As reported here at Phenixx Gaming and literally every other gaming news outlet, Sony is officially out for E3 2020. Is E3 dead in the water? Not even close.

I’m not the type to go out to events like this, so I can only speak from a fan’s perspective. I have fond memories of watching E3 from home, all the way back to when Adam Sessler and Morgan Webb were hosting shows on G4. Something feels electric about E3, even if you’re watching from home. So, what does Sony leaving mean for the conference? It’s definitely not nothing. In fact, it’s a huge blow to the event. Yet, people calling it the death of E3 as we know it are missing the forest for the trees.

Think of the amount of amazing hands-on events we get from the multiple days of E3. The announcements and reveals have always been a highlight, yes. Still, the most engaging parts of the conference happen off the main event stage. It’s tough to gauge as an at-home viewer, the but connection gamers have to E3 when attending is in the booths and convention space. As a home viewer, the one on one interviews and gameplay demonstrations offer much more than any announcements do.

The tricky thing about Sony dropping out is they’re leaving the conference after having dominated a console cycle. Nintendo doesn’t even do live events anymore either. So, Microsoft and publishers get the main event performances to themselves, and they better take advantage of it. E3 still matters, and that’s not going to change, even if the entire event went to all pre-recorded video, a la Nintendo Treehouse events.

Attendees are still going to go, and we’re still going to watch because we love games. E3 is rumored to be moving to a less press oriented scheduling process and focus more on the actual fans who show up. That’s a great move, and much more in keeping with why conferences are worth attending in the first place. Change isn’t bad, it’s just different. Hopefully, E3 can take this change and improve upon what is one of the most exciting weeks in gaming.

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