In today's contemporary, pandemic reality, certain events and celebrations that may have previously aired as live shows are now up in the air in terms of whether they will continue to air live, air virtually, or be canceled altogether.
Still, many would-be attendees are concerned about how safe live events are and this has held many in contention. E3 2022 has been canceled, for example, as has this summer's EA Play. While the reasons for cancelation make sense, it still saddens fans that these ceremonious occasions will not be held in the traditional way. Fortunately, Geoff Keighley's Summer Game Fest is in fact set to return this summer, and recent information explains that it will be more elaborate and involved than many fans may have assumed.
In a FAQ for this year's Summer Game Fest, Keighley's summer of announcements is detailed in terms of what fans should expect from the show's format. It will indeed be a show, with both live and virtual components to it, such as "a slate of digital livestream shows." Interestingly, this FAQ post also states that Summer Game Fest will start with "a spectacular live kickoff show" hosted by none other than Keighley.
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Summer Game Fest has been a reliable source of entertainment since its inception in 2020 with the ambition of uniting the industry for a summer of fun. Other information relative to this summer's Summer Game Fest, such as scheduled dates, publishers, and platforms, has not yet been shared. But the plan for Summer Game Fest's kickoff to be a live show nonetheless demonstrates Keighley's desire to establish hybridity between live and virtual content for its popular world premieres and Day of the Devs event.
2022 has experienced a multitude of delays as did the year before. It is possible that Summer Game Fest will be a space to show a bit more from these titles now expected to release in late 2022 or sometime in 2023, but fans will have to wait to see which publishers and developers are set to appear.
Further, if COVID worsen between now and the summer, Keighley and Summer Game Fest's producers may decide to withdraw the option for a live kickoff show. With any luck this will not have to be the case, but a virtual event substitution could still satisfy fans and deliver the same fun and excitement that Summer Game Fest strives to deliver.