In the wake of E3’s demise, Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest has emerged as its self-appointed heir. SGF livestreams in years past have brought big reveals like 2021’s Elden Ring gameplay, and we should expect more of that kind of thing this year, according to Keighley: That is, trailers and announcements related to games we already know about, rather than earth-shattering reveals of unannounced games.
Keighley recently hopped onto a Twitch Q&A session for some “expectation setting” for this year’s presentation. According to Keighley, while the 2-hour showcase will have plenty of trailers to show, it’ll mostly consist of “existing games that have new updates for fans”—new content for released games, or trailers for games that have already been announced.
“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,” Keighley said.
We do already know some of what we’ll see at SGF on Friday—I am, as always, looking forward to more Monster Hunter Wilds previews—and Keighley said that “there will be, definitely, new announcements,” even if they’re not blockbuster reveals. Maybe if the stars align, we’ll be lucky enough for a back-to-back Nic Cage appearance. Anything can happen if you dare to dream.
Keighley was pretty candid in saying that if you’re looking for the huge surprise announcements, you’re more likely to find those at the other tentpole of the Keighleyverse: The Game Awards at the end of the year, when—unlike in the summer—the major publishers don’t always have their own events for big reveals. As a result, Keighley said the Game Awards “has a lot of usually big surprises,” while SGF is “largely focused on announced stuff.”
Luckily, if you’re worried that you’ll be left hungry for game previews, there are plenty of other showcases running throughout the week. Check out our SGF 2024 schedule for the full preview event lineup, including our own PC Gaming Show, airing at 1pm PDT on Sunday, June 9.
