State of Play PS5 PlayStation 5 1

Sony’s latest State of Play broadcast – which included trailers for Resident Evil 4, Street Fighter 6, and Final Fantasy 16 – has been watched more times than any of the company’s E3 press conferences. With 2.52 million views, it’s officially surpassed E3 2016’s 2.51 million views, and is rising. Meanwhile, the firm’s previous two September PlayStation Showcases sit above both with 4.9 million views (2020) and 3.9 million views (2021).

While there are clear caveats to take into consideration here – PlayStation’s YouTube channel has grown significantly over the past five or so years, and E3 press conferences have historically been broadcast via a variety of different channels – it perhaps helps to demonstrate why Sony has changed tact. E3 press conferences are notoriously expensive affairs to produce, but there’s very little of that cost associated with a traditional, pre-recorded State of Play.

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It just goes to show that the Japanese giant is having more success than ever by largely cutting out conventions and marketing directly to its consumers. While we may sometimes miss the old days, it’s reaching more people than ever before with its new approach. And this success isn’t just limited to Sony either: 5.8 million fans tuned in to watch the most recent multi-game Nintendo Direct, while this month’s Xbox Showcase has attracted 3.9 million views in approximately ten days.

[source twitter.com]