Sony delays PS5 event in light of nationwide protests

PlayStation announced the news on Twitter.

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Shelby Brown (she/her/hers) is an editor for CNET's services team. She covers tips and tricks for apps, operating systems and devices, as well as mobile gaming and Apple Arcade news. Shelby also oversees Tech Tips coverage. Before joining CNET, she covered app news for Download.com and served as a freelancer for Louisville.com.

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Shelby Brown

June 1, 2020 12:22 p.m. PT

PlayStation tweeted that it would be delaying its PlayStation 5 event originally scheduled for June 4. Sony's conference was originally planned to be streamed online as the world was slowly attempting to reopen amid the coronavirus pandemic that's infected over 6 million people and killed more than 370,000 patients worldwide in the past six months.

"While we understand gamers worldwide are excited to see PS5 games, we do not feel that right now is a time for celebration and for now, we want to stand back and allow more important voices to be heard," the tweet said.

The announcement comes after a weekend of nationwide protests over racial injustice. Most recently, tech giants like Apple, Facebook and Verizon have pledged millions to groups battling racial injustice after last week's killing of George Floyd, an unarmed black man in police custody, sparked unrest across the US.

CNET reached out to Sony and we'll update when we hear back.