Sony to skip CES 2027, ending run since 1967
Sony will skip CES 2027, breaking an appearance streak at the Las Vegas technology show that started in 1967.
It will be the company's first absence in almost 60 years. The decision applies across the Sony group, including affiliates, so there will be no Sony-linked presence at the show.
A Sony spokesperson confirmed the decision in a statement to Bloomberg, as reported by Video Games Chronicle. The company said it "continuously and strategically" evaluates how it handles events and communications in line with business needs and priorities. Its focus, it said, is shifting toward entertainment, intellectual property and "technology geared to support creators".
Intellectual property, or IP, is industry shorthand for the characters, stories and franchises a company owns and can reuse across games, films, television and merchandise. That description fits Sony, whose businesses span games led by PlayStation, films, music, cameras and televisions.
Sony was there at the very start. It exhibited products at the first CES in 1967 and grew into one of the show's largest regular exhibitors. CES, held each January in Las Vegas, is a sprawling showcase where makers of televisions, laptops, audio gear, cars and gadgets show new products and prototypes.
Games fans will know it as more than a TV show. Sony has used past editions of CES for PlayStation news, including confirming the name of the PlayStation 5 and announcing PlayStation Now, a subscription service that let players stream games over the internet rather than download them or buy them on disc.
The pullback has been building. Sony did not operate its own booth at CES earlier this year. Its most visible presence came through Sony Honda Mobility, a shared business set up with Honda to develop electric vehicles, which showcased the Afeela electric car. Sony and Honda said earlier this year that they planned to reassess that joint venture.
The group-wide scope of the withdrawal, covering affiliates as well as Sony itself, was reported by BizChosun. In practice, that rules out a separate PlayStation or electronics booth appearing under a different Sony name.
What makes this stand out is sheer continuity. Few companies can say they have shown up to the same technology show for six decades. For regular viewers, the practical point is simple. Expect no Sony press conference from Las Vegas in January.
