I think this is more interesting that this might have revealed how little benefit conventions are for the company. If they flinched at 1/XXXX risk (seriously your risk of getting the normal flu is probably way higher in this setting and potentially more dangerous to your employees) then they must not have foreseen any benefits to attending outside of an immeasurable "good will".
I wouldn't worry, there are at least 98 other events left.
Everything you do is some marginal risk increase though. It's probably more dangerous for Sony employees to get in their car and drive to work everyday than it is to go to GDC. The risk of dying in a plane crash on the way to PAX is probably greater or equal to the risk of contracting coronavirus on said plane. I don't think it's a great idea to halt all external operations because of some 1 out of a million possibility, but in the face of a rarely seen kind of crisis I don't expect completely rational behavior from individuals or corporations either.
That isn't how most people assess risk though. It's like the people saying "well they would be more likely to get the flu", well okay, but they aren't worried about that, and the ramifications for that would be completely different than coronavirus both economically and in severity of both illnesses. When you drive to the store, you drive carefully so as to not get into an accident- you know there is a risk that a drunk or distracted driver could crash into you through no fault of your own, or that any number of things could happen, but you don't really concern yourself with those things. People generally look at the risk they have direct control over and that would present the biggest problem were it likely to occur.
That would only matter if the people making those comments had also in the past advocated for employees caring about worker concerns, you would have to look on a case by case basis.
I love you to death Sweeney and you're right nobody is owed a post, but the conspiracy stuff really does suck :/
I think the narrative would be different if Sony hadn't already cancelled 2 E3 appearances and killed Playstation Experience altogether. Their new management already doesn't view these events as particularly valuable or noteworthy in the first place, so that's why people see the coronavirus as a pretext or convenient excuse to weasel out of them. If all goes fine in 2020 without their presence at PAX, GDC, and similar events, what's really going to stop them from pulling out in 2021 as well? What is next on the chopping block? San Diego Comic Con? PAX West? Gamescom?
This is empirically correct, but is there more risk of getting coronavirus? Just getting sick isn't going to get a bunch of media attention or get people in your company quarantined or likely cost you a ton of money, I do think there is an appreciable difference there.
Well alright, let's say it is, is that an awful thing? If the employees are worried and saying they don't feel comfortable going, should they be made to go? I think most of us wish if we felt that way that our work would be understanding and listen to us, right?
I don't think it would be different because some love to pretend sony is giving up. This is a completely valid reason not to attend and some are using it as a reason to attack them. I don't get it.
"Dancing in the rain" versus "attending a convention for my employer" isn't really an apples-to-apples comparison either.
I think the more reasonable course of action would be to make the events optional for employees that don't want to attend. Nobody should be forced to go, but it's not as if they need an army to run two dozen demo stations on the show floor. If they can't get enough volunteers to staff the booth, then cancel.
There will always be haters and people that wish ill on the company, but this more pervasive attitude that they are done with trade shows is definitely fueled by their non-appearances at E3 and the death of PSX.
At the time "Well, Sony doesn't have anything much to show" was the given excuse for the end of PSX and the underwhelming E3 2018 showing. I'm not sure how much that really flies anymore, given that they could have saved up announcements for a theoretical PSX 2019 that featured TLOU2, Ghosts of Tsushima, and Dreams.....but they chose not to do so. Instead they did a huge TLOU2 media blowout less than 8 weeks before a PSX would have happened. It seems pretty clear that they would rather reveal things throughout the year on their own timetable rather than having to save big news for a particular date that is set in stone.
I agree, with most if their old guard gone too I have to imagine psx is not even close to happening in their future at this point.
Well good. Then let them. All State of Plays from now on and one PSX per year. "Problem" solved.
The PAX booth space was perhaps bought and paid for prior the SCEI management re-shuffle. An exhibitor with a booth as large as Sony probably has to put down deposits and make commitments pretty far in advance.
I don't think there's any conspiracy. It doesn't have anything to do with the current state of software or the PS5 hardware. I just think that they are less and less interested in the monetary cost and opportunity cost of attending most large-scale conventions. They believe they are established enough to have their own spotlight when they chose to, rather than working around a convention's predetermined timetable and running the risk of a big announcement being lost in the shuffle.
Weren't they at Gamescom last year? And they were going to be at Taiwan Game Show earlier this year.
Is it? They're backing out of events that have nothing to do with the PS5.
Do you have any proof beyond how you feel to back up your statement? It's a pretty lofty claim to say a company is using a worldwide health emergency as a reason to cancel. Do you think you're maybe being a bit irresponsible by furthering conspiratorial thinking? I don't mean that in a mean way or anything, just want your take on if you think I'm off base.
