PS5 launch date uncertain as Sony pulls out from PAX East and GDC 2020

There were previous talks that the PS5 reveal might happen this February. But with less than ten days to go before the month ends, it looks like a March reveal might be the more realistic scenario.

Fans hoping for a February reveal

The idea that the PS5 console might be revealed in February actually came from Sony itself. The company announced that the newer console will follow the release schedule of its predecessor, the PS4, according to Tech Radar.

“It's very difficult to really discuss this timing-wise,” Sony's senior executive vice president, Hiroki Totoki, said in a recent earnings call. “But as of today, we will provide the guidance at a time period which is comparable to the past. So we will not change the time schedule.”

PS4 was revealed on February 20, 2013, at a PlayStation Meeting before its release in November that year. For this reason, many expect the PlayStation 5 might be unveiled in the same month this year.

Sony pulls out from PAX East, GDC 2020

Unfortunately, Sony won’t be launching the PlayStation 5 in two upcoming major tech events. The company announced that it will be pulling out from the PAX East (Feb. 27 to Mar. 1) and the Game Developers Conference (March 16-20).

“We have made the difficult decision to cancel our participation in Game Developers Conference due to increasing concerns related to COVID-19 (also known as coronavirus),” Sony wrote in a state explaining its absence from the GDC, Tom’s Guide reported. The same explanation was also given for its cancellation in the PAX East.

Sony wasn’t able to show off its latest wares at the Mobile World Congress because the event was canceled this year due to concerns about the coronavirus from China. With the company pulling out from major tech events, it remains to be seen when the PS5 launch will finally happen.

6M PS5 consoles by March 2021

Regardless of when it will finally be launched, Sony has rather gargantuan expectations from its upcoming consoles. According to a Japanese firm, the PS5 console will be selling like hotcakes once it is released and Sony will have sold around 6 million of the consoles by March 2021, Tom’s Guide reported.

The estimate came from Hideki Yasuda from Japan-based analytical firm Ace Research Institute. What’s even more interesting is that by March 2022, Yasuda believes that Sony will have sold another 15 million PlayStation consoles.