E3 2021 does have a sizable list of presenters for an online-only expo - Nintendo, Microsoft, Ubisoft, Take-Two, and Square Enix are just some of the leading publishers doing livestreams. There's an obvious gap in that mix, however, and its name is Sony. At first it might not make make sense that the company would skip the world's biggest gaming expo just months after launching a new console - yet there's a sound (if disappointing) logic behind the decision.

Certainly there are titles Sony could show. Horizon Forbidden West is nominally on track for the end of 2021, and the tentatively named God of War: Ragnarok is due for its first gameplay reveal, even if it's now shipping in 2022. People are still also waiting for more on games like Gran Turismo 7, and of course any number of things that haven't been announced yet. This is putting aside cross-platform games that could make cameos.

Related: Will Horizon Forbidden West Be Delayed Like God of War?

Sony first ditched E3 in 2019 despite having previously been involved in the show since the '90s. Via a 2018 statement to Game Informer, Sony explained that it in continuing to "innovate, think differently and experiment with new ways to delight gamers," it was turning to "new and familiar ways" to grab the public's attention. The result was a focus on its State of Play events, which let it control how and when products would be shown while avoiding booth costs. In fact the company chose to show off Horizon Forbidden West just recently even though it could've waited a few weeks to appear at E3 2021.

Sony & PlayStation Don't Need E3 To Thrive

Sony's Booth at E3 2018

E3 2020 was canceled completely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it makes sense that Sony wouldn't change course with the expo back on, online or not. Its strategy has paid off so far, and it's hardly alone - EA is following the same playbook, and even the businesses who are E3 partners regularly host separate streams. There's growing speculation that the expo might be on its last legs, made irrelevant over the years by the speed of news on the internet. Networking and spectacle may be the only things Sony is missing.

Sony could decide to come back for E3 2022, but assuming that show is on, it's probably not a safe bet. Companies as large as Sony tend not to make decisions on impulse, particularly if they're not suffering from the status quo. There would need to be special demand for hosting an in-person gathering with hundreds of people, which is doubly unlikely in the aftermath of a pandemic.

Next: Why E3 Is Irrelevant & Unnecessary In 2021