Valve Appears to Rename Steam Games Festival

If you’re familiar with the “Steam Games Festivals” that have taken place in the past as part of a collaboration between Valve and The Game Awards host Geoff Keighley, you might find yourself wondering if those festivals will continue this year. The answer to that, I’m pleased to report, seems to be “yes” as things stand right now. However, for some unknown reason, the festivities will henceforth be known as “Steam Next Fest.”

As I just alluded to, it’s not yet clear what prompted Valve to rename this event or why they chose that particular new moniker for it. Even so, it doesn’t seem like the name by which the event is known matters all that much. It’s widely suspected that this new so-called “Steam Next Fest” will play out quite similarly, if not exactly the same as every Steam Games Festival that has occurred since these festivities began.

If you’re unfamiliar with the concept of the now-renamed Steam Games Festival, allow me to briefly fill you in so that you know what to expect when the first Steam Next Fest rolls around. For a set period of time (usually a week) announced in advance, indie game developers can share demos and other information about their upcoming titles with potential players in order to drum up awareness. During that period of time, you can freely browse through what will likely be a massive list of games and try out any available game demo to see what catches your eye.

You can also participate by watching developer live streams and things of that nature. I’d say it’s wise to keep an eye out for live streams of games that manage to pique your interest during the festival. That way, if you’re so inclined, you can add them to your Steam wishlist well in advance in order to be notified when those games become available to purchase. You can do this whether the games you’re eyeing reach Steam as full releases or as members of Steam Early Access.

I should mention that the first Steam Next Fest will arrive fairly soon. Since 2021 is shaping up to be another year without an E3, this particular Steam Next Fest will take place during the time frame that would normally be occupied by that event. More specifically, the Steam Next Fest will begin on Wednesday, June 16th, 2021, and run through Tuesday, June 22nd. I suspect that the festival may operate in the same manner as a prominent Steam sale in terms of when it officially starts. If that’s the case, you can reasonably expect the Steam Next Fest to begin and conclude at 10 am Pacific time on those designated dates.