After missing E3 2019 and announcing intentions to skip E3 2020 until it was forced to be canceled, Sony’s decision to skip E3 2021 came as no surprise. What is surprising, though, is that it, or more accurately, PlayStation, will be a part of this year’s Summer Game Fest, which will run concurrently with the E3 conference.
This was announced in a tweet from the official Summer Game Fest account earlier today, which reported that more than 30 partners, including PlayStation, will be in attendance. Though this implies that there will be PlayStation-related announcements and updates, there is no official word about what such announcements and updates will entail.
A glance at the Summer Game Fest schedule reveals that, unlike Ubisoft and EA, it will not be hosting its own presentation, such as a special State of Play. Sony is therefore unlikely to make any significant first-party announcements at the gathering. Not only will it be preferable to do so at its own gathering, but organizer Geoff Keighley has demanded that people keep their aspirations in check in a statement to VGC.
Sony will most likely have updates on new launches at all. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, the company’s next big exclusive, will be released for the PlayStation 5 the day after Summer Game Fest kicks off, so expect one more trailer before release. Sony is yet to confirm whether or not it will keep an E3-style State of Play this summer.
Whatever the case may be, this summer is going to be very hectic. There will undoubtedly be announcements that will excite fans at both Summer Game Fest and E3. Summer Game Fest alone has a long list of sponsors, including Annapurna and Dotemu, as well as big publishers including Capcom, Sega, and also Microsoft.
It's official: #SummerGameFest returns starting on Thursday, June 10.
Here's a first look at the more than 30 partners that will be updating fans this year with video game news and announcements. More to be announced!
More at https://t.co/1ZwAhZ66ie pic.twitter.com/TESvhsztO1
— Summer Game Fest (@summergamefest) May 19, 2021
Nintendo, who also skipped last year’s Summer Game Fest, is perhaps the most noticeable absence. It is expected to have a large presence at E3, with fans waiting for new trailers for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 and Metroid Prime 4 to be included.
Last year, Summer Game Fest was created to fill the vacuum caused by E3’s cancellation. There was some debate about whether E3 was still necessary, with Summer Game Fest perhaps taking its place. However, for the time being, it seems that everyone will be able to experience them.
