Summer Game Fest Reveals Big Announcements and Gameplay

Although E3 is no longer around to hype up people for a summer celebration of video games, that doesn’t mean gamers will miss out on big reveals and new announcements. The Summer Game Fest presentation, hosted by Geoff Keighly, is picking up the slack that the Electronic Entertainment Expo is unable to carry this year. While the live presentation took place in downtown Los Angeles, the same place that E3 normally happens, gamers around the world were able to tune into the show online. What they were greeted with was a showcase of upcoming games for later in the year and a glimpse at the future from highly anticipated game releases.

The Summer Game Fest presentation had a large collection of games from a variety of studios, AAA publishers and indie game studios alike. The show opened up with the surprise reveal of Prince of Persia: The Lost Kingdom from Ubisoft. Many were wondering what would happen with the Prince of Persia series, after Ubisoft seemingly cancelled a remake of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. But that doesn’t mean we’ll be seeing the last of the series, with this new game taking a more traditional 2D approach to its gameplay that harkens back to the origins of the Prince of Persia series.

One major highlight of the show was the world premiere of gameplay for Mortal Kombat 1. Geoff Keighly and Ed Boon took some time to talk about the game, detailing the new additions to the fighting system and the setting of the game’s story. The gameplay trailer showcased new characters that are playable, as well as gave everyone a first look at the Kameo fighters in action. For Mortal Kombat fans, this was an interesting presentation, and they won’t have to wait long to get their hands on it. Mortal Kombat 1 is set to release in September 2023.

Fans of PlayStation already had a ton of announcements in the weeks prior, but that didn’t mean they left without seeing a release date for Insomniac Games’ upcoming Spider-Man 2. The game is set to come out exclusively for PlayStation 5 on October 20^th, 2023. The show also gave a brief look at the upcoming Twisted Metal series being developed for the streaming service Peacock. Actor Will Arnett gives the voice of the murderous Sweet Tooth while actor Anthony Mackie struggles for survival against him in a brief brawl. It was a silly tease of the series, which may or may not pique the interest of fans of the game series.

Many third-party games and indie games also had some time to shine, with new seasonal content being released for games like Call of Duty Warzone and Fortnite very soon. Fans of JRR Tolkien are going to have a new game coming out called Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria. The game is launching in the fall of 2023 and will be a survival game focused on the drawves, which takes you back to the Mines of Moria from The Lord of the Rings universe. Marvel Snap, the collectible card game, has a new mode called Conquest incoming for fans who have been enjoying the game since its release. And horror legend John Carpenter is releasing a new game called Toxic Commando, which has you facing down hordes of zombies.

Other interesting announcements from the Summer Game Fest presentation included some nuggets from SEGA. If you’re a classic Sonic the Hedgehog fan, Sonic Superstars will be right up your alley. The game has 3D renders of classic Sonic and friends, as well as cooperative modes that will have you speeding through various stages and utilizing new powers. On the flip side, Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name continues the Yakuza legacy in Fall 2023. Kazama Kiryu returns to bust heads and look cool in a new story that will have him facing legions of Yakuza other obstacles.

The show closed out with a big reveal of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Not only were viewers treated to story details about what is happening for Cloud and his friends, but also a good look at combat and exploration. Red XIII and Yuffie finally join the group, alongside many of the characters we saw in Final Fantasy VII Remake. The combat is flashy and fierce, with many big attacks being showcased from everyone. The story will take players into the world outside of Midgar, with a lot of the major events in Final Fantasy VII taking form in this reimagining of the classic tale. The game was also revealed to have an early 2024 release window.

There were many other games shown during the Summer Game Fest presentation, which included an abundance of free-to-play and MMO titles getting new content. But for the games that many were interested in seeing, Summer Game Fest delivered very well. Geoff Keighly was able to bring an interesting showcase to gamers in the wake of E3 2023 being cancelled. Whether this will be the new standard for a summer of gaming shows in the future is anyone’s guess, but there was no shortage of gaming interest and hype for this summer season.

What did you think of the Summer Game Fest presentation? Are you excited for any of the games that were shown? Leave us a comment down below and let us know your thoughts on everything!