- Gamers respond to the news that Sony will be delaying its PS5 reveal event.
- Sony says it wants to “stand back and allow more important voices to be heard,” in the wake of global protests against racial injustice and police brutality.
- Earlier in the day, the official PlayStation account posted a tweet in support of #BlackLivesMatter.
On Twitter, Sony confirmed its decision to delay the PS5 reveal event, which would have taken place on June 4. Sony says it doesn’t feel that now is the right time to celebrate PS5 games and that it wants to “stand back and allow more important voices to be heard.”
PS5 Event Delayed as People Protest Against Racial Injustice
The delay of the event comes after days of global protests against racial injustice and police brutality. While the protests seemed to have been prompted by the death of George Floyd, centuries of mistreatment of Black people have also led to this so-called “fed-uprising.” It’s unclear when the PS5 event will be rescheduled.
Most fans seem to support the decision but as expected, there are some outliers. YouTube streamer Valkyrae posted a heart emoji in support of Sony’s decision and sometimes controversial Twitch streamer Pokimane posted “respect” in response to the tweet. Geoff Keighley, who created the Summer Game Fest which the PS5 reveal event would have been part of, also said that “Sony made the right call here.”
Some PS5 Fans Reveal Disappointment
Many others have said some version of “disappointed but I understand.” Kahlief Adams, the host of Spawn On Me, a podcast about gaming as a person of color, said that while he gets Sony’s sentiment, he was “hoping this would at least give us a good distraction from the world.”
Another fan called it a “bummer” and that the “world could use something to get excited about right now.” However, they also said that Sony “made the right call.”
Looking at the responses to the tweet and there have been a few who seem to be putting PS5 game announcements far above Black lives. When one gamer said that not everyone lives in the United States and so aren’t affected by racism, several were quick to jump in and remind them that racism is a global problem. That’s also what Sony seems to have been thinking by delaying the PS5 reveal event.
This article was edited by Samburaj Das.
