Sony will be skipping E3 2019

Sony has become a regular face every year at E3, having shown big names like Days Gone, The Last of Us: Part II, and Spider-Man in the last few years. The company has been in attendance ever since the beginning, but we won't be seeing Sony there for the first time in 24 years next summer.

Sony's PlayStation name is not included in the list of confirmed companies in the official press release, and a spokeperson contacted by Game Informer and Variety has confirmed that they have their own plans to engage with the community, saying:

"As the industry evolves, Sony Interactive Entertainment continues to look for inventive opportunities to engage the community. PlayStation fans mean the world to us and we always want to innovate, think differently and experiment with new ways to delight gamers. As a result, we have decided not to participate in E3 in 2019. We are exploring new and familiar ways to engage our community in 2019 and can't wait to share our plans with you."

To clarify any doubt, PlayStation senior vice president of communications Jennifer Clark explained to Game Informer that they "will not activate or hold a press conference around E3". That could mean that new hardware people were anticipating hearing about at E3 will be announced and introduced at a different event and probably in a different manner. Not yet confirmed for next year, Sony's CEO Kenichiro Yoshida acknowledged the existence of the new console in October.

Shortly after this information was revealed Xbox Chief Phil Spencer looked ahead to 2019's E3 show as well, as he tweeted:

"A lot to share with fans at E3 2019. Always a high point of the year to witness the industry's creativity and the energy of the community."

Do you think E3 2019 will be as interesting as any other year still?