If you are hoping to see an endless parade of “World Premiere!” announcements at this year’s Summer Game Fest, maybe don’t. The show’s host, Geoff Keighley, is getting out ahead of this year’s iteration of the annual June showcase to set expectations for fans about what exactly will be at the show. As the widely accepted replacement for the now-dead E3 (R.I.P.), fans expect big announcements during SGF. And while there will be lots of announcements about games, the games in question will predominantly be updates on titles we already know about—not new announcements.
Talking during a Q&A on the official Game Awards Twitch channel (he organizes and hosts the end-of-year celebration in addition to SGF), Keighley gave a sneak peek at what the summer showcase will entail and, perhaps more interesting, what it won’t. “There will be, definitely, new announcements,” Keighley assured, “but the show is largely focused on, I think, existing games that have new updates for fans.” Existing games can mean titles that are already out but are releasing new updates or expansions, as well as games that have been announced but aren’t out yet. So that means we could get anything from a last look at Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC to an update on Atlus’ Metaphor: ReFantazio (if I get what I want).
Keighley took managing expectations one step further, revealing specific games that will definitely not be at SGF. That list includes Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater (the remake of MGS 3), Kingdom Hearts 4, The Wolf Among Us 2, and Ken Levine’s Judas. “There definitely are things that are being announced,” Keighley assures fans, “but this is not a show that has a lot of like ‘coming in 2026' or ‘2027', or teasers for games that are years and years out.” In some ways this is refreshing, as it means the titles we do see during SGF will be things that will likely be in our hands in the next two years or so. The list of games Keighley confirmed we will see included Monster Hunter Wilds and Metaphor: ReFantazio (I will get what I want!)
During the Q&A, Keighley compared SGF to The Game Awards to give viewers an idea of how the two shows play off each other: The Game Awards are usually full of big surprises and reveals, while Summer Game Fest leans towards updates. That cycle of reveal and update helps make both shows relevant. It’s a nice balance and makes sense considering every company under the sun is trying to hold their own showcase in the summer so they can reveal projects on their own, but when it comes to the end of the year Keighley, is the man to go to with announcements.
This year’s Summer Game Fest will kick off with a showcase on Friday, June 7 at 5 p.m. ET. It will be live-streamed on YouTube and Twitch other platforms.
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