There is a good chance that Sony will host a PlayStation Showcase sometime before E3 2023, according to noted video game journalist and insider Jeff Grubb. He claims that Sony will put on this PlayStation showcase in favor of hosting a conference at the Electronic Entertainment Expo this coming June at the LA Convention Center.
This revelation follows another bombshell that Grubb dropped, when he corroborated rumors of a PlayStation State of Play stream taking place in March 2023. However, he also mentioned that the State of Play will be low-key, advising gamers to manage their expectations accordingly.
Grubb made these claims during episode 287 of his Game Mess Decides podcast. Grubb also suggested that there is an outside chance of the State of Play stream being broadcast at some point in February. However, he seems more convinced that the broadcast will take place at some point in early March. This would also align with the launch of the PSVR 2 at the end of February, as the launch of that peripheral will lead directly into the State of Play broadcast, giving Sony the opportunity to show off any upcoming PSVR 2 titles.
As intriguing as the prospect of a VR-focused State of Play stream is, the thought of a PlayStation Showcase being broadcast in place of an E3 conference is interesting. In particular, the fact that it is allegedly coming so soon is fascinating. Most gamers expected Sony to host something like this closer to the end of the year, but possibly doing it around the E3 season suggests that a hint of friendly competition may be involved.
If one is to assume that this is Sony’s replacement for an E3 appearance, then there is huge potential for what could be shown. The company’s biggest 2023 exclusive is undoubtedly Insomniac’s Spider-Man 2. Although it has been confirmed that the game is dropping at some point this year, a specific release date has yet to be revealed. Perhaps this rumored PlayStation Showcase could be the perfect time to make that announcement. Taking a look back a few years to 2018, Insomniac’s first Spider-Man game launched in the September of that year and did extremely well in terms of copies sold. It is possible that Sony is hoping for lightning to strike the same spot twice by releasing Spider-Man 2 in September 2023.
If this does indeed prove to be how things play out, then a June Showcase featuring a deep-dive into the game’s features in anticipation of its upcoming release would make a lot of sense. With all of that being said, it should be noted that Sony has yet to make any official announcement with regard to either the rumored State of Play or the Showcase at the time of writing.
Source: The Game Mess Decides Podcast