Summer Games Fest - Feature Image

Everything Announced At The Summer Game Fest: Kickoff Live!

Summer Game Fest: Kickoff Live! started off the Summer Game Festival with a staggeringly huge amount of announcements.

Image Credit – Wishfully

What Was Announced?

It comes as no surprise that the kick-off event for the Summer Game Fest included some highly-anticipated announcements. The event had everything from brand new studios and publishing labels, director’s cuts of acclaimed games to that sweet final announcement banger. But the event also ran for just under 2 hours. Honestly, while it is extremely exciting to sit back and enjoy a flashy twenty-minute Nintendo Direct before getting on with your day, the same cannot be said for a gargantuan event like this.

So, for all of you out there who simply don’t have the time to watch 35+ trailers and the lovable charm of Geoff Keighley, we have compiled a list of everything announced at the Summer Game Fest: Kickoff Live! event. If you do feel so inclined to watch the whole event, you can watch it here. Otherwise, sit back, relax, grab that popcorn, and enjoy.

The Announcements

  • 2K Games and Gearbox announced Tiny Tina’s Wonderland. A few details were shared including its all-star cast of Andy Samberg, Wanda Skyes, Will Arnett and Ashly Burch. They also teased a unicorn called Butt Stallion. Fun. Ashly Burch also came on stage to confirm that this is a standalone game and separate from Borderlands. She also mentioned that there will be spellcasting and the ability to customise your character. It is coming in early 2022.
  • Classic 90s franchise Metal Slug returns as a turn-based tactics game called Metal Gear Slug Tactics
  • Death Stranding: Director’s Cut was announced for PS5. There was also a nice nod to Metal Gear Solid
  • Jeff Goldblum introduced Jurassic Evolution 2 which is coming later this year
  • There was a lovely musical performance for Sable and the announcement that it will be released on September 23rd 2021
  • The Korean mobile MMO, Lost Ark will be released in the West this Fall
  • Warzone Season 4 received a new trailer and the confirmation that it will be “jam-packed with new content”. New weapons, new maps and new operators were announced, as well as the fact that the Zombie mode will be expanded
  • Ryan Reynolds introduced a trailer for his upcoming movie Free Guy
  • Among Us announced a slew of new features coming to the game. These included a new mode titled hide & seek, the new roles of Sheriff and Scientist, new colours and skins, new visor cosmetics, achievements, and a brand new map.
  • A new 2D Dark Souls-esque game from the developers of Salt & Sanctuary is releasing next year. It is titled Salt & Sacrifice and is coming to PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5
  • Solar Ash received a new gameplay trailer and 2021 release window
  • Two Point Campus is the latest game from the developer of Two Point Hospital. It is releasing in 2022 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Steam and the Nintendo Switch
  • Smite is partnering with the hit show Stranger Things. All new Stranger Things content will be releasing for the game, with a Battle Pass arriving this July 13th
  • Prime Matter, a new gaming publishing label, was announced
  • Prime Matter and Saber Interactive announce that they are working on a new Painkiller game
  • Left 4 Dead-style FPS co-op game, The Anacrusis, coming to Xbox, PC and Xbox Game Pass
  • Rocket League is having a Fast & Furious Crossover event starting from June 17th
  • Sharkmob released a trailer for their upcoming game Vampire The Masquerade: Blood Hunt. It is a multiplayer game set in the Vampire The Masquerade universe and is coming in 2021. A closed alpha will be available from July 2nd
  • House of Ashes, the latest game in the Dark Pictures Anthology series, received a story trailer. It releases on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 this October 22nd
  • Tales of Arise got a trailer and release date of September 10th 2021. They also announced that pre-orders are now open
  • Sky: Children of the Light will be coming to the Nintendo Switch this June 29th. Also, the Le Petit Prince season will start on July 6th
  • Thunderful and Wishfully announced an upcoming hand-painted adventure game titled Planet of Lana. It is releasing in 2022 for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Steam
  • Overwatch 2 showcased new looks for Baptise and Sombra
  • The upcoming Dungeons and Dragons: Dark Alliance received a gameplay showcase with Geoff Keighley, Jeff Hattem, Hannibal Buress and Ember Moon
  • Paladins is crossing over with the hit sci-fi show Gen:Lock. The event is happening this July 2021
  • The highly-anticipated Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin received a brand-new story trailer
  • We got to see an extended gameplay trailer for SEGA and Amplitude Studio’s upcoming game Endless Dungeon
  • Geoff Keighley spoke with Giancarlo Esposito about Far Cry 6
  • Nier Automata’s 2B is getting her own skin in Fall Guys. It will be available on June 18th
  • Genshin Impact’s upcoming new update was treated to a new trailer
  • A brand-new indie game development studio was announced. They’re called Deviation Games and they are apparently making a “groundbreaking new Ip with innovation at its very core” for PlayStation. They said that their partnership with PlayStation is “all about quality”
  • Back 4 Blood got a teaser trailer showcasing a new boss
  • The upcoming indie game Tunic received a deep dive. You can read our thoughts on the game here.
  • Co-op Viking hack and slash game, Tribes of Midgard, received a trailer. It is releasing for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and PC this July 27th
  • We got an extended look at the upcoming Evil Dead: The Game gameplay. It is releasing sometime later this year.
  • Finally, the biggest and most anticipated reveal of the evening: Elden Ring. We finally got a full trailer that included gameplay and story details. It also got a release date of January 21 2022. It will be releasing for PS4/5, Xbox Series S/X, Xbox One and PC
Summer Games Fest - Elden Ring
Image Credit – FromSoftware, Inc.

What Did You Think?

We all knew that this summer would be packed full of impressive game announcements, but this certainly blew our expectations out of the park. Amazingly, this is only the beginning, with more developers showcasing their games over the next few days. But what did you think of Summer Game Fest: Kickoff Live!? Did you enjoy it? Were you surprised by any announcements? Or did you find it disappointing? Let us know down in the comments below.