Many gamers were let down by the lack of PlayStation news at E3 2021, though most believe that Sony will be holding an event of its own to make up for it. A new trademark filed by the company seems to support this theory, as it suggests that a new PlayStation Experience event is going to be held in the near future.
A big reason why PlayStation fans grew so attached to Shawn Layden, PlayStation Experience was essentially the brand’s second E3 from 2014 to 2017. With highlights like the reveal of The Last of Us 2 during the 2016 keynote, as well as gameplay demonstrations for Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End and Bloodborne a few years prior, many have fond memories of the event. Now, fans have a reason to believe that it could be returning, with Sony filing a brand-new trademark for the PlayStation Experience name.
This patent was discovered by Gaming Route, and it suggests that a new PlayStation Experience is on the horizon. While Sony re-filing the trademark does not guarantee an event, as it could just be saving the title for later use, it does line up with rumors of an upcoming show. With gamers having hopes for a summer State of Play that is on the same level as something like the PS5 showcase, Sony using a special name for this big event would make sense. Given how popular PlayStation Experience used to be, bringing back the name could serve as a great way to build up hype.
The last PlayStation Experience was in 2017, as the 2018 PSX was canceled by Sony. With the reason given being a lack of meaningful news for any of its first party games, skipping over the event may have been wise. The company was also deep into development of the PS5, making even more sense of the decision to stay tight-lipped. Since Sony stopped doing PSX, it has relied heavily on State of Play livestreams. While these are still exciting, many fans do miss the larger, yearly events, making this trademark exciting.
If PlayStation Experience does return, it will be interesting to see if it takes the form of the older shows or the 2017 version. In 2017, Sony switched to a more relaxed and slowed down approach, offering sit down interviews with developers as opposed to a keynote packed with trailers. While the panels for The Last of Us 2 and God of War 2018 were interesting, many preferred the nonstop announcements of the previous shows. As such, bringing back a proper E3-like presentation would likely be the best way to go about pleasing PlayStation fans.
With 25 first party PlayStation games in development, Sony would certainly not have an issue when it comes to filling out a showcase. Still, while the patent is promising, fans should not expect a PlayStation Experience event this year unless Sony confirms it will happen.
Source: Gaming Route