Sony's latest State of Play livestream drew far smaller audiences than June's record-breaking edition, with viewer numbers dropping sharply despite YouTube recently changing its algorithm in a way that should have inflated view counts. The disappointing turnout, combined with largely negative viewer feedback, suggests the goodwill Sony had built up after June's well-received show has been undermined by this less consistent follow-up.

The June State of Play attracted over 5.1 million views and peaked at three million concurrent viewers, making it the second most-watched PlayStation livestream ever. By contrast, the latest edition had managed just 2.9 million views 24 hours after airing and peaked at only 982,000 concurrent viewers, according to analytics firm Streams Charts. Factors cited include the unusually early US broadcast time (6am PT, to suit Japanese audiences) and a shorter promotional lead-in, though 59% of Push Square readers still rated the show "Poor" or worse.