PlayStation: Sony's absence from the trade shows is obvious

PlayStation

It's the end of August, gamescom is almost over and with it the time of the big summer presentations! Even if everything took place exclusively digitally again this year, many large manufacturers still stuck to the summer months to hold their big showcases. Traditionally, the new triple A games that will be played by players in the next few months will be shown there.

But there were also some manufacturers who were very reluctant and one of these candidates is Sony. The Japanese have distanced themselves from the trade fairs in recent years, but this year it was particularly noticeable. This year in particular, Sony's silence was so deafeningly loud that, in my opinion, it cannot be ignored.

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Sony, where are you?

This thought also has to do with the big competitor Xbox. Microsoft was all the more present this summer with their showcases in the period of E3 and Gamescom. Admittedly, the Gamescom showcase was rather unspectacular, but the E3 in particular was an absolute fireworks display for Microsoft and Xbox. Starfield, Stalker, Replaced, Redfall, Somerville, Forza Horizon 5 and a few more were featured. A few of them are exclusive, almost all of them immediately in Game Pass.

Microsoft was able to convince with the first trailer for Starfield, among other things. Source: Bethesda Of course, the lineup doesn't suit everyone's taste, but it picked me up and you can hear it in the different corners of the Internet, I don't seem to be alone with it.

The showcase was generally very well received and it is not uncommon to hear that Xbox had won E3 this year. Of course, this also comes from the fact that other publishers did not necessarily have the strongest lineups. In my opinion, this impression is mainly due to the fact that Sony was only absent looking from the side.

I understand the tactics from the PlayStation front. You don't want to be left with the hustle and bustle of the trade fairs, where numerous publishers present their games and you might get lost there yourself. That's why it is better to make your own showcases, which then get the maximum attention. Except for an indie showcase, not even that came out. Especially in view of last year, when Sony really won, that's disappointing. This year the postponement of the flagship Horizon Forbidden West is smuggled almost ashamed into the opening night of Gamescom. This suggests and reinforces the image that Sony currently has nothing to counteract, even though they have already delivered big titles this year.

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It's about the external impact

And Sony can do that in a completely different way. If we look back a few years into 2013, we can still see Sony and Microsoft at E3 as usual. Xbox One and PlayStation 4 were newly announced. During this time Microsoft has already done a lot of preparatory work to destroy its own reputation. The strategy at that time was still to bind games on disc to the account, to have the console constantly connected to the Internet and on top of that to be 100 € more expensive than the competition.

In an ironic video Sony shows how you can borrow its games on the PlayStation 4. A full broadside against Microsoft's strategy at the time. Source: Sony They also take advantage of this, because on the same day Sony transforms these steep templates and basically destroys the Xbox One before it is released. Sony reacts namely and builds very clear swipes at the Xbox concept in its presentation in a short time. They emphasize that you can do whatever you want with disc games, they undercut the Xbox in price and even put an ironic video online about how difficult or easy it is to borrow a PlayStation 4 game from a friend br>
That was clever, sovereign and, above all, entertaining for us players as outsiders to watch. On top of that, this behavior had an effect. The PlayStation 4 is Sony's second most popular console with 115 million copies sold. Since Microsoft no longer reports sales figures, the numbers in the green camp are estimated at around 50 million and thus not even half that of competitor Sony. A big difference, especially at the beginning, was certainly Sony's confident and personable demeanor.

But these little exchanges of blows have become less and less and this year at the latest, every confrontation is avoided. Sony keeps its feet still while Microsoft clears the summer presentations and is celebrated. PlayStation owners look a bit into the tube.

Outside the box

On the other hand, it is also about the external impact, because the big trade fairs are also the contact points outside of the video game cosmos.

When it is E3 or Gamescom, then there will also be media reports that have nothing to do with gaming, such as the New York Times or the Tagesschau. The range is increased massively, especially if you are chosen as the "winner" from such events.

You can of course argue that the PlayStation brand is so big that it does not help the public image need and that is also correct. If PlayStation lets go of a tweet, everyone freaks out and reports about it. Personally, I never get rid of the feeling that Sony opens the window of the ivory tower to wave patronizingly, because that's all they need.

The PlayStation 5 last sold 10 million units, while Xbox came to 6.5 million consoles. With this, Xbox is making up some ground again. Source: Sony Especially when it comes to the trade fairs, they also give Xbox free rein, and they take advantage of this with gratitude. If you look at the estimated sales figures, the PS5 is currently 10 million units sold and the Xbox Series 6.5 million. The Xbox has caught up in popularity and narrowed the gap - with Sony's unwanted help through absence.

In the end, the result is not bad. On the contrary, it's actually very nice for Xbox fans and gamers in general. After all, competition is stimulating business and maybe Sony is already in the starting blocks for a strong showcase in the next few days. I just miss the little taunts and reactions to each other, because they are wonderfully entertaining and they definitely have their effect.