The Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) has just lost one of the big three consoles for 2019’s show. Sony has decided to pull PlayStation out of E3 2019, and do… something different.

We don’t officially know what that something is but E3 organisers and Sony confirmed that the next event will be PlayStation-less. Considering the massive presence Sony normally has at the show, E3 will have a fairly large hole in its convention. The company is also cancelling their PlayStation Experience event, which usually runs in December, so E3 doesn’t have to feel too offended by the move.

“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,” Sony says in a statement posted by Kotaku.

At this stage, no one is quite sure what Sony means by “inventive opportunities”, but Kotaku mentions the imminent announcement of the PlayStation 5 could be playing a role in this decision. Rumours point to a 2020 PS5 launch and Sony bailing on E3 2019 reinforces those rumours. If they had something new to show, they’d show it at the world’s largest gaming expo, right? Or they want to keep all the spotlight for themselves…

Sony is not the first major corporation to withdraw from the trade show. Electronic Arts has started hosting its own separate press event in the week before E3 instead of supporting the show the way it has in the past. Microsoft also maintains its own nearby presence separate from the event and Nintendo has been doing its own thing for some time now. The withdrawal of Sony could mean the show is in danger of losing even more support. If everyone can do their own press events and announcements, then why not?

Source: Kotaku