Sony PlayStation E3 2020 Reaction

Is Sony right to miss out on E3 for the second year in a row? The Japanese giant announced overnight that it won't be attending E3 2020, saying that the Los Angeles event simply isn't the right venue for PlayStation 5. The company's statement comes across as somewhat prickly, but it's been reasonably clear for a while now that there's some kind of beef between Sony and the ESA -- the organisation behind E3.

But still, does PlayStation even need E3 at this point? It's a topic that's going to be heavily debated over the next few months, especially since Microsoft has now confirmed its own attendance at this year's convention. What's more, we all know that PS5 and Xbox Series X are set to launch in late 2020. E3 has long played host to hardware reveals, but again, does Sony need to be there?

In many ways, E3 2019 proved that no, attending E3 isn't a necessity. Sony decided not to show up at last year's event and it did the firm no discernible harm. In fact, PlayStation still managed to steal most of the headlines despite missing out on the event itself. After all, Microsoft's press conference was packed with titles that were coming to PS4 as well as Xbox One -- there was no escaping Sony's influence.

Sony PS5 E3 2020

Having said all that, E3 2020 could be a different story. As mentioned, we're on the cusp of a new console generation, and off the back of a good showing, Microsoft may find some momentum. Could Sony end up regretting its decision to avoid the event entirely? Only time will tell, but it's worth speculating given the importance of first impressions in this industry.

It's not like Sony's going to sit and do nothing until the PS5 launches, though, is it? The company will undoubtedly have its own plans already in motion, with many -- ourselves included -- expecting the PlayStation-maker to host a PS5 reveal event fairly soon. Beyond that, Sony has its State of Play platform and "hundreds" of smaller consumer venues that it's looking to attend. In short, we reckon it's far too early to count Sony out based on its E3 absence alone.

But as always, we want to know what you think. Is Sony right to skip E3 2020? Vote in our polls, and then give us an honest opinion in the comments section below.

Is Sony right to skip E3 2020?
What should Sony do instead of attending E3 2020?