The exhibitor list and hall plans recently posted on the gamescom 2016 website potentially confirms that Sony plans to once again skip the European games conference.

When compared to other big annual industry events such as E3, the Germany based gamescom conference is relatively young, having started back in 2009. Since that time, the event has grown exponentially, becoming the biggest European gaming convention and attracting a large amount of companies looking to detail and let people play upcoming games. Even though the show is set to kick off in a little over a month, it appears that Sony is once again going to miss the show.

Just recently, the exhibitor list and hall plans were posted on the official gamescom website and curiously enough, Sony was not one of the major companies listed. Currently, major companies on the list include studios such as Blizzard Entertainment, Microsoft, Nintendo, Ubisoft, and Take Two to name a few.

At this time, Sony has yet to officially comment on the show and whether or not the company even has any plans for gamescom. However, not appearing on the main exhibitor list does raise a few eye brows.

playstation 4 console controller display

While the news may be a little surprising for fans considering that the company has a lot of things coming down the road including its own Virtual Reality headset and two new PlayStation 4 consoles, this move mirrors its behavior last year. In 2015, Sony opted to skip gamescom in favor of attending an international media briefing during the smaller Paris Games Week conference. Considering that Paris Games Week typically kicks off during the height of the holiday game season late in October, Sony could once again choose to showcase its offerings during this more important period.

Even though gamescom remains up in the air for Sony, many have begun to speculate that the company is planning to finally pull the curtain back on the PlayStation 4 Slim and the high end model known as NEO during the Tokyo Game Show.  Sony has yet to provide an official comment on the speculation, so barring any more leaks or rumors, fans would have to wait until September 15, when the show begins, to potentially hear any more news regarding the new hardware.

On the other hand, Microsoft went in the opposite direction and revealed its new Xbox One hardware during E3, which came as a surprise to many people after rumors indicated that Project Scorpio wouldn't be at the show. As it turns out, Microsoft unveiled the upgraded and considerably smaller Xbox One S, and ended its press conference by showing a teaser trailer for the significantly upgraded console known currently as Project Scorpio.

Are you surprised Sony is passing on gamescom once again this year? When do you think the company will announce its two new consoles? Let us know in the comments below.

gamescom 2016 kicks off in Cologne, Germany starting on August 17 to 21.

Source: gamescom (via WCCF Tech)