Top Story
Sony will not exhibit at E3 2020
Like last year, Sony has announced that they will not exhibit at E3 this year, and will focus on consumer-oriented events instead. Until last year, Sony had been a regular fixture at E3 since 1995 and tended to announce their new consoles there.
“After thorough evaluation SIE has decided not to participate in E3 2020,” a Sony Interactive Entertainment representative said. “We have great respect for the ESA as an organization, but we do not feel the vision of E3 2020 is the right venue for what we are focused on this year. We will build upon our global events strategy in 2020 by participating in hundreds of consumer events across the globe.”
Could this be the last big E3?
Following the success of Nintendo Direct and Sony’s State of Play, it appears that bespoke events and direct communication with fans is the future of videogame PR. There is speculation that Sony will reveal the PlayStation 5 at the upcoming PlayStation Experience event in New York City between February 14th and 16th.
Time For A Quick Daily Quiz?
Who was the first guest character in the Smash Bros. series?
- Mega Man
- Pac-Man
- Cloud
- Sonic
The answer will be revealed at the bottom of today’s issue. Join up with our community on Twitter and Facebook to discuss what the answer could be.
News Bits
Grand Theft Auto IV pulled from Steam
Surprise! You can no longer buy Grand Theft Auto IV on Steam! Yes, that’s the fourth game and not the fifth. But why? Well, turns out Microsoft is finally phasing out the accursed Games for Windows Live platform that plagued videogames in the late 2000s and early 2010s – but that also means Rockstar will no longer be able to generate product keys for the game, and had to stop selling it. Fortunately, Rockstar is looking for ways to fix the problem, so the game will most likely be back on sale sooner rather than later.
Nintendo reveals details about the Super Nintendo World theme park
Nintendo is opening a theme park this summer at Universal Studios in Osaka, Japan. While most companies would send out a press release, Nintendo has made a music video that captures the spirit of their theme park.
The video shows the Power Up bands visitors will use to access the park, similar to Disney’s MagicBands, and it appears smartphones will be integral to the experience as well. Check out the music video by Galantis and Charli XCX to get a glimpse of what Nintendo is aiming for.
Daily Fact
BioShock in spaaaaaaace!
The original Bioshock is famous for a lot of things, but especially its setting: the underwater utopia Rapture. It’s a pretty integral part of Bioshock’s identity, but it was not actually part of the original design idea.
Early demos took place in a space station overrun by mutated monsters, and before that Bioshock was set on an island filled with nazi mutants. Definitive proof that your first idea is not necessarily your best idea. Or your second, for that matter.
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