Although we’ve heard from a selection of developers about their upcoming E3-replacement summer plans, the big three platform holders, Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo, remain more or less tight-lipped.
Microsoft has been the most forthcoming of the three, announcing monthly Xbox 20/20 episodes to showcase the upcoming next-gen Xbox Series X, but even then, we’re left in the dark when it comes to firm dates. As for Sony and Nintendo, only vague rumors suggest the two may be preparing something for the summer months.
Thanks to VentureBeat reporter, Jeff Grubb, who’s been busy teasing this summer’s schedule of gaming events, we’re starting to get a clearer picture of what’s in store. Grubb revealed earlier this month that Sony would host a PlayStation 5 even in early June, specifically on the 4th, but yesterday published an article explaining that Sony was jostling its plans around, although this was a matter of days rather than a long wait for PS5 news.
Grubb explains that Sony will follow this up with yet another event in August. Both events will focus on upcoming first-party and third-party titles for the PS5. Grubb was less optimistic about seeing the final console design, though, but assured fans we’d get the big reveal by August at the latest.
Moving to Microsoft’s summer plans, Grubb confirmed Xbox’s plan to host a first-party game showcase in early July and suggested the platform holder was preparing to host a hardware event in early June, possibly on the 9th or 10th.
As for Nintendo, the picture is less clear. The Japanese giant remains all but silent on what it plans to bring to fans this summer with rumors of a Nintendo Direct at some point. The likelihood of a Direct to replace E3 is reportedly not on the cards, with Nintendo allegedly opting to reveal games on a one by one basis as it did most recently with the surprise reveal of Paper Mario: The Origami King.
Turning to developers and publishers, Grubb reckons both Blizzard and Riot Games are set to host digital-only events during the summer, much like those already announced by Ubisoft and EA.
The current global crisis means many of these plans are subject to last-minute changes and rescheduling, so even though we now have new insights into what everyone is planning, we recommend a degree of caution short of an official announcement from platform holders, developers, and publishers.