In case you missed the announcement, Sony’s ‘PlayStation Experience Expo’ – a two day, open-to-the-public event – is headed for Las Vegas on the 6th and 7th of December. According to Senior Manager of Social Media, Sid Shuman, the Expo will feature a variety of in-depth panels, meet and greet sessions with developers, hands-on gameplay demos and perhaps, most importantly, “an exclusive first look at what’s coming next in 2015.”
2014 has been a quiet year for PlayStation, and while they continue to sell truckloads of PS4s, many industry media outlets and fans have had concerns over the first-party software lineup for Sony’s latest console. The PlayStation brand was largely built on impressive first-party titles, and some industry analysts are seeing this perceived lack of major AAA releases on the horizon as an opportunity for the Xbox One to close the gap (in terms of sales) on the PS4.
It’s possible that Sony felt a little of this pressure and is using the expo to allay our fears. What’s significant about the PSEE is that, typically at an event like this, PlayStation would have to share the spotlight. GamesCom, the PAXs, and the new GameStop Expo are all industry wide – rival platforms from Microsoft, Nintendo, and to a lesser degree PC/Steam are all out to strut their stuff. At the PSEE, Sony will have the opportunity to completely control the message. They’ll have two whole days to connect with their fan base and ideally create some very positive buzz.
The panels, in conjunction with the meet and greet sessions seem like a great way to form an even closer bond between the PlayStation brand and gamers. These panels will hopefully feature some of Sony’s more prized studios – Naughty Dog, Sucker Punch, Guerilla, Sony Santa Monica, and Quantic Dream to name a few.
As far as the game demos are concerned, I anticipate that upcoming releases The Order: 1886 and Bloodborne will feature prominently, as Sony will want to show that they intend to come out swinging at the top of the year. The Order, which initially seemed to be one of the PS4s more promising titles, has received a number of unenthusiastic previews, so this could be a chance for Sony to turn around public perception of the game. Bloodborne, on the other hand, has received praise every time it’s been shown since it was first revealed at Sony’s E3 Press Conference, and getting that game into the hands of the average gamer will do wonders to generate excitement for the Dark Souls-esque action brawler.
But the part that the non-attendees will be most looking forward to is the promised “first look at what’s coming next in 2015.” I imagine this will contain the standard ‘Splash Reel’ featuring already announced games, but it’s also possible that we could see some new games (and dare I say it, some new IP?) from some of Sony’s first-party studios.
This is a huge opportunity for Sony to take over the ‘gaming conversation’ for a weekend and highlight their strengths after what has been a somewhat slow year. And while I think it’ll be a little too late to make a massive impact on the holiday shopping season, I would be surprised if the news coming out of the PSEE does not have some influence on consumers who are currently riding the fence on the new generation of consoles. I’ll also be interested to see, depending on the success of the PlayStation Experience Expo, whether Microsoft attempts something of a similar nature. Xbox has always taken advantage of the fact that PAX Prime is on their doorstep, with community events like the one they held at their campus during PAX Prime 2014, but perhaps they would look to do something a little more focused if Sony’s event is a hit. What also remains to be seen is whether this will become an annual event, and if PlayStation will lessen its presence at other expos in the same way Nintendo has shifted focus to their ‘Nintendo Direct’ conferences.
Are you going? I’m sure we’ll be there! Let us know in the comment section!
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