Summer Game Fest Live 2024 News Rundown

It is that time of year again. We’ve got another (formerly E3) Summer Game Fest season upon us, with new announcements and follow-ups from last year. Geoff Keighley mentioned recently that this year would be full of updates available on games coming in 2024 and early 2025, rather than announcements farther out. Will we see something about Hollow Knight: Silksong? Let’s get into it!

The festivities started with Geoff Keighley telling us what every person interested in the gaming industry is already aware of. Indie developers are creating some of the highest-quality experiences available on Steam now. We know Geoff, this isn’t new. AAA developers haven’t been the sole part of the spotlight for years now. Anyway, I digress.

The first premiere announcement hit all the right notes for me. Lego Horizon Adventures brings Aloy and the world of Horizon: Zero Dawn to PC, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 5 in a new adventure. I love the Lego games, so seeing a popular franchise rooted in gaming get the Lego treatment is very interesting, if not slightly strange. Lego Horizon Adventures is coming Holiday, 2024, likely between November and December.

Next up was an announcement from Torn Banner Studios, creator of The Banner Saga. No More Room in Hell 2 is a survival horror game that looks brutal and visceral. The reveal promoted permadeath and up to 8-player co-op, though I’m not that impressed. No More Room in Hell 2 will be coming to Early Access this Halloween.

Afterward, we got another World Premiere for a Quidditch game called Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions. It will be available on September 3^rd for all major platforms. It will also be free for PlayStation Plus subscribers.

Surprisingly, the next World Premiere was a new announcement by the developer of Indie Horror hit Choo Choo Charles. Two Star Games’ Cuffbust is probably the cutest multiplayer prison-breaking game I’ve ever seen. Currently, it is set for possibly a 2025 release, but it might be later.

Star Wars Outlaws took the stage next with a small teaser, ahead of the showcase coming at the Ubisoft Forward event later today. Star Wars Outlaws will be released on August 30^th, and frankly…I’m underwhelmed so far by that teaser. Maybe I’m partial to the idea of Jedi and Sith, but something about being a scoundrel is just less interesting.

The next game revealed was Nomada Studios’ follow-up to Gris. Neva is a beautiful action platforming narrative game where you raise a wolf cub and face shadowy creatures. It will be released in 2024 on all major platforms. It looks beautiful and I can’t wait to get my hands on it.

After Neva was a new reveal for Civilization VII. We knew it was coming eventually since last year finished off Civ VI’s DLC. The reveal trailer was interesting though, and the 2025 release date means development is coming along nicely. There will be a full gameplay reveal this August as well.

In another exciting trailer, we got new footage of Black Myth Wukong. I’m very excited about this take on Journey to the West, and we finally have a release date! After all this time, we’ll be able to play Black Myth Wukong on August 20^th, 2024. It will be coming to PC and PlayStation 5, so it’s only a few short months before we have it in hand.

After a commercial break, we transitioned into a new segment for Metaphor Re-Fantazio. This in-depth segment gave more details on how combat works, as well as more overall details about the game itself. I am incredibly excited for Metaphor Re-Fantazio’s October 11^th release date. There’s more information on Atlus’ official YouTube channel, though they’ve done several showcases on the game by now.

Batman: Arkham Shadow was the next game to get a spotlight. While I love the Batman: Arkham games, I’m not exactly sold by a VR entry. The story trailer looks interesting, but I think we’ll have to wait until this Fall to see how it really fares.

The Fatal Fury franchise is returning as well! A surprise trailer revealed that Fatal Fury characters Terry, Mai, Elena, and M. Bison will be joining Street Fighter 6’s roster in Year 2.

Afterward, a trailer for a new game called Tears of Metal was showcased. Tears of Metal is a Rogue-like, hack n’ slash co-op game with a seemingly Scottish fantasy setting. No release date was given, and you can wishlist it now.

Next came a new trailer for Dragon Ball Sparking Zero. The trailer showcased bits and pieces of the Dragon Ball story, along with the October 11^th release date. I’m excited to see how things go from here, since Sparking Zero looks like another fighting game triumph with the Dragon Ball IP.

The next world premiere was for Delta Force: Hawk Ops a free-to-play tactical shooter. The footage showcased the game’s extraction mode, and it doesn’t really seem all that different from others of its kind. There will be a PC Alpha test in July, and you can wishlist it now. They also showed off footage of the game’s paid campaign, which will showcase real moments from Ridley Scott’s film Black Hawk Down.

Another bit of Fatal Fury news hit, with an update for Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves. The trailer showcased a bit of the franchise’s history, before showing off a small bit of gameplay. City of the Wolves will be released in Early 2025 for PC, PlayStation, and Xbox consoles.

After another commercial break, the next segment covered Blumhouse Games’ first projects. Crisol: Theater of Idols is a first-person horror shooter being developed by Vermila Studios for Blumhouse Games. They are also working with developer Perfect Garbage on Grave Seasons, which looks to be a horror-themed gardening game.

They are also working on the Psychological horror game Sleep Awake, with the help of Eyes Out Games. Cozy Game Pals is working on a retro-inspired game called Fear the Spotlight, and PlayMeStudio is working on a game called The Simulation based on a game designer being recruited to help solve a case. The last reveal was a game developed by Sam Barlow called Project C, though not much is known about it.

This segment discussing the games highlighted the diversity of genres and approaches involved here in these collaborations. Some of these concepts shown were interesting to me, so I have a feeling Blumhouse Games will have something for everyone. The next announcement was a drastic shift, from Hasbro of all developers.

The Power Rangers are getting a new game! Specifically, this new game is a classic action beat-em-up similar to TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind is coming to Steam. We don’t have a release window yet, but you can wishlist it now.

The next premiere came from Lifeline Game Studio, called Deer & Boy. While the title isn’t exactly original, the game does seem like an interesting and emotional narrative. There is no release date yet, but you can wishlist it now.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 was next on the agenda, covering an all-new look ahead of its release later this year. The trailer showcased a bit of the story, as well as some of the first-person combat. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 will be released on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox consoles.

After being announced in 2021, Slitterhead showed up on the Summer Game Fest stage, developed by the creator of Silent Hill. I’m honestly not sure how to describe this action horror game, so check out the trailer embedded here. Slitterhead will be released on November 8^th for PC, PlayStation, and Xbox consoles.

I wish I could say the next game made more sense, but Killer Bean was confusing in a different way. You play as an assassin/gunslinging…bean? Less indescribable than Slitterhead and more confusing as to why it is a thing. It looks strangely interesting though. Killer Bean will be coming to Early Access this Summer.

The developers of Furi and Haven (The Game Bakers) took the stage with the next reveal. Cairn is referred to as a “Survival Climbing Game” where you climb a mountain no one has climbed before. The concept is interesting, but from the footage, I’m not sure that the game looks all that fun.

Next up was a new life-sim by the creator of the Stanley Parable. Run a tea shop in a fantasy realm, playing as a warrior forced to slow down and take an easier path in life. Wanderstop examines the ideas of PTSD, survivor’s guilt, and other mental health struggles wrapped in a cozy life sim. It will be released for PS5 and PC this year.

The next reveal was for a game called Unknown 9: Awakening, an action-adventure game that involves a dimension overlapping with our own. The trailer was very interesting, and I found myself curious about the body-swapping mechanic involved. Unknown 9 will be released this Fall on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox platforms.

After a short commercial break, we dive back into a segment about The First Descendant, which we have seen at a few showcases already. The new trailer showcased a release date for July 2^nd across PC, PlayStation, and Xbox platforms. It looks cool, but we already have so many live service games that I wonder if it will have longevity.

Innersloth, the developers of Among Us, took the stage next to reveal their personal Indie-funding project, Outersloth. It is their way of giving back to the Indie community by investing in smaller Indie projects. They also revealed their current lineup of projects funded by the Outersloth project. The reveal included several world premieres, which led to the next segment, showcasing:

Mars First Logistics by Shape Shop Games
Battle Suit Brigade by Trinket Studios
Mossfield Archives by Studio Any Percent
One Btn Bosses by Midnight Munchies
Rogue Eclipse by Huskrafts
Project Dosa by Outerloop Games

Then, Innersloth also provided a sneak peek at the Among Us television series. I’ll admit the silent trailer didn’t really interest me. Yes, there were crewmates, that’s kind of the Among Us thing. They should have at least showcased the vocal talent they promoted at the end of the trailer.

Sonic X Shadow Generations got some time in the spotlight next. They specifically showed off Shadow’s abilities and gameplay this time, which I appreciated. They also revealed an October 25^th release date for Sonic X Shadow Generations, so fans can look forward to that as well.

The next showcase was Dune Awakening’s latest trailer. It appears the developers are providing an alternative history story, where Paul Atreides was born as a girl. Dune Awakening will be an Open World Survival MMO released on Steam, PlayStation, and Xbox consoles.

Afterward, a new World Premiere of Battle Aces was revealed. Battle Aces is an RTS that is friendly for both beginners and veterans (at least according to the devs). They seem to have also incorporated deckbuilding concepts to provide an array of strategies and playstyles. You can wishlist Battle Aces now and visit their website to sign up for their upcoming beta test.

The Finals showed off a new destination for its gameplay after being revealed last year. The new trailer showcased the new environment for the new season debuting on June 13^th. Kyoto 1568 offers a feudal Japan-themed environment, a new ranked mode, new weapons, and gadgets, as well as weekly tournaments.

Sam Lake took the stage next to honor the time-honored tradition of Geoff having either someone from Remedy or Kojima on his stage at every show. He also revealed the new DLC for Alan Wake II, as well as Physical deluxe editions and collector’s editions of Alan Wake II. Alan Wake II’s next expansion is called “Night Springs.”

For fans of Remedy’s work, Night Springs is a Twilight Zone-esque TV series in the Remedyverse that appeared in Control as well as (if memory serves) the first Alan Wake. There will be 3 episodes, with 3 playable “familiar” characters in “What if?” scenarios. The “Night Springs” DLC is available now.

Another commercial break led into the usual obligatory Hoyoverse segment. They revealed a new trailer for Honkai Star Rail’s next expedition, showcasing March 7^th’s new redesign.

Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess also got a release date trailer. The gameplay looks beautiful, and the July 19^th release date isn’t that far away. You can pre-order it now as well.

A new trailer for Hyper Light Breaker also revealed full campaign co-op and satisfying action gameplay. I never played Hyper Light Drifter, but I do enjoy the neon-infused visual style. Hyper Light Breaker is coming to Early Access later this Summer.

A small hiccup in the broadcast led to a segment on Skate from EA. While the footage they showed was “Pre-pre-alpha” the trailer announced a Playtest this Fall. I’m curious to see just how long it will take for EA to bring Skate to players. Hopefully, it will be worth the wait.

The controversial Palworld was next in the spotlight. In the next update, a whole new Island is coming to Palworld. The Sakurajima Update will add a new Island, new Pals, dedicated servers for Xbox, new Buildings, a new level cap, new Subspecies, and more. The new update is coming on June 27^th.

Valorant hit the stage next with a new reveal. Valorant is coming to consoles! Specifically, Valorant is coming to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S with a free limited beta on June 14^th that you can sign up for now. We don’t have a full release date for the whole console version yet, but I imagine it won’t be too much longer after the beta is done.

The next segment covered a new trailer for Inside Out 2. This led to a new commercial break, which I’m really getting sick of. I get that the commercials are part of the show and how it is funded, but it is still annoying.

Getting back to the heavy hitters we have Monster Hunter Wilds as the next segment. The new trailer showcased a mysterious new monster as well as a 2025 release window across PlayStation, Xbox, and PC. We will see more details in August at Gamescom as well.

Excitingly enough, Phantom Blade 0 presented new footage at Summer Game Fest after being announced last year. The gameplay trailer showcased wild, fast, exciting combat and closed out the show on a high note.

I think a lot of this year’s event fell flat, but it seems like 2025 is going to be stacked. You can check out the entire showcase down below: