Kaz Hirai PS4 PlayStation 4 1

The format of Sony's E3 2016 press conference this week was unlike anything we've ever seen. Not only did the platform holder hire an orchestra and stage the show in a theatre, but it was also structured differently: speakers were kept to an absolute minimum, trailers were rarely prefaced, and oftentimes the audience was left guessing as to what was on show.

According to the platform holder's very own Adam Boyes, it was all a very deliberate plan by the company to switch things up:

"I think the theme in general for this E3 press conference for us was to surprise and delight," he said on the PlayStation Livecast. "Predictability was out of the door. Everyone was like, 'When's Shu [Yoshida] going to be up? When's [Scott] Rohde going to be up?' We're like, 'No, we're throwing that out, let's bring in an orchestra, and let's try [to keep people guessing at] every turn and every corner."

It's a stark change of approach from a company who has, historically, been a bit too formal in the past. But much like its software, the firm seems to want to flex its creative muscles with everything that it does these days. Other companies will surely copy this format in the future, but the challenge for Sony will be reinventing its approach all over again.

[source youtube.com]