Sony delays PlayStation 5 event to “allow more important voices to be heard”

"We do not feel that right now is a time for celebration"

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It’s a difficult week to find enthusiasm about videogames, amid massive protests over police brutality and racial inequality in response to the death of George Floyd. After EA delayed today’s scheduled Madden 21 reveal event, Sony has announced that its PlayStation 5 reveal will be delayed in order to “allow more important voices to be heard”.

“We have decided to postpone the PlayStation 5 event scheduled for June 4”, Sony’s PlayStation division says in a Twitter message. “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 PlayStation 5 reveal event was originally scheduled for June 4 at 13:00 PDT / 16:00 EDT / 21:00 BST, and Sony has not yet decided on a new time for the event. Advertisements for the event had been running on US television networks like ESPN, so Sony had certainly invested in the event’s success. Still, this certainly seems to be the right call from the console-maker.

A number of other summer game announcements are still currently scheduled for this week and the weekend, including the IGN Expo, the Guerrilla Collective, Paradox Insider, the PC Gaming Show, and the Future Gaming Show.

Earlier today, PlayStation posted a more direct message of support. “We denounce systemic racism and violence against the Black community. We will continue to work towards a future marked by empathy and inclusion and stand with our Black creators, players, employees, Families, and friends. #BlackLivesMatter”