Highlights
- PlayStation will skip Gamescom 2024, continuing a trend of companies avoiding the major gaming event.
- Sony recently had a State of Play, but many gamers will be disappointed that it won't have more to show at Gamescom.
- Sony's absence at Gamescom comes amid a trend of major publishers focusing more on their own digital showcases instead of industry events.
PlayStation will skip Gamescom this year, continuing a recent trend of avoiding this major gaming event. PlayStation recently had a State of Play, but it may be disappointing for gamers that the brand will not participate in the upcoming convention.
Gamescom is an annual gaming exposition that's been happening in Cologne, Germany since 2009. It’s among the largest gaming events in the world, and it used to be very popular with major gaming companies until the COVID-19 pandemic, when many of the biggest publishers in the industry moved to their own digital showcases. PlayStation last appeared at Gamescom in 2019, when it showcased games such as Final Fantasy 7 Remake, MediEvil, Control, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.
Now, the German media outlet Games Wirtschaft has revealed that Sony will skip Gamescom 2024, which will happen on August 21-25, with Gamescom Opening Night Live occurring on August 20. This is certainly sad news for PlayStation fans, as some people considered Sony’s recent State of Play to be lackluster compared to Xbox’s and Nintendo’s events, as it did not show any games from its most popular exclusive franchises. That’s not to say that Sony did not showcase some exciting games, though, including the Silent Hill 2 remake, Astro Bot, the PC port for God of War Ragnarok, and the surprisingly popular Infinity Nikki.
Recently, Sony revealed that it does not plan to release any major existing franchise titles until 2025, which could be why the company does not have a lot of exciting news to share with fans right now. While Sony has already confirmed that it expects PS5 hardware sales to decline over the year, its console is still outselling the Xbox Series X/S. Information from a research firm suggests that during the first quarter of 2024, PS5 outsold the Xbox Series X/S by nearly five times, suggesting Sony’s strong dominance in the area as its console has surpassed 50 million units sold.
Nintendo Will Also Be Skipping Gamescom
Sony will not be the only major gaming brand not to appear in Gamescom 2024, though. Back in April, Nintendo confirmed that it would not be at Gamescom, either, as it would focus on its own showcases. The list of companies that will appear at Gamescom has not been confirmed yet, but gamers can expect several studios to unveil more information about upcoming titles during the event. There’s also speculation that Xbox may be preparing new announcements for Gamescom, too.
