Final stage

Just two months ago, our E3 report sought to discover what Sony’s absence from the biggest videogame show on the planet told us about the balance of power in the industry as we looked towards the next generation of consoles. Two months later, we realise our error. These days conventions are not defined by the absence, or presence, of major platform holders or publishers. No, it is simply a matter of whether or not they have Geoff Keighley.

This year, for the first time, Gamescom had him – and gave him headline billing with the inaugural Gamescom: Opening Night Live broadcast – and it, but you felt that was driven more by Keighley than the platform holder. There was a booth, sure, but little in the way of news. Kojima aside, the biggest announcement – if you could call it that – was also on Keighley’s stage. The likeable young developer Jack Attridge revealed that his studio Flavourworks’ debut release, the liveaction game , was immediately launching on the PlayStation Store. was announced at Paris Games Week in 2017 and has received almost zero promotional support since. Was Sony back? Yes. Are we still worried? You bet.