Years ago when gamers wanted the biggest news it was centered towards one main event, E3. While there have been a plethora of other events where developers along with publishers, both big and small, could take the stage and announce what they have coming out in the near future, the crown jewel expo in most people’s eyes was E3. This is where the biggest video game titles are revealed along with hardware. Not to mention the various press media conferences that were held which continued to chart out video game news crammed in a tight schedule across several days.
Sure there were the cringe-filled moments along with misses that developers had hoped for big reactions, but all-in-all, E3 was still a sacred expo. People all over the world would gather together and see just what they could enjoy in the coming months to years. However, one of the main companies to attend E3 suddenly dropped the expo and that was Sony. In the past we’ve heard plenty of comments on how Sony just didn’t feel like they had enough content to warrant a big media presentation.
One of the people who helped present Sony at E3 was a VP by the name of Adam Boyes. This VP was in charge of third-party relations for PlayStation though he has since stepped down and taken on the position of CEO at Iron Galaxy Studios. Now in a recent interview with Push Square, we have Adam reflecting on the decision to pull the company out from doing E3.
The decision to stop attending E3 was done in 2019 and it was also confirmed that the company wouldn’t be holding a media event during E3 2020 well before the coronavirus became a thing and stopped the event from happening altogether. According to Adam, the decision was just a sign of the times going on right now.
“I think stylistically if we look at most content now, whether it’s PlayStation’s State of Play or Nintendo Directs and even Microsoft’s Series X reveal, it looks like we’re migrating more towards that compilation-based approach. Where people just get to see content, content, content, and then with the Xbox Series X, they go a little deeper after the presentation. It feels like that’s where we’re going a little bit more, and I think because we’re in a faster ‘give it to me now’ TikTok era, people just want to see new stuff. Whereas I think, if we look at 2013, 2014, and 2015 of E3, now when you look at it, it feels a little bit dated in a way.”
Adam Boyes
There’s less need for a media-focused event at E3. With the likes of the internet and holding stream presentations, which content is available to be sent out immediately rather than having to cram it into a presentation held on a specific date.
We’re sure that the companies that decide to hold their own online events are saving a ton of money going this route as well. Only time will tell on if E3 2021 can be make a comeback that would cater not only to gamers interested in attending the event but to companies that would host their events as well.
