PlayStation will reportedly skip Gamescom once again this year after bowing out of the event for the last few years. This marks Sony’s shift to hosting digital showcases and livestreams that are arguably more cost-effective than attending in-person events, usually drumming up the same hype and anticipation anyway.
According to German website Games Wirtschaft, PlayStation will skip Gamescom again this year, though the company didn’t provide any reasons for bowing out. PlayStation didn’t make an appearance at last year’s Gamescom either, choosing to host its own livestream around the same time frame. “Sony Interactive currently has no plans to exhibit at Gamescom 2024,” reads the statement given to Games Wirtschaft from Sony.
Gamescom is seen as the “European E3” by many due to its volume of large publishers and developers that usually use the event to showcase games, allow attendees to try out demos on the show floor and even kick off the festivities with Gamescom Opening Night Live, one of the biggest gaming events of the year hosted by Geoff Keighley.
Sony isn’t the only major publisher dropping out of Gamescom though, as Nintendo confirmed back in April that it would also be skipping the event amid the Switch 2 rumours. Nintendo has yet to officially announce its next console and it’s unlikely that they’ll share such an important announcement at Gamescom with other publishers also showcasing their projects.
Despite PlayStation’s absence at last year’s show, Gamescom Opening Night Live still packed in quite a number of exciting reveals and world premieres such as Black Myth: Wukong, Crimson Desert, Little Nightmares 3, Killing Floor 3, Tekken 8‘s release date trailer, The First Descendant and the first gameplay trailer for Alan Wake 2, among many others. Hopefully this year’s show can avoid another stage crasher.
Gamescom will take place from 21-25 August with Gamescom Opening Night Live kicking off on 20 August.
Source: Games Wirtschaft
