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Sony has announced State of Play, a new streamed marketing presentation designed to deliver updates directly to fans in the style of competitor shows, Nintendo Direct and Inside Xbox.
The inaugural presentation will launch later today, Monday March 25th, 2019, at 2pm PT (9pm UK time) and will be available worldwide on Twitch, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook, with a VOD (video on demand) edition available "shortly after the episode airs".
"State of Play will give you updates and announcements from the world of PlayStation," wrote Sid Shuman, PlayStation’s director of social media. "Our first episode will showcase upcoming PS4 and PS VR software, including new trailers, new game announcements and new gameplay footage.
"And this is just the beginning!" Shuman added. "State of Play will return throughout the year with more updates and announcements."
This isn’t the first big shake-up from Sony, as it’s already confirmed that it will not be attending this year’s E3 – the company’s first absence in the expo’s 24-year history. Sony’s announcement came in the wake of the cancellation of last year’s PlayStation Experience, too, the fan event usually held in December. It’s thought the decision not to appear at either show could be because the hardware developer is holding back plans to announce its next-generation console.
Interestingly, EA, too, has followed suit by confirming it will not hold a traditional press conference this year, choosing instead to focus on community-facing events. "We’re skipping the press conference this year and are replacing it with multiple live streams that will air during the first two days of the event, bringing you more of what you’ve told us you want – more gameplay and insights from the teams making the games," EA’s press release said.
That said, both Nintendo and Microsoft stepped forward on social media to reassure fans that they will have a presence at this year’s E3 show.
