Sony and Nintendo Opt Out of Gamescom 2024, Favoring Independent Showcases

PlayStation is seemingly skipping Gamescom 2024

Sony Interactive Entertainment has reportedly decided to skip Gamescom 2024. According to the German outlet Games Wirtschaft (via VGC), Sony informed the publication that it has no plans to attend the games industry event this summer, which will take place in Cologne, Germany.

The PlayStation company last attended Gamescom in 2019, the last in-person event before the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent public lockdowns.

Although Sony won't be attending the upcoming event, it may put on another State of Play livestream later in the year or around the same time. The most recent State of Play was held in May and featured exciting announcements, including the reveal of Team Asobi's Astro Bot for PlayStation 5.

The game is a successor to Astro’s Playroom and will feature more than 50 planets to explore and more than 150 PlayStation characters that the player must find and rescue.

With E3 officially canceled for good, publishers have since moved to share news of games and hardware via their annual showcases or at week-long events like Summer Game Fest.

Sony isn't the only company skipping Gamescom 2024. Earlier this year, Nintendo confirmed it wouldn't be attending the event after careful consideration. A representative stated that Gamescom is a great event, and each year, they evaluate whether Nintendo should participate or not. After careful consideration from all perspectives, the decision was made for Nintendo not to be present at Gamescom 2024. Players will have opportunities to try out Nintendo Switch games at other events throughout the year.

Gamescom Opening Night Live will begin on August 20, while the main show will run from August 21 to 25.