Bottom line: It looks like we are going to have to wait to see what the PlayStation 5 can do. Sony was set to showcase some next-gen games in a few days, but with all the chaos in the streets, it has pulled the plug indefinitely on a PS5 gameplay reveal.
Last week, Sony insiders leaked that the company was planning a big PlayStation 5 gameplay reveal set for this Wednesday. A couple of days later, the company confirmed the showing but said it would be happening on Thursday at 1pm Pacific. Today in a tweet, Sony rescinded its scheduled live stream of PS5 gameplay.
Although it did not explicitly say the postponement was in light of the ongoing riots and protests, it seems clear that this is the cause.
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— PlayStation (@PlayStation) June 1, 2020
“While we understand gamers worldwide are excited to see PS5 games, we do not feel that right now is a time for celebration and for now, we want to stand back and allow more important voices to be heard,” the announcement read, implying that Sony did not want to distract from the protests going on over the George Floyd killing.
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— PlayStation (@PlayStation) June 1, 2020
This assumption is reinforced by an earlier PlayStation tweet supporting Black Lives Matter and denouncing systemic racism.
While I can understand the move to postpone the event, I find it unfortunate that Sony does not share something positive that encourages people to look forward. In a time when the year has been nothing but bad news, there is nothing wrong with a little entertaining distraction. Like the coronavirus before them, the protesters/rioters are not having any problems making themselves heard right now.
Sony did not have a new date or even a timeframe for hosting the presentation. It appears from its statement that we will just have to wait for the (bad) news cycle to die down.
Image credit: charnsitr
