Tag: Summer Game Fest

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The next two months of video games are absolutely stacked

Now that we’re halfway through April, it’s getting to be a particularly busy time in the world of games.

Already, we’ve had the likes of Fire Emblem Engage, Hi-Fi Rush, the PlayStation VR2, Metroid Prime Remastered, Hogwarts Legacy, Octopath Traveler II and Resident Evil 4, as well as successful adaptations like The Last of Us and The Super Mario Bros. Movie but that was just the prelude. From the latest entries in several beloved long-running franchises to promising new IPs and major events, there’s a lot to forward to over the next couple of months alone. You might even say it’s the ‘2023 Summer Game Season.’

Read on for a highlight of what to expect:

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor duel

Image credit: EA

Release date: April 28th
Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC

We’d be remiss not to mention that the de facto start to the busy mid-year stretch has to be Respawn’s sequel to its hit 2019 action-adventure game, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. Set five years after the events of that game, Survivor follows Cal Kestis as he continues his battle against the Galactic Empire with the Jedi all but decimated. Gameplay-wise, the sequel offers a variety of improvements, including new lightsaber stances and Force powers and more open and expansive level design (with fast-travel!). The Force is looking pretty strong with this one.

Redfall

Redfall team

Image credit: Bethesda

Release date: May 2nd
Platform: Xbox Series X/S, PC

Arkane (Dishonored) is here with a new first-person shooter IP that’s all about vampire slaying on an island town in Massachusetts. Whether solo or in co-op, you can control one of four unique characters — cryptozoologist and inventor Devinder, telekinetic student Layla Ellison, combat engineer Remi and supernatural sniper Jacob. While there’s been some controversy surrounding the lack of a 60fps option at launch, Arkane’s pedigree certainly speaks for itself.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom freefall

Image credit: Nintendo

Release date: May 12th
Platform: Nintendo Switch

Over six years after the beloved Breath of the Wild, Nintendo is finally here with a direct sequel. This time around, Link must traverse both the land and skies of Hyrule to stop a malevolent force from rising. Between the darker tone, new floating islands to explore and inventive new abilities (weapon-fusing and rewinding time!), it’s shaping up to be another Nintendo game of the year contender.

In related news, MobileSyrup and Nintendo of Canada are running a contest until April 20th where you and a friend will be flown to New York City for the launch of Tears of the Kingdom. Full terms and conditions are available here.

Street Fighter 6

Street Fighter 6 Ryu vs Chun-Li

Image credit: Capcom

Release date: June 2nd
Platforms: PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X and S, PC

Capcom’s iconic fighting game series is back. The game features 18 fighters, including new and fan-favourites like Ryu, Chun-Li and Cammy, as well as three distinct game modes: World Tour, Fighting Ground and Battle Hub. Moreover, it marks a return to Xbox consoles after Street Fighter 5 controversially was a PlayStation 4 console exclusive. All in all, the series looks to be in fighting form.

Diablo IV

Diablo IV combat

Image credit: Activision Blizzard

Release date: June 6th
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S

Eleven years after Diablo III, Blizzard is back with a full-fledged entry in the action-RPG series — no smartphone required. So far, it’s been a big hit with fans, especially after a well-received beta. The game takes place 30 years after the events of Diablo III and sees players having to face off against Lilith, the daughter of Mephisto. It’s also worth noting that Canada’s Rod Ferguson, a key player behind the Gears of War series, now serves as a producer on the Diablo franchise.

Summer Game Fest

Date: June 8th at 12pm PT/3pm ET
Where to stream: TBA

A few weeks ago, the Electronics Entertainment Expo (E3) was cancelled, confirming weeks-long rumours that the show would be scrapped amid minimal publisher interest. At the same time, Geoff Keighley, the Markham, Ontario-born creator of The Game Awards, promised a bigger-than-ever Summer Game Fest event, including a first-time physical component in Los Angeles. Keighley created the show in 2020 as a digital alternative to E3 during the COVID-19 pandemic, but with E3 tapering off, it looks here to stay. Expect to see game reveals from dozens of companies.

Xbox Games Showcase + Starfield Direct

Starfield planet

Starfield (Image credit: Bethesda)

Date: June 11th (time TBA)
Where to stream: TBA

While E3 has been called off, Xbox is still holding its traditional June gaming showcase. It’s unclear exactly what we’ll see there, but potential titles include Ninja Theory’s Hellblade II, Rare’s Everwild, Turn 10’s Forza Motorsport and Obsidian’s Avowed. What we do know, though, is that Bethesda’s highly-anticipated Starfield is getting its own dedicated ‘Direct’ presentation directly after the Xbox Games Showcase.

Ubisoft Forward

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora (Image credit: Ubisoft)

Date: June 12th (time TBA)
Where to stream: TBA

Ubisoft has been pretty quiet as of late, with 2022 being a fairly light year for the publisher outside of Just Dance 2023 and Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope. Instead, the company has largely been producing a variety of live service experiences, including the crossover shooter XDefiant and multiple Assassin’s Creed titles. Presumably, this Ubisoft Forward will offer a better look at many of these, as well as the likes of Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora and Assassin’s Creed Mirage.

Final Fantasy XVI

Image credit: Square Enix

Release date: June 22nd, 2023
Platform: PlayStation 5

How do you follow up on one of the biggest comeback stories in games, Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn? You make the next mainline single-player entry in the venerable 35-plus-year series. Over the past several years, Square Enix’s Creative Business Unit III has been toiling away at a darker, politically-charged Final Fantasy action-RPG that aims to marry the mature storytelling of FFXIV with the tight and stylish combat of Devil May Cry. Indeed, the story actually hails from Kazutoyo Maehiro, writer of the award-winning Heavensward, while the combat is being spearheaded by DMC alum Ryota Suzuki. Just one month after Tears of the Kingdom and we could very well be getting another Game of the Year contender.

That would be a solid lineup in any year, and the fact that it all spans just two months is particularly impressive. If we look a bit further into the year, we’ll also be getting Nintendo’s Pikmin 4 (July 21st), Canadian-made RPG Sea of Stars (August 29th), Larian’s Baldur’s Gate III (August 31st), Starfield (September 6th) and Insomniac’s Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (TBA fall, possibly September), among other games.

What are you most excited to play? Let us know in the comments below.

Image credit: Nintendo, Square Enix

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Here are all of the Canadian games shown off at Summer Game Fest 2022

After much anticipation, Summer Game Fest (SGF) has come to a close, bringing with it reveals like Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part 1 remake and Marvel’s Midnight Suns.

But what you might not have realized is that several of the games featured during SGF hail from Canada — especially fitting considering Geoff Keighley, the producer of the show, hails from Markham, Ontario.

With that in mind, we’ve rounded up all of the Canadian games that were shown off:

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II*

A lengthy campaign demo for this year’s Call of Duty was shown off, featuring firefights on an oil rig. While the game is primarily developed by California-based Infinity Ward, Quebec City-based Beenox is handling the PC port, as it’s done with past Call of Duty titles.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II will release on October 28th, 2022 on Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.

Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course

Oakville, Ontario’s Studio MDHR showed brief gameplay footage of a boss fight from its hotly anticipated Cuphead DLC, The Delicious Last Course. In it, you can see the new playable character Ms. Chalice face off against Mortimer Freeze, a deadly sentient fridge. Maja Moldenhauer, the game’s Canadian producer and artist, also took to the stage to briefly talk about the DLC.

Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course will hit PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch and PC on June 30th, 2022.

Gotham Knights

Fleur Marty, executive producer at Quebec’s Warner Bros. Montreal, joined the show virtually to introduce a new trailer for the team’s Batman game, Gotham Knights.

The footage was focused on Nightwing, one of four playable characters alongside Robin, Batgirl and Red Hood.

Gotham Knights will release on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC.

Nightingale

Edmonton-based Inflexion Games, a new studio led by former BioWare (Mass Effect) general manager Aaron Flynn, dropped a fresh look at its new IP, Nightingale.

It’s a shared world survival-crafting title featuring a Victorian fantasy setting.

Nightingale is set to release on PC in late 2022.

TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge

Fans of old-school beat ’em up games got a Summer Game Fest treat from Montreal-based Tribute with its Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game, Shredder’s Revenge.

The trailer confirmed a six-player co-operative mode, as well as a release date.

TMNT Shredder’s Revenge will release on June 16th on PlayStation 4, Xbox One (and Xbox Game Pass), Nintendo Switch and PC.

Warframe: Duviri Paradox

London, Ontario’s Digital Extremes unveiled the expansion to its massively popular action-RPG-shooter game, Warframe.

The teaser was brief, however, with Digital Extremes promising a more extensive look at Duviri Paradox‘s “reality-bending open-world” at the Tennocon Warframe convention on July 16th. However, there was also a brief fun exchange between Megan Everett, the game’s community manager, and Keighley.

“My fellow Canadian!” Everett said, to which Keighley replied “I know, we always have these Canadian teams on the show — I don’t how that works out!”

Hon. mention: The aforementioned The Last of Us remake is being co-directed by Quebec’s own Matthew Gallant, a veteran developer at California-based Naughty Dog.

Those were all of the Canadian games shown at Summer Game Fest. However, the show had many more titles as well — the full list of those can be found here. As well, a breakdown of June’s major gaming events, including the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase, can be found here.

Image credit: Studio MDHR

*It’s important to note that Activision Blizzard, the parent company of Beenox and the publisher of the Call of Duty series, is currently embroiled in a slew of controversies. In particular, the company has been hit with multiple lawsuits pertaining to an alleged toxic work culture in which many employees, especially women, have been harassed and abused. Company CEO Bobby Kotick has also been accused of working to cover up these incidents, including, in one instance, threatening to have an assistant killed. While Activision Blizzard has said it’s working on improving its work culture, it remains to be seen what meaningful changes will be made, especially amid Microsoft’s ongoing acquisition of the company.

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Former Mass Effect devs show off new fantasy game, Nightingale

A new trailer for the Canadian-made game Nightingale was revealed at Summer Game Fest 2022.

It’s a shared world survival-crafting title from Edmonton-based Inflexion Games, a new studio made up of former BioWare (Mass Effect) developers, including former general manager Aaron Flynn.

Notably, the game is set in a Victorian fantasy world of Nightingale, which gives it a visually distinct look. In Nightingale, you’ll be able to play alone or with other people as you gather materials, craft new items and face off against all kinds of twisted creatures.

The trailer showcases some crafting gameplay, with the character harvesting resources with an axe, as well as fighting against spiders and other beasts with shotguns, crossbows and more.

Check out the gameplay trailer for yourself:

A release date for Nightingale hasn’t yet been confirmed, but you can sign up for updates on the game via its website.

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The Last of Us Part 1 remake coming to PS5 on September 2

The long-rumoured remake of The Last of Us will release on PS5 on September 2nd, 2022.

Ahead of June 9th’s Summer Game Fest, PlayStation Direct, the official online PlayStation retail store, leaked the full trailer for the game, which included the launch date. A PC release will follow at some point.

Overall, it looks virtually identical to the original 2013 PS3 action-adventure title, just with prettier graphics. This means it will tell the same story: grizzled smuggler Joel escorting a teenager named Ellie across a post-apocalyptic America. However, previous reports suggested that the remake will feature the enhanced combat mechanics introduced in 2020’s The Last of Us Part II, which we don’t get to see in the trailer.

That said, the PlayStation Direct listing alludes to this with the following description:

“Enjoy a total overhaul of the original experience, faithfully reproduced but incorporating modernized gameplay, improved controls and expanded accessibility options. Plus, feel immersed with improved effects and enhanced exploration and combat.”

In any case, a September launch lines up with previous rumours that the remake was coming in late 2022. Word first surfaced on the remake in April 2021 as part of a larger Bloomberg report on PlayStation’s push for more blockbuster games.

Of course, releasing The Last of Us remake also helps PlayStation further capitalize on HBO’s live-action adaptation of the series, which is set for a 2023 release. The show, which stars Pedro Pascal as Joel and Bella Ramsey as Ellie, has been filming in Calgary for the past year.

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How to watch Summer Game Fest 2022 in Canada

While E3 is cancelled this year, Canadian “The Game Awards” producer Geoff Keighley is back with his Summer Game Fest event.

Taking place on Thursday, June 12th at 11am PT/2pm ET, Summer Game Fest is set to feature a slew of trailers from various publishers. It’s expected to run between 90 minutes and two hours, and it will be followed immediately by the indie-focused “Day of the Devs” stream.

In a June 5th Twitter Spaces chat, Keighley confirmed that these would mostly be updates on previously announced games, although some brand-new titles will be shown as well.

Some of what’s confirmed to be at Summer Game Fest include Canadian games Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course (Oakville, Ontario’s Studio MDHR) and Gotham Knights (Warner Bros. Montreal), as well as Street Fighter 6 and Marvel’s Midnight Sons. Recent rumours suggest we may see God of War: Ragnarok and Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima’s next game at the show, as well.

You can tune in to Summer Game Fest for free via YouTube, Twitch and Twitter.

This is just one of many gaming events this month. A round-up of all the major ones can be found here.

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Here’s a round-up of all of June’s big gaming events

Normally, the Electronics Entertainment Expo (E3) happens in June — a major gaming industry trade show filled with announcements, demos and other programming.

Following a messy digital-only show in 2021, however, E3 has been completely cancelled this year, leading to a bit of a vacuum in terms of gaming events. As a result, various companies are seizing the opportunity to hold their own shows, which can make it a bit difficult to follow along with everything.

With that in mind, we’ve rounded up all of the confirmed events so far, as well as how you can tune in. We’ll also update this as more events and details are confirmed.

PlayStation State of Play — June 2nd

PlayStation is holding a State of Play presentation on Thursday, June 2nd at 3pm PT/6pm ET. Running for “nearly” 30 minutes, the showcase will feature “exciting reveals” from PlayStation’s third-party partners, plus “a sneak peek at several games” coming to PlayStation VR2.

It’s important to note that while PlayStation didn’t explicitly say first-party games wouldn’t be at this State of Play, it’s clearly emphasizing third-party and VR titles. Therefore, it would be best to not go in expecting an update on God of War: Ragnarök or other first-party titles.

You can tune in to the State of Play via PlayStation’s YouTube and Twitch channels.

Summer Game Fest — June 9th

While E3 is officially dead (for this year, at least), Canadian producer Geoff Keighley (The Game Awards) is bringing back his Summer Game Fest event, which ostensibly serves the same purpose.

Taking place on Thursday, June 9th at 11am PT/2pm ET, Summer Game Fest will tease “what’s next in gaming with huge new game announcements, world premieres, special guests, and much more.”

You can tune in to Summer Game Fest via The Game Awards’ official YouTube and Twitch channels.

Netflix Geeked Week: Gaming — June 10th

Every year, Netflix has a genre-focused showcase of upcoming content called ‘Geeked,’ featuring sci-fi, fantasy, superhero and more. On Friday, June 10th at 10am PT/1pm ET, the company has a gaming-centric event, which will be hosted by Geoff Keighley and YouTuber Mari Takahashi.

Expect to see video game-inspired shows like the Vancouver-made Sonic Prime, The Cuphead Show! and Tekken: Bloodline, as well as announcements related to Netflix Games.

You can stream Netflix Geeked Week: Gaming on Netflix’s YouTube and Twitch channels.

Tribeca Games Spotlight — June 10th

World-renowned film festival Tribeca is once again showcasing several games from around the world.

This year, nine titles are being given the spotlight, including Venba from Toronto’s Visai and Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course from Oakville, Ontario’s Studio MDHR. The full list can be found here.

Each developer will get a chance to feature their game in a special ‘Tribeca Games Spotlight’ stream on June 10th at 12pm PT/3pm ET. You can tune in on Tribeca’s YouTube and Twitch channels, as well as its website.

It’s worth noting that one unique element of the New York-based show is that fans in person and at home can try out all nine games. Information on how that all works, including how to purchase tickets, can be found here.

Future Games Show — June 11th

GamesRadar‘s digital gaming showcase is back, this time promising around 40 PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch and PC games that will be featured, including those for Team17, Thunderful, and Amanita Design.

You can tune in to the show on June 11th at 12pm PT/3pm ET via GamesRadar‘s YouTube and Twitch channels.

Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase — June 12th

Starfield art

Bethesda’s long-awaited Starfield is expected to be shown off.

Xbox’s annual summer event is taking place on Sunday, June 12th at 10am PT/1pm ET, and it’s once again branded as an ‘Xbox & Bethesda’ presentation. This means we’ll likely see Bethesda’s recently delayed Starfield and Redfall, and potentially, other Xbox first-party titles like Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II. On top of that, Xbox has confirmed that third-party games will be shown as usual.

You can stream the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase on Xbox’s YouTube and Twitch channels.

PC Gaming Show — June 12th

PC Gaming Show logo

PC Gamer‘s annual PC Gaming Show returns on June 12th at 12:30pm PT/3:30 pm ET. Altogether, over 45 games will be featured, including the next title from Vancouver’s Klei Entertainment (Don’t Starve).

You can stream the PC Gaming Show on PC Gamer‘s YouTube and Twitch channels.

Misc.

via GIPHY

That’s all that we know at the moment, but there are a few other wild cards.

To start, Nintendo has always held an E3 ‘Direct,’ with the company only missing that window in 2020 due to a) the show’s absence and b) disruptions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, Nintendo will likely have something in June, and will likely confirm something shortly before, as it normally does. The last major Nintendo Direct was in February, so it makes sense. to have one to help spotlight the company’s remaining 2022 slate.

Many eyes are also on Square Enix. The company normally has an E3 event, but without E3 this year, it’s unclear what it may do. That said, the publisher has confirmed that some sort of news on both Final Fantasy VII and the larger Final Fantasy series will come in June as part of their respective 25th- and 35th-anniversary celebrations. We’ve also been promised a “spring” update on Final Fantasy XVI, a game we haven’t seen since September 2020’s big PS5 reveal event, as well as an update sometime this year on Final Fantasy VII Remake‘s sequel. It’s possible that Square Enix could hold its own stream to make any/all of these announcements this month, although it seems more likely that it will partner with PlayStation and/or Summer Game Fest to split up the news.

Capcom, Bandai Namco and Take-Two Interactive are other publishers that could, theoretically, hold their own events. That said, Keighley has noted that fans should expect fewer third-party showcases overall, so it’s likely that many of these publishers will just take part in other events if they have anything ready to show.

Which gaming events are you looking forward to this June? What announcements are you hoping to see? Let us know in the comments.

Image credit: Bethesda/Square Enix/Studio MDHR

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Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest is scheduled for June 9

Canadian video game personality and event organizer Geoff Keighley’s ‘Summer Game Fest‘ is scheduled for June 9th at 2pm ET/11am PT.

Though the event has already overshadowed the now-cancelled Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in some ways for the past few years, Summer Game Fest is now poised to act as a replacement for E3 in some ways. The “live cross-industry showcase” is expected to feature several notable game reveals, and is once again tied to a separate ‘Day of the Devs’ indie game-focused event.

In a recent tweet, Keighley confirmed that both the Summer Game Fest and The Game Awards will stream at select IMAX theatres in the U.S., Canada and the United Kingdom.

Summer Game Fest won’t be the only gaming event in June. Microsoft recently announced its Xbox and Bethesda Showcase is set for June 12th at 1pm ET/10am PT.

Image credit: Summer Game Fest

Source: @geoffkeighley