It’s that time of year again - time for the annual ritual of announcement trailers flying by as we watch with unblinking eyes, with scarcely a moment to process what we’ve just seen before the familiar “WORLD PREMIERE” booms in our ears once more. The master of ceremonies Geoff Keighley strolls across our screens, keeping us on an even keel as the sheer amount of content threatens to overwhelm us. Folks, summer has arrived.Tonight’s Summer Game Fest opening showcase is the beginning of the announcement season. Naturally, Keighley has teased some of what we can expect to see during the event. We’re going to see the first-ever gameplay footage of Mortal Kombat 1 as Keighley speaks to series co-creator Ed Boon. Also on display isAlan Wake 2.On the live service front, we can expect a preview of Fortnite’s new season ‘Wilds’ and season 4 ofCall of Duty: Warzone. However, everyone is here for the new announcements, aren’t they? Well, in aninterviewa couple of weeks ago with Epic Games, Keighley teased there would be three or four things that are going to be “pretty big for this audience.”We can only speculate as to what new games could potentially be announced. There are a few games currently without a release date that could target a snap release at the end of 2023, like Fable,Dragon Age: Dreadwolf, or Silent Hill 2. There are also games definitely releasing this year, but still don’t have a release date.Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Forza Motorsport, andHollow Knight: Silksongfit into this category.READ MORE:Not Sure About System Shock Remake? Play Prey Instead
It’s exceedingly common for triple-A’s to be teased at the primary Summer Game Fest event only to then be expanded upon during their own respective events. For example, it would come as no surprise to see something ofStarfieldtonight ahead of Xbox and Bethesda’s dedicated showcase on Sunday.
Tonight will host the opening showcase immediately followed by the ‘Day of the Devs’ stream. We’ll likely see some of the higher-profile indies here. Following that will be the Devolver Direct where we can see what Devolver Digital has been cooking over the past year.
The remainder of the heavy hitters are sprinkled throughout the weekend and early next week. The Future Games Show takes place on Saturday while Sunday is stacked with the PC Gaming Show, the Xbox Games Showcase, and the Final Fantasy XVI Pre-Launch Celebration. Ubisoft and Capcom will be hosting their respective events on Monday.
Whatever happens tonight and throughout the week, 2023 is already shaping up to be a cracking year for high-quality games. We’re not quite halfway through the year, and we’ve already seenTears of the Kingdom,Diablo 4,Street Fighter 6,Hi-Fi Rush,Octopath Traveler 2, andStar Wars Jedi: Survivorrelease to critical acclaim. Not to mention three extremely successful remakes inDead Space,Metroid PrimeandResident Evil 4.
With Starfield, Assassins’ Creed: Mirage, Spider-Man 2, Baldur’s Gate 3, and Alan Wake 2 all planned to release this year, along with whatever titles are announced over the coming week, 2023 could be one of the best-ever years for triple-A’s if it sticks the landing.
