PlayStation appears to be opting out of yet another big gaming event. Sony is not listed as attending gamescom 2021, even as companies like EA, Ubisoft, Xbox, and more are confirmed for the show. Gamescom 2021 is set to be all-digital again, with the COVID pandemic still presenting issues for organizing and holding physical events. Gamescom 2021 will once again kick off with the Geoff Keighley hosted Opening Night Live showcase on August 25th, and then feature additional presentations from August 25-27.
The theme for this year’s gamescom is “Games: The New Normal,” which focuses on the huge potential that games have for society. Additional trends include “more games for less money” and “live streaming” as the show focuses on accessibility, community, and other notable ideas that have been made clear through the course of the pandemic.
gamescom is a multiplayer experience, and this year we’ve got some big names in the lobby.
Learn more about the official partners of #gamescom2021 here:
https://t.co/arlSzsEU6B pic.twitter.com/YOruOUj77k— gamescom (@gamescom) July 15, 2021
Gamescom organizers confirmed the 2021 attendees list earlier today, which includes 19 big partners for the show.
- 505 Games
- Activision
- Aerosoft
- Assemble Entertainment
- astragon Entertainment
- BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment
- Bethesda Softworks
- Electronic Arts
- GAMEVIL COM2US Europe
- Headup
- Indie Arena Booth
- Koch Media
- NExT Studios (Tencent Games)
- SEGA Europe
- Team17
- Thunderful Games
- Ubisoft
- Wargaming
- Xbox
Additionally, 80 curated top indie titles will be showcased at large, virtual booths at the Indie Arena Booth Online (“IAB Online”), with the concrete lineup of titles to be announced at the end of this month. And more than 40 other indie titles will be presented in the “Arcade Village” of IAB Online, ensuring there is plenty to see at this year’s show.
It’s possible that Sony and PlayStation could still join the gamescom 2021 exhibitors list, but not being onboard early on—along with Sony’s trend of skipping out on big gaming events the past couple of years—seems to indicate that the company will not be in attendance at the show. Notably, however, Nintendo is another massive company that isn’t yet listed as attending gamescom 2021.
If Sony doesn’t confirm attendance, it probably also removes any possibility of seeing first-party Sony games or announcements during Opening Night Live. However, rumors state that Sony is holding its own first-party centered event in the first half of August, which may be why the company isn’t attending gamescom 2021.
Gamescom 2021 kicks off with Opening Night Live on August 25th and runs through August 27th.
