ever to be compared to the Xbox Series X and the Switch. It's clear that there's a lot of reasons that Sony might be deciding to manage its own events. Odds are that the true motive is a combination of some or all of these reasons, rather than there being any one cause for Sony's newfound independence. Whatever the case, Sony doesn't seem to be held back by this choice. The PS5's booming sales mean it has a bright future ahead of it.