While the grayness had taken hold of France for a long time, we had to wait until the day the Summer Game Fest was broadcast to feel like it was summer. With its two hours of show stuffed with trailers, the long-awaited summer conference did its best to shake up the video game world. So, was Geoff Keighley right to temper players’ expectations? Our summary of the event will give you the answer.
Incredible but true, the Summer Game Fest conference of the 2024 edition began with a little word from Geoff Keighley on the numerous layoffs that have been shaking the video game industry for many months. However, according to the organizer of the event, this same industry is changing, evolving… and the disappearance of studios allows the creation of others. And ultimately, everyone can make a place for themselves with talent and a good idea. The message got through Geoff!
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The very first announcement of the event is, in many ways, the strongest of the entire show. Sony has officially unveiled its Lego Horizon Adventures, co-developed by Guerrilla Games and Studio Gobo. Just about everything you could expect from a Lego game is on the roadmap with small bricks to collect in colorful settings, co-op, (scripted) construction and humor. But the huge surprise lies in the last seconds of the trailer: next to the PS5 logo, we find that of the PC and Nintendo Switch! This is a first for a PlayStation game (if we put aside MLB The Show which has a somewhat special status). Two Star Games then came to announce its crazy Cuffbuts, a cooperation-oriented multiplayer game where adorable little critters must escape from prison. Explosives, walls dug with a spoon and escape aboard a helicopter will punctuate the games. However, it is also possible to ruin the efforts of your little comrades. Maybe the future Lethal Company/Content Warning is him!
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Even if its existence had leaked a few hours before the start of the conference, Civilization VII showed itself with a pretty classy CGI trailer. Sid Meier then intervened on video to announce the good news: the game is planned for PC and consoles for 2025. Tears of Metal, a hack’n’slash cooperative roguelike, was revealed for the very first time to the eyes public. Eyes widened by a funny mix of genres. Between each battle, the player is invited to develop his village to access new businesses. You will therefore have to fight but also think to shine in Tears of Metal. The French studio The Game Bakers (Furi, Haven) for its part showed Cairn, a game which, like Jusant, relies heavily on climbing in its mechanics. The prize for the reveal trailer, which ultimately has little to do with what the game really is, goes to Battle Aces from Lightspeed Studio. After a supercharged cutscene made of cartoon-type sequences, the game presented is in fact an RTS where reflection is required.
What would a Summer Game Fest conference be without its announcements as surprising as a little WTF? Note that a Power Rangers game titled Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewin will arrive soon, and that its developers promise “an original storyline that respects and remixes the history of Power Rangers”. The good news is that offline and online cooperation is well planned. There was also Wanderstop, from the creators of The Stanley Parable and Gone Home. An adventure where we are assured that we will play Alta, the manager of a tea room in a magical forest. However, the heroine seems to have a big problem, and we wouldn’t be surprised to discover that Wanderstop is ultimately not what he seems. We won’t talk about the long and crazy ad for Squad Busters, as the game is already available. But, wow, it was… delicious!
The other good surprise comes from Blumhouse Games, which has proven its seriousness in its desire to become a reference in the publishing of horror games. The group actually showed six projects designed by independents, Crisol theater of Idols, Crave Seasons, Sleep Awake, Fear the Spotlight, The Simulation (go watch the video, it looks incredible) and Project C, future title of Sam Barlow. Jason Blum has stated his intentions to help creators take risks so they can make truly weird games. Where do we sign? The creators of Among Us also took the stage to discuss Outersloth, a fund for independent creators in need.
News from previously revealed games
Geoff Keighley had warned: the Summer Game Fest conference was not going to have many world premieres and was mainly going to focus on already announced games coming out soon. This is actually what we got. Many projects have appeared via new trailers, among them, No More Room in Hell 2, Harry Potter Quidditch Champions, Star Wars Outlaws (pending more details at Monday’s Ubisoft Forward), Black Myth : Wukong, Asgard Wrath, Once human, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, Fatal Fury City of the wolves, Battle Crush, Mecha Break, Enotria the Last Song, The First Descendant, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, Unknown9: Awakening, Metaphor: ReFantazio, Sonic the magnificent PS5 exclusive which is very reminiscent of Sekiro. She also closed the conference. Yes, it’s a busy list, the pace of the show was brisk.
Some titles have managed to do well, like Neva, the new game from the creators of GRIS which once again looks totally stunning, whether in its poetic dimension or in its 2D platformer aspect. There is also Deer & Boy, a cinematic platformer in the vein of Inside (on form) where a little boy goes on an adventure with a fawn. The superb trailer makes you want to play it right away. Killer Beane also managed to get noticed. Developed by a single developer, this action software whose gameplay is based on physics puts us in the shoes of a bean with arms (yes yes). Robots, wrestling holds, break dancing, vehicles and bullet time are there.
A few days before the event, Geoff Keighley promised that we would see Batman Arkham Shadow. The VR game exclusive to Meta Quest 3 was unfortunately only illustrated with a full CGI trailer, which does not help to get a real idea of the experience with a helmet/mask on the head. We’ll have to wait until gamescom to see more. Slitterhead had also been “teased” to attract crowds. This strange horror game imagined by Keiichiro Toyama, one of the fathers of Silent Hill, actually takes the form of a third-person action game. The player has the power to take possession of other characters in order to benefit from their equipment and skills. Platform phases, original weapons and magic are on the program. Release scheduled for November 8, 2024.
This edition of the Summer Game Fest allowed us to shine the spotlight on games that have already been released but whose content continues to arrive, such as Hunkai Star Rail, Street Fighter 6 (and its new characters, Terry, Mai, Elena and M. Bison), The Finals (season 3), New World (which is coming to consoles), Valorant (also) and of course Palworld (and its fully loaded Sakurajima update). Party Animals stood out with new mini-games (like kart racing). Finally, Remedy has formalized the arrival of a physical version and a collector’s item for Alan Wake 2! The studio also showed the first DLC of the software, Night Springs, which includes 3 stories allowing the player to play as Rose, Tim Breaker, and Jesse Faden. This extension will be available this Saturday.
To believe the poll by Geoff Keighley posted on industry. All eyes are now on Microsoft with its Xbox Games Showcase taking place on Sunday, June 9 at 7 p.m..
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