Update:

After Sony confirmed they wouldn't be at E3 2020, IGN reached out to the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) which runs E3 every year for a statement regarding Sony's absence again at its key consumer trade show. While the ESA did not mention Sony by name in its statement, the organization says there will be new experiences, partners, and programming at this year's event.

"E3 is a signature event celebrating the video game industry and showcasing the people, brands and innovations redefining entertainment loved by billions of people around the world. E3 2020 will be an exciting, high-energy show featuring new experiences, partners, exhibitor spaces, activations, and programming that will entertain new and veteran attendees alike. Exhibitor interest in our new activations is gaining the attention of brands that view E3 as a key opportunity to connect with video game fans worldwide.”

Here's the statement in full below:Original story follows:

“After thorough evaluation SIE has decided not to participate in E3 2020. We have great respect for the ESA as an organization, but we do not feel the vision of E3 2020 is the right venue for what we are focused on this year. We will build upon our global events strategy in 2020 by participating in hundreds of consumer events across the globe. Our focus is on making sure fans feel part of the PlayStation family and have access to play their favorite content. We have a fantastic line up of titles coming to PlayStation 4, and with the upcoming launch of PlayStation 5, we are truly looking forward to a year of celebration with our fans.”

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Sony has announced that it will once again be skipping E3. This is the second year in a row the company has opted out of appearing at one of the biggest video game events of the year. It’s also particularly surprising given how Sony announced a holiday 2020 launch for the PlayStation 5 E3 2020 will be held at the Los Angeles Convention Center from June 9 to June 11, but Sony will not be present at the show for the second year in a row. In a statement to IGN, Sony said: Sony first skipped E3 in 2019 . At the time, Sony issued a statement saying, “As the industry evolves, Sony Interactive Entertainment continues to look for inventive opportunities to engage the community.”In the past year, Sony has opted for a more direct approach to engaging with fans like the State of Play live streams . Similar to the Nintendo Direct, the State of Play is a live stream video that is published throughout the year with news and announcements for upcoming PlayStation games.Sony will be attending other game shows this year, including the Taipei Game Show where the company is holding some kind of PlayStation fan experience. Sony used to hold a PlayStation fan convention called the PlayStation Experience but hasn't hosted a convention in North America since 2017.E3 is one of the largest video game trade shows of the year. Hosted by the ESA, E3 has recently allowed members of the public to attend the convention. Other companies like Activision and EA have also skipped E3 , and Microsoft technically hosts an off-site presence at E3.(via GamesIndustry.biz

Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN. You can reach him on Twitter