Summer Game Fest will return for 2024

Summer Game Fest will make a return in June 2024, creator Geoff Keighley has confirmed.

The showcase, which began in 2020 as a response to the declining relevance of the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) as the premier global conference for the video game industry, has since run every year, and acted as both a digital and live event for a number of different developers and publishers to spotlight their upcoming titles.

Keighley also shared the news that Summer Game Fest 2023 was ‘record-setting’, although exactly what kind of records was not detailed at all.

The US-based Entertainment Software Association (ESA) attempted to revive E3 in 2023, with the help of PAX organisers Reedpop, as a consumer focussed show. Global lockdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic had put the show on hiatus for a number of years prior. The 2023 plans were eventually cancelled.

Prior to the pandemic, major publishers like EA, PlayStation, and others had already begun pulling out of E3, presumably due to the high costs of exhibiting at the physical event itself, as well as the realisation that they could hold their own events, run them on their own terms, and reach wider audiences digitally. Many did so, and held them around the same time and locations as E3 to take advantage of the global press and consumers present for the show.

Summer Game Fest has since replaced E3 as a major waypoint for the industry – located in Los Angeles, and taking place during June. Publishers and developers continue orbit around it, even if they are not directly involved in the Summer Game Fest Showcase itself.

While companies like Nintendo still choose to act on their own terms, it’s clear that the concentrated marketing blitz is still valuable for many companies and organisations, and will continue to be for another year.

Here’s a rundown of just some of the events that happened in the wake of Summer Game Fest 2023:

• Summer Game Fest 2023 – All the game trailers and announcements
• Xbox Game Showcase and Starfield Direct – All the trailers, announcements, and details
• PlayStation Showcase May 2023: All the new games announced
• Ubisoft Forward 2023 – All the announcements and trailers
• Capcom Showcase 2023 – All the announcements
• Devolver Digital Direct rewrites history, announces 4 cool games
• Wholesome Direct 2023: Every major game announcement
• Future of Play Direct 2023: Every major game announcement