Sony has famously skipped E3 2019, and while some would argue that it made the right decision, it's clear that some would've liked to have seen something from the platform holder. It may have had nothing to show, and it's obviously pursuing a direct-to-consumer approach with its State of Play broadcasts, but PlayStation not taking part in E3 at all is a decision not everyone agrees with. Case in point: head of Xbox, Phil Spencer.
The Microsoft exec spoke with Giant Bomb during an E3 livestream, and towards the end of their conversation, he commented that he believes all companies should attend the trade show. "I wish Sony was here, I wish Activision was here. I think E3 is not as good when they're not here," Spencer says.
He explains that he thinks the show is a vital point where the industry can come together to prove that it should be taken seriously: "We have to stand up as an art form and an industry and explain that we're not just slack-jawed kids in basements swearing at each other and trying to headshot everybody".
There's some truth in what he says; E3 is a time when the world pays the video game industry a lot of attention. It's an institution that allows everyone to show off what games can do, and how important they are to a highly engaged audience. However, times are clearly changing, and on the evidence of this year's show, E3 seems to be losing its relevance. That doesn't mean people outside of games should stop paying attention, but a vast, expensive trade show in the middle of June every year is beginning to sound like an old-fashioned idea.
It should be noted that Spencer is on the board of directors at the ESA, the company responsible for E3, so it's only natural to see him defend the show and want the big players to participate. Shawn Layden is on the board too, and has said that Sony may return to E3 in 2020.
What do you think of all this? Do you agree with Phil Spencer? Do you wish Sony had been at E3 2019, or did the company ultimately make the right call? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
[source twitch.tv, via gamespot.com]
Comments 34
"We have to stand up as an art form and an industry and explain that we're not just slack-jawed kids in basements swearing at each other and trying to headshot everybody"
Oh, we're much, much worse than that.
He just wanted to play Death Stranding and Last of Us 2
He's a gamer ar the end of the day 😊
I think the show would've been better. Could've had the big blow out of Death Stranding at the press conference. Could've shown Medievil and I think for third party partners, like SE, it would've been a bigger deal to be able to show off FF VII remake at a show for the brand that has the most users. I understand from Sony's side too though. Will be interesting to see if Sony returns for E3 2020 or if, with experience, State of Play evolves into something where Sony doesn't need trade shows at all anymore.
I wish MS was as good as Sony but they have learned nothing from Sony conferences all these years. Just show the gameplay and spend very small time on indies and talking.
"It should be noted that Spencer is on the board of directors at the ESA, the company responsible for E3, so it's only natural to see him defend the show and want the big players to participate."
Ta-dah. A little detail many other journalists would overlook.
Perhaps you should change your headline to something a little more accurate? Maybe something along the lines of "Man Who Makes Millions From Trade Show is Disappointed Not To Be Making Billions."
This is gonna be s spicy comment section.
Every year E3 is becoming less and less relevant, of course I'd prefer Sony to be there but they made the right decision. It's too early to show the new consoles and they'll have very few games left for the PS4 and the big one in Death Stranding they simply showed earlier. Nintendo just do a direct that they literally could put out at any time and overall all of these companies now have much more efficient ways of presenting their products. Long gone are the days when E3 was required to get your games some attention and to build hype and was there any genuine surprises this time? Obviously the leaks didn't help but even the surprises were sequels that we half expected them to make
sony may return in 2020.nope they are returning to e3 2020 that's a fact playa.word up son
Rather than wasting money going to e3, sony should make their own event and save the money for psx promo or something like that. It will be great if sony doing psx event on every year rather than spreading their games announcement on every event.
Honestly, with the success Nintendo has had with their Nintendo directs, it would probably be smart for all companies to just do that. At the same time though, E3 has always been a fun tradition, and it would be a shame for it to die out.
Does not being at E3 hurt Playstation? Nope.
Does Playstation not being at E3 hurt Microsoft or Nintendo? No.
But it does hurt all those companies selling one game without the power of Bethesda or Ubisoft behind them. Just think of how the Dragonball games' profile was raised by being on the Microsoft conference or how Nintendo have made indie games like Steamworld in the past. Without Sony pushing those sorts of games to big audiences, there is a chance they'll disappear and that makes for less variety.
I know I don't want to live in a world were 3rd party is just the same shooting games from Ubisoft and Bethesda.
E3 2019: Phil Spencer: I Wish Sony Was at E3
E3 2020: Phil Spencer: I Wish Sony Wasn't at E3!
I think there was good reasons for Sony not attending E3 2019, one of the reasons being that they pretty much showcased all their big games last year. And another reason as to why they didn't show up to the event is simply because they're obviously making preparations for the next generation. Overall I think Sony not attending E3 was a smart strategic move on their part. They'd just be showing us more of what we've already seen if they were at this year's event so congrats to Sony for understanding when enough is enough. I'm glad they didn't milk themselves dry this year because now it leaves for an even better experience for next year when they finally give the last reveals and maybe a new lineup of things to come on top of what we already know.
Competition makes everyone try harder, but as Sony have wiped the floor with everyone past couple of years (not E3, in general)
You could say Sony is just giving them a chance to do something with being in Sony's shadow or Sony haven't got anything to show... yet.
Any that’s a true gamer with any intelligence wishes that Sony was there. It’s a shame they weren’t. Sony being there and showing new info games and just their presence would have been good for the whole industry and such an important event. It’s a shame and only the most blinkered Sony fanboy would say otherwise.
2020 will be a banger.
Sony's new console & Xbox and also i wonder if Nintendo will show off a new Mini switch or N64 mini.
It's shame nintendo is not on stage anymore and they video there conference.
2020 PS5 & New Xbox and hopefully southing from Nintendo it will be the best E3 in years hopefully since the last launch of consoles.
Of course it would be better if Sony was there. Same with Rockstar not showing up with Red Dead last year.
E3 is the biggest showcase for games and not having the leading ones there is disappointing.
Sony was at E3.
All up in Spencer's head.
Sony and Nintendo hardly profit from E3.
Small devs hardly profit from E3.
Gamers hardly profit from E3.
I love the hype, but hype can exist in many different forms. For instance, the Death Stranding reveal was more important to me than anything at E3.
'explain that we're not just slack-jawed kids in basements swearing at each other '
NO!
We dont have to.
This is weird. I think Phil just wishes he had PlayStaion’s brand image instead of Xbox’s.
When you said ESA, I thought you meant European Space Agency. I had to google it.
I'd like to see more moments with the big three being in the same room at the same time again.
The "leaks" aren't helping with the excitement as there's no build up to the announcements.
Me too Phil...me too...
"We have to stand up as an art form and an industry and explain that we're not just slack-jawed kids in basements swearing at each other and trying to headshot everybody".
Shut up Phil u noob yo momma was slack jawed last night PWNED!!!
They still couldn't even capitalise on Sony's absence they could have seriously made a impression even maybe showing more of games and what it's new acquisitions where up to. But it didn't
Nah, Sony would have just shown off the same games again anyway, it's too soon for the PS5 announcements. Do we expect any more Sony exclusives to be released for the PS4 that we don't already know about?
Now that you're begging, no chance of them coming back now.
I hope sony reveals new games and even new IPs next year.
A US conference for industry freeloaders when it's a global business and about gamers. Good riddance.
He seems like a decent guy, unlike the vast majority of the Xbox community.
@Stocksy Why am i a fanboy if i think they can use their money in a better way. The times are useless almost always in the middle of the night on annoying days there are more countries then the US.
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