Sony makes “a huge strategic mistake” by leaving E3 according to analyst Michael Pachter

One of the most anticipated conferences in the DE were those of Sony and PlayStation. They had been major elements in the event every year since its inception, so their announcement that they would not be attending the event in 2019 came as a huge surprise. Meanwhile, E3 2020 was canceled due to COVID, but even before that, Sony had already confirmed that they would not attend again, while E3 2021 was the third year in a row that PlayStation was not at E3.

Opinions diverge on whether Sony has been prudent in leaving E3 out of its strategy, but one person who is completely against it is industry analyst Michael Pachter. On a recent episode of Pachter Factor at SIFTD Games, the analyst was frank about his thoughts on the matter, saying that Sony was making a “big strategic mistake by leaving E3” and that the money they were saving as a result was not worth it.

“I think Sony is going in the wrong direction. I think they are making a big strategic mistake by leaving E3. I think that’s just the wrong thing to do, and I’m hopeful they will figure it out and come back next year. ”

“Someone convinced them that they would save $ 20 million if they skipped E3, and this year’s E3 was perhaps a prudent decision. They also skipped the previous one. And I think it’s a bad move. Really dumb strategy. Because you can’t buy that much press for $ 20 million. Having an event and getting all of your fans to focus on that one single event is really powerful, and I think whoever is advising their management that skipping E3 is a smart, cost-conscious move is simply wrong. They are just dumb. “

Pachter concluded: “My bias is that Sony is and will continue to be the biggest loser at E3 by skipping the show, and I think they should really wake up and acknowledge that it is an opportunity to show their games, and they are very good, and their hardware, which is very good, for the world when the world is paying attention. I hope they are back in 2022. Fingers crossed. “

This isn’t the first time Pachter has criticized Sony’s decision to skip E3. In 2019, when Sony first left E3, Pachter said, “I think they’re foolish for overlooking the show.”