Earlier today Xbox announced they were going big at Gamescom this year while PlayStation and Nintendo were skipping the show. For Nintendo this is rare and a one off, but for PlayStation it’s a trend that has continued for years. Is this a mistake on their part?
The first time they skipped a show it was kind of like the reaction Nintendo is getting for skipping Gamescom. It’s just one show, they are waiting for more games etc etc (for the record the Nintendo excuse is they are just waiting for next year and the Switch 2). But it’s been years now since they have really had a presence at any of these big events, and it’s no longer just a case of not having anything to showcase. They could have had a booth last year with Spider-Man 2 or the year before that with God Of War Ragnarok along with some of their smaller stuff or with partners just by example.
Just look at this past Summer Games Fest event. PlayStation has Concord upcoming which is an interesting game for them as they try and jump into the live service space more. The reception for that game online so far has been…..okay. Putting that game into the hands of gamers, creators and press at the show would have done wonders for it, assuming its good of course. Throw in a demo of Astro Bot, Lego Horizon and show off your PlayStation VR 2 headset and you’ve got yourself a booth and a presence. Sometime’s less is more and you don’t always need the biggest games at the show.
Of course this is just me spitballing here so maybe none of these games are in a playable state, but I’m guessing they could have cobbled something together. It would appear that PlayStation just doesn’t think these shows are that important, but I disagree, especially as social media and influencers plays a bigger and bigger part of marketing.
Just take a look at the droves of Xbox creator’s who were at Summer Game Fest, networking with one another and other companies and creating a buzz around Xbox as a result. Xbox mostly dominated that talk around Summer Games Fest and likely will again with Gamescom simply by default. PlayStation can easily do the same and likely even bigger and better. For all of Xbox’s glaring weaknesses compared to PlayStation, this certainly isn’t one of them. You need that personal,human connection to some degree.
Where’s the PlayStation Showcase?
The other big issue facing PlayStation at the moment is the lack of a showcase. And hey, if your two biggest issues are a lack of showcases and a lack of booth’s at gaming conventions then you are doing alright. Doesn’t mean they aren’t problems though.
But don’t just take it from me. When even the bigger PlayStation content creator’s are asking what is going on we need a showcase then you know it’s getting a bit overdue. Xbox and Nintendo just put on great show’s while PlayStation continues to put on some lackluster State Of Play’s.
I don’t really know what the delay is either. PlayStation has spoke in the past about not wanting to show things too far in advance which i totally get. Xbox has needed to do that in the past because they were so far behind and had a narrative of “Xbox has no games” and needed to show that they do. No one is accusing PlayStation of having no games, nor should they, but PlayStation fan’s are starting to get restless without some guide of look into the pipeline.
They also likely have enough that we already know about to have a half decent show. Could they not have built a showcase around Concord, Lego Horizons, Death Stranding 2, Marathon and the Spider-Man DLC with a couple of surprises and teases, ie Ghosts Of Tsushima and whatever Bend is working on alongside the PlayStation 5 Pro? That alone might not have blown people away but it’s a solid show and keeps fans excited. This is ultimately where I think PlayStation is playing with fire a bit though because as I said that showcase would be solid but not spectacular and I think they are waiting for something special.
Holding the showcase off until you have an incredible line up of games to just blow everyone’s mind is great in theory and they certainly have the studio’s and franchises to do it. If they do that and pull it off everyone will shut up and sing the praises of PlayStation as they should. But when you haven’t held a showcase in so long the opposite can happen. What if the showcase isn’t as good as they think? You can have a meh showcase coming off your great 2021 show. You can’t really have a meh showcase when you haven’t had one in a long time and the one you did have was just okay. You run the risk of it being more disappointment than excitement.
Of course I’m not saying without going to these shows or a showcase PlayStation is somehow in trouble or anything crazy like that. They are still dominating the market and I don’t think skipping Gamescom or any other show is going to be the death of PlayStation. But it is a mistake nonetheless and fans are starting to grow a bit antsy.
