PS5 Console Reveal Could Happen Within Weeks Due to COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic's unprecedented impact is seeing gaming's biggest stakeholders hastily improvise on the next-gen launch schedule.| Source: CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP
- Developers and platform holders are shifting announcement away from the now-canceled E3 week.
- A known-insider suggests a next-gen reveal is happening much earlier.
- Sony reportedly plans to stage a PS5 event in May, but unforeseen last-minute delays aren’t out of the question.
With the excitement of Mark Cerny’s PlayStation 5 deep dive and the Dual Shock reveal slowly fading, attention is now turned to when we’ll hear more about Sony’s next-gen plans.
According to the latest rumors, we may not have to wait long with May standing as the best bet.
May PlayStation 5 Showcase?
Niko Partners analyst Daniel Ahmad took to Twitter late yesterday to reveal that many of the announcements planned for the now-canceled E3 week in early June may come later or even earlier. The pandemic appears to have affected pre-coronavirus marketing plans, including those for the PlayStation 5.
With E3 canceled, a lot of the planned reveals/announcements have been moved out of that single week. Some are now much earlier, others much later. Some still during E3 week ofc. The first proper next-gen console/games showcase is much earlier too.
The last sentence is particularly relevant to the PlayStation 5: Sony has yet to treat us with a ‘proper next-gen console showcase.’ The suggestion is that we’ll hear more before E3. Ahmad did qualify his statement with an accompanying tweet that recommends caution: the global situation could lead to a last-minute change of plans.
In the wake of Ahmad’s Tweet, outlet VGC published a piece stating that, according to a source with knowledge of internal PlayStation 5 plans, Sony was gearing up for a ‘significant’ PS5 reveal in May . While ‘significant’ remains vague, we may be looking at the console design, pricing, or even possibly a sneak peek at launch games.
Investor Relations
Late last week, Sony laid out plans for its investor relations schedule for the fiscal year ending Mar 31, 2021 .
The gaming giant will host an earnings call on May 13 and a corporate strategy meeting on May 19. It’s reasonable to assume that Sony will want to showcase the PlayStation 5 as the driving force for the year ahead. A ‘proper next-gen reveal’ before these live webcasts would give investors something tangible to sink their teeth into.
While these rumors indeed come from more reliable sources that your average Reddit or 4chan rumor, we’ve heard nothing official from Sony yet.
