PlayStation has postponed its PS5 reveal event due to US protests
Platform holder wants to “stand back and allow more important voices to be heard”
Sony Interactive Entertainment has postponed its PlayStation 5 reveal event planned for Thursday, June 4, in light of a wave of anti-racism protests across the United States.
In a statement published on Monday, the platform holder said it wanted to “stand back and allow more important voices to be heard.”
It said: “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.”
Protests have been held in cities across the US this weekend, sparked by the death of African American George Floyd while in police custody, with many leading to riots.
On Sunday Sony had tweeted a strongly-worded message of support for the protests, stating that it believed that being silent about the violence and racism Black people experience was “being complicit.”
— PlayStation (@PlayStation) June 1, 2020
Sony-owned game studio Naughty Dog added in its own message that “now is not the time for any of us to be silent. For too long have too many suffered under a systemic problem in America.” It added: “Now is the time for all to do our part and end anti-Black racism and violence.”
Naughty Dog said that many of its employees were donating to national and local Black American causes. According to The Last of Us Part 2 designer Neil Druckmann, Sony had matched his donations.
Another games publisher, Electronic Arts, delayed a planned NFL 21 reveal on Monday, citing its support for the Black Lives Matter movement.
PlayStation’s June 4 event was due to last for more than one hour and offer the first look at PS5 games, boss Jim Ryan said on the platform’s Blog last week.
“There are few things as exciting as the launch of a new console,” Ryan said at the time. “While this road to launch has been a bit… different, we are as thrilled as ever to bring you with us on this journey to redefine the future of videogames.”
Sony had been advertising the PS5 event on US television, suggesting that it planned to showcase a significant reveal of its next-gen console plans.
