For over 20 years, the E3 conference was the single biggest weekend in gaming, providing a stage for the industry's most significant game reveals and announcements. However, a recent shift in focus and the Covid-19 pandemic brought the prominent event to its knees. In its stead, former ESA member Geoff Keighley has quickly become the preeminent source of gaming news and reveals, creating and hosting events that are quickly becoming the industry's biggest tent poles. With the recent news that E3 2023 is officially canceled due to a lack of sustained interest, one such event, Summer Game Fest, has gained the season's full attention, and then some.
Summer Game Fest is a yearly event hosted by Keighley, that provides AAA and indie developers alike with a chance to showcase the projects that they have in development. While the first event was spread across the entire summer of 2020, the years have seen the event become more focused in both scope and length. Given E3's recent string of cancelations, Summer Game Fest has become a mainstay of the yearly gaming calendar. Summer Game Fest 2023 is set to be the biggest yet, leading some to believe that the event has succeeded E3's role within the industry.
The Rise of Summer Game Fest
Summer Game Fest was created by Geoff Keighley, following his departure from the ESA's E3 conference in 2019. At the time, E3's focus was shifting towards becoming a fan, media, and influencer festival, a decision that rocked the foundations of the event. Developers such as Sony Computer Entertainment pulled out of E3, citing that the ESA did not meet expectations. Some individuals, including Keighley, also chose to depart. When E3 2020 was canceled, Keighley began work on a months-long summer event that would give developers the chance to showcase their titles via live stream, leading to the first Summer Game Fest taking place from May to August 2020.
Since its debut in 2020, Summer Game Fest has grown into a major weekend-long event, establishing itself as the current main stage for summer reveals. Summer Game Fest 2022 was the biggest yet, leading to the confirmation of 2023's event nearly instantaneously. As the event becomes an industry staple, its scope continues to grow. Summer Game Fest 2023 appears set to fully take the reins from E3, with some developers even pulling out of the event in favor of Keighley's modern showcase.
Summer Game Fest is the modern E3
E3 was set to return with an in-person event this year, its first since 2019. However, the event was on rocky ground, as the industry had largely moved past it. When Ubisoft backed out of E3 2023 this week, in favor of Summer Game Fest, it was the event's final nail in the coffin. Despite the major role of Covid-19 impacting the event, E3's downfall was largely caused by a failure to modernize. 2019's shift in focus distanced the event from actual industry leaders, in favor of a social media-minded approach.
Summer Game Fest learned from this and instead aided developers and creators in shifting their individual focus for the digital age. Promoting and collecting their virtual showcases together, Geoff Keighley was able to create fully-online conferences and events, which have now come full circle. Summer Game Fest 2023 will be an in-person and digital presentation, completing the event's transformation into the modern embodiment of the E3 conference. With E3 2023's cancelation, all eyes are on Summer Game Fest and its forward-thinking creator. It remains to be seen if the ESA will ever attempt another E3 conference, but with Geoff Keighley continuing to move the industry forward, E3 may be a relic of the past.
Summer Game Fest will take place on June 8, 2023.