E3 2019 is one of the world`s biggest and most important video game conferences, and it`s going on right now--press conferences began this weekend and continued early this week. While the show may be in a state of undeniable upheaval, many of the industry`s biggest players are still coming to the show, including platform-holders Microsoft and Nintendo, as well as Square Enix (occupying a time normally held by Sony). Even Google held a Stadia Connect event just before E3. For the first time in the show`s history, however, the third major platform-holder--Sony PlayStation--is not attending. So, what gives?Sony confirmed in late 2018 that it would not attend E3 2019 because it was looking for other `inventive opportunities` to connect with its own community.`PlayStation fans mean the world to us and we always want to innovate, think differently and experiment with new ways to delight gamers. As a result, we have decided not to participate in E3 in 2019,` a PlayStation representative said at the time.Despite not attending E3, Sony did recently generate some excitement one of PS4`s big upcoming exclusives, releasing a new Death Stranding trailer and announcing a release date of this November. Before that, it shared the first details about its next-gen PlayStation console, PS5. Although it does not yet have an official name (we`re simply assuming it will be the PlayStation 5), we have learned all about its specs and other elements of the console.This year is the first time that Sony has opted to skip E3 since it entered the video game business in the mid-90s. While Sony has completely bowed out, other companies have adjusted their E3 plans in recent years.Microsoft, for example, relocated its floor space from the show floor at the Los Angeles Convention Center to the nearby Microsoft Theatre in 2018, something that it is doing again this year. Nintendo, for its part, stopped conducting live stage shows at E3 in favor of broadcasting its popular, often shorter, pre-rec ...
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