Sony is a titan of industry with an incredible E3 record, spanning 23 years of the biggest game reveals and momentous onstage moments.
- Horizon Forbidden West: State of Play Gameplay Reveal
The Japanese publisher is an E3 veteran, attending the very first Electronic Entertainment Expo in 1995 and flooring gaming enthusiasts with its reveals.
Sony may be out of the E3 game for now, delivering its own State of Play events with more to come, but it’s that time of year to reflect on groundbreaking E3 moments, and Sony has plenty.
Old Gods and New (E3 2016)
Credit: IGN
Sony’s 2016 conference was a knockout showcase, returning old favorites to the limelight as well as introducing exciting new IPs.
The God of War remaster kicked off proceedings with a dramatic reveal, and the audience's response matched its grandeur. Shawn Layden continued to serve veteran PlayStation players with the announcement of Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, which pulled on everyone’s nostalgia strings.
The red carpet was then rolled out for a trio of new exclusives: Death Stranding, Marvel’s Spider-Man, and Detroit: Become Human, all of which contributed to the impressive showcase.
The legend himself, Hideo Kojima, also made a shocking return to the scene, announcing “I’m back” to the audience before a majority of attendees passed out with excitement.
A Feast for the Eyes (E3 2015)
Credit: PCGames
Some consider E3 2015 to be Sony’s finest showcase, where fans almost lost count of the amount of projects in the pipeline.
This was the year that the mega trio, made up of Horizon Zero Dawn, Dreams, and Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, was announced, and Shenmue III was also shoe-horned into the line up for good measure.
The highlight of this conference was, of course, the announcement of Final Fantasy 7 Remake. The short teaser was enough to leave every audience member in awe of what was to come, and we all know that it lived up to the hype.
In Your Face Microsoft - The PS4 Reveal (E3 2013)
Credit: Escapist Magazine
It’s no secret that Microsoft’s Xbox One reveal was a little rocky, even though Sony is no stranger to cringey reveals - we’re looking at you PS3.
Sony debuted the PS4 with confidence at E3 2013, and even had the gumption to take a few hits at Microsoft's shortcomings. The showcase crowned Sony as the winner of the console war that year, which continued into a successful PS4 launch.
Union of Successors - PS2 and Metal Gear Solid 2 Reveal (E3 2000)
Credit: Metal Gear Informer
At E3 1999, Sony unveiled its plans for a groundbreaking console in the form of the PlayStation 2, and E3 2000 continued to demonstrate its technical feat.
A flurry of software demos were well received during the showcase, but the pairing of the new console with the exclusive title, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, became one of the highlights of E3 that year.
THAT PlayStation Price Reveal (E3 1995)
Credit: SoldierMWS / YouTube
The unforgettable moment when Sony announced the PlayStation console’s price tag will forever be one of the highlights of E3's history.
After SEGA’s £399 price reveal for the Saturn, the media was expecting an immediate answer from Sony, and fans were also keen to see how the company would respond.
As the press eagerly awaited Sony's showcase, Steve Race calmly took the stage, quoted "£299", and left.
E3 is now a visually spectacular event, but in 1995, Race's jaw-dropping statement was enough to rival the spectacle of future shows.
Honorable Mention
Credit: CNN
Sony's greatest hits cannot end without mentioning the publisher's final showcase at E3 2018, before it opted to continue its reveals within the State of Play events.
An extended gameplay demo of The Last Of Us: Part II was debuted at the event, and we now know the overwhelming success that the sequel turned out to be.
The announcement of Ghost of Tsushima was another highlight for Sony in its last year, and the game's stunning graphics and poignant story went on to be one of the best games of 2020.