Sony announced yesterday its decision not to exhibit at E3 2020 for the second year in a row, even though the company is launching the highly anticipated PlayStation 5 console later this year. Sony will instead focus on 'hundreds' of smaller fan events, though it is widely believed that there will be a PlayStation Meeting event dedicated to the unveiling of the console, as was the case for both PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 4 Pro.
Shortly after the news hit, Microsoft's Head of Gaming Phil Spencer confirmed that Xbox will indeed participate at E3 2020 (even though it'll likely do it from its own nearby venue, the Xbox Plaza, as in previous years). Now, the organizers of the Electronic Entertainment Expo, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), also released a statement of their own.
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.
That is entirely unsurprising, of course. We couldn't really expect the ESA to state anything different. At the same time, even PlayStation's absence didn't exactly ruin E3 2019, and it's hard to imagine that alone could do it this year. E3 2020's success will hinge on the ESA's capacity to attract other partners and exhibitors (Google could make an appearance with Stadia, for instance), as well as maintaining the other major publishers who have been a mainstay of the Electronic Entertainment Expo for decades.
Regardless, E3 2020 should be another exciting time for gamers as there'll be plenty of news. Make sure to stay tuned on Wccftech in the first couple of weeks of June to get them all!
About the author: With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief. In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech's gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews. Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications. His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.
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