The cancellation of E3 was a big blow to gamers that looked up to it, but Summer Game Fest is just around the corner and promises to fill the void. Geoff Keighley, a producer and presenter will have more screen time at the annual Summer Game Fest which will feature new game reveals and announcements—based on experience from previous years.
Describing the upcoming event, Keighley said there are “pretty big” things to be excited about. Without spilling details, Keighley mentioned that the upcoming Summer Game Fest already has 3 or 4 announcements. The Summer Game Fest 2023 will feature 2 hours of updates, wall-to-wall video game news, and world premieres, which will be streamed live across the globe.
For the first time since 2019, the show will happen in front of an in-studio audience at the YouTube Theater in Inglewood, California on June 8, starting at 3 p.m. ET. Inasmuch as Keighley promises a memorable event, he just doesn’t know what the big moment would be for this year’s event.
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Although the Summer Game Fest serves hours of news, trailers, and premieres of lots of video games annually, the high point often boils down to one or two games. The Summer Game Fest 2020 remains one of the most memorable with over 40 games. However, Elden Ring’s spectacular gameplay which revealed the release date of the game was by far the most spectacular of the show.
Last year’s edition is also remembered for the reveal of The Last of Us remake, a multiplayer game set in The Last of Us universe as well as the movie adaptation of the game by HBO.
Keighley is always cautious about Summer Game Fest estimates
Even Keighley hardly predicts how big the Summer Game Fest would be, perhaps to avoid over-promising and under-delivering. This anticipation has also helped to drive the show’s popularity over the years.
“As I always say with these shows, one or two games kind of make the entire difference,” Keighley said. “As the producer, it’s challenging because sometimes you have those games, sometimes you don’t, sometimes you think you have them and they drop out or change.”
Another interesting feature of the June 8 show is that developers will be put on the stage to comment on some of the games that will feature in the show. A live audience numbering about 3,000 are expected in the theater and adds to the energy of the show. Keighley differentiated the Summer Game Fest from The Game Awards.
Whereas The Game Awards is very much straight trailer and announcement, I think Summer Game Fest has a chance to talk to the developers and showcase games and give a little bit more context around games,” Keighley said. “We’re not giving out awards in the show. It really is just kind of a showcase of games.”
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Since E3 has been canceled twice, many are already speculating that Summer Game Fest will replace E3. Keighley did not hide his surprise at the cancellation of the E3 but said it did not affect his show. Also, he mentioned that the Summer Game Fest will not replace E3 because they have their differences.
“The consumer experience is really coming to the live show,” said Keighley. “There will be some games and demos and things released online for fans to sort of play at home and experience. But the consumer experience is limited to the live show. We are not doing a convention show where you walk around and play games.”
Summer Game Fest 2023 will be backed by over 40 partners
The list of partners for the Summer Game Fest 2023 has continued to grow with more than 40 partners now confirmed to take part in the activities. Keighley made the announcement on his official Twitter handle and asked the public to get their ticket from Ticketmaster.
While the Summer Game Fest 2023 is backed by over 40 partners, notable names on the list are Xbox and PlayStation. This is important because these companies also have their own showcases. For example, PlayStation’s showcase will come up on 24 May 2023 while that of Xbox will happen on June 11.
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The failure of E3 to hold in 2023 was partly blamed on big companies like PlayStation and Xbox pulling out in favor of their proprietary showcases. The fact that Summer Game Fest 2023 is coming close to PlayStation’s and Xbox’s showcases and they still decided to participate shows how highly they regard the show.
Check out our list of all the upcoming gaming events around the globe in 2023. It should help you to plan your travel for the year.
Are you excited about the upcoming Summer Game Fest? Will you like to be part of the in-house audience? Share your thoughts in the comment box below.
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