What is dead may never die. E3 could be gone for good but his spirit lives on in the Summer Game Fest. Hosted by the creator of the Game Awards Geoff Keighleythe event kicks off in June and promises teasers, trailers and world premieres for the biggest games of tomorrow and beyond. Find all the gaming conferences, showcases and livestreams taking place in and around Keighley-Palooza 2024 here.
Now in its fourth year, Summer Game Fest has become a third pillar in Keighley’s annual dominance of video game hype, alongside Gamescom Opening Night Live and the Game Awards. Although it’s based in LA but not connected to the city’s convention center, the massive behemoth that used to host E3s, the event continues to attract other publishers and smaller gaming showcases. The main show of the Summer Game Fest takes place live in the YouTube Theaterbut is also streamed across every social media platform imaginable.
Sony has decided to kick off its summer showcases early with a State of Play on May 30. And although Nintendo is rumored to be preparing a major Direct for mid-June, the Mario maker has not yet announced any concrete plans. Even without these two platforms, which E3 itself abandoned long ago, early June is jam-packed with other gaming conferences focusing on everything from the work of small indie teams to Call of Duty: Black Ops 6Below you’ll find a full schedule of all the events happening next month that aren’t adjacent to E3 or Summer Game Fest.
Thursday, June 6
Guerrilla Collective takes place at 1:00 p.m. ET and offers an overview of a number of upcoming indie games. The presentation is now in its fifth year and includes Hollow Blood, Combo Deviland a number of other upcoming projects. It’s a great opportunity to try out smaller games that don’t usually get the spotlight in the video game industry’s bigger marketing pushes. Where to watch:
Friday, June 7
Access-Ability Summer Showcase starts at 11:00 a.m. ET. Featured studios include Whitethorn Games, PlayTonic, and Fiction Factory Games. Each game shown will highlight the accessibility options available to players. Laura Kate Dale will host the show, and guests including Arevya and SightlessKombat will also be featured. Where to watch:
Summer Games Festivalthe main presentation of the summer, follows later in the day at 5:00 p.m. ET. Dozens of developers, studios and publishers will showcase their games. 2K Games promises the unveiling of the next entry in a popular franchise, which certainly sounds like BioShock 4As you know, there will be a few celebrities joining host Geoff Keighley, and a third of the show is reserved exclusively for Hideo Kojima, who will talk about Death Stranding 2 or literally anything else he wants. Where to watch:
Developer Day takes place live right after Summer Game Fest. Hosted by DoubleFine and iam8bit, the showcase is one of the best indie events of the year, giving developers a platform to talk about their incredible ideas and the games they bring to life. It’s the perfect antidote to several hours of dazzling world premieres. Where to watch:
Direct return ends the day at 8:00 p.m. ET. The publisher has traditionally put on a crazy show of trying to mock video game press conferences while simultaneously marketing its products for your GameStop pre-orders and Steam wishlist. Action RPG Paradise Never and ragdoll physics sim People fall flat 2 are among the upcoming releases. Maybe Dennaton Games will finally Hotline Miami 3. Where to watch:
Saturday, June 8
Future of Play Direct The day will kick off at 11:00 PM ET with a top-secret showcase hosted by AI V-Tuber Melios the Android. The Toonami-inspired event will include reveals from Trinket Studios (Combat Cooking Brigade
Healthy Direct begins an hour later at 12:00 PM ET with a focus on games that stray from the bloody AAA shooter path. It promises a “vibrant selection of artistic, uplifting, and emotionally engaging games from developers of all sizes from around the world.” 70 games will be featured, including previous GOTY hits like Venba, unpackingAnd Chicory: A colorful history. Where to watch:
Latin American Games Show begins at 1:00 p.m. ET. The event “aims to increase the visibility of video games developed in the LATAM region and Latin America in the world” and will last about an hour. Where to watch:
Women-led games Summer Games Fest follows at 2:30 p.m. ET. With dozens of attendees, the presentation aims to “highlight all the amazing things women are doing in the gaming industry and support their efforts to create a more equitable gaming industry.” Where to watch:
Future game show ends the date at 3:00 p.m. ET. GamesRadarThe annual summer event is hosted by Red Dead Redemption 2Arthur (Roger Clark) and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth‘s Tifa (Britt Baron). Where to watch:
Sunday, June 9
Xbox Games Showcase is scheduled for 12:00 PM ET. The only platform holder still anchoring the non-E3 festivities, Microsoft has a lot to prove after the mass layoffs at the beginning of the yearincluding the closure of beloved Hi-Fi noise
Black Ops 6 Direct will take place directly afterwards. Similar to the presentation that Bethesda held last year for Starfieldthis will apparently be a deep dive into the upcoming sequel and what players can expect from his story campaign from the time of the Gulf WarMultiplayer mechanics and whether the Modern Warfare 3 Skins they spent hundreds on will carry over. The game is already confirmed to be coming to Game Pass, but it remains to be seen if players will have to pay extra for early access. Where to watch:
PC Gaming Show rounds off the afternoon at 4:00 p.m. ET. The annual PC Gamer The event has been great in recent years for showcasing PC-centric games, from strategy games and simulations to deck-builders and roguelikes, which previously didn’t get much attention during E3. There will be dozens of games on display, along with interviews with the developers behind them. I hope we hear more about Citizen Sleeper 2. Where to watch:
Monday, June 10
Ubisoft Forward is set to close out the non-E3 and Summer Game Fest carnival. No time has been confirmed yet, but previous events have typically taken place around 12:00 PM ET. The French publisher will have a lot to offer this year, between the much-hyped open-world game set in a galaxy far, far away, Star Wars Outlawsand his latest historical stealth RPG, Assassin’s Creed Shadow. We will also likely hear updates on the numerous ongoing games in the Ubisoft portfolio, such as The Division 2, Rainbow Six SiegeAnd For honor. Maybe there will be a few surprises. Who is ready for a new Rayman? See it on Pull out And Youtube.
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