9 games that must be at Summer Game Fest, otherwise it will be over in no time
We will be right back. And by “we” I mean video games. A half-dozen tightly produced promotional events over the next week will see games teased in the form of compelling cinematic trailers with promises to push the medium forward.
Replacing host Geoff Keighley for E3, the annual Summer Game Fest extravaganza will kick off promotional activities on Friday, June 7. The rest of the weekend is also filled with similar hour-long events from Xbox, Activision, Ubisoft, Devolver Digital, and other organizers who have rounded up smaller, indie games for a combined show of force.
The annual parade of trailers for exciting new games is expected to feature plenty of games that won’t be released for many months, if not years, after their reveal. To be clear: that happens every year. And I’m here to remind you that there are countless unreleased games that have been announced with great enthusiasm at similar events in recent years – some of which have slipped from public consciousness, and we’re confident that if they don’t appear in a meaningful way over the next few weeks, it will be over soon.*
*It’s not really over yet, especially considering the volatile state of the video game industry. But we’re getting pretty anxious/impatient about the next games and honestly hoping they come out, look great, and are critical and commercial successes – all of them.
Monolith’s Wonder Woman game
Announced in 2021, developer Monolith Productions promised to release its patented Nemesis system Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor to a game based on Wonder Woman. We were excited about it, even with the taste of it Wonder Woman 1984 relatively fresh on the palate, but haven’t heard anything about the game since. DC’s approach to video games based on its characters has changed since it was announced Wonder Womanand we remain hopeful that Monolith can capture the magical feeling of battling fun-loving Orcs in a game that puts us in control of Diana Prince and her golden lasso.
Ubisoft’s Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell remake
Another announcement dating back to 2021? Ubisoft Toronto’s plan to remake the original Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell. The new Splinter cell promises to take advantage of 20 years of technical innovations and to rework parts of the game’s story “that may not have aged particularly well,” creative director Chris Auty said in 2022. Showing off the Splinter Cell remake at the Xbox Games Sunday’s showcase would be a success. There’s still a long way to go to satisfy longtime Xbox fans, with a deeper dive ideally ready for Monday’s Ubisoft Forward event. Just sayin’.
Skate. (Skate 4)
Thanks to Electronic Arts: The publishing and development team, Full Circle, has been very transparent about the development of the next Skate game, called skate.not Skating 4, officially – and opened up playtesting for ongoing versions of the game. But please give us all the new Skate! What about a release date? Barring that, can I get a beta key? I want to flop too.
Pragmata from Capcom
It’s been four years since Capcom revealed this Pragmata at Sony’s big reveal of the PlayStation 5. Pragmatahas been delayed several times since then, and the last we heard about it was when Capcom postponed it indefinitely. Is Pragmata join the growing list of games coming in 2025? It’s starting to look like it.
Rare is Everwild
We are approaching the fifth anniversary of Always wild‘s revelation. Eighteen months later, we learned that developer Rare had reportedly rebooted the game with “a complete overhaul of the game’s design and direction.” Honestly, we just want to know what Always wild even is – especially since Rare has proven that, with the right development resources, it can turn good games into great ones.
Transformers: Reactivate
Call me an idealist, but I’m always willing to give a Transformers game the benefit of the doubt. Sometimes you get an unexpected surprise: a Transformers: destruction, if you want. So when Splash Damage teased Transformers: Reactivate in 2022 with a moody cover of Bon Jovi’s ‘Dead or Alive’, I was immediately on board. But we haven’t heard much about the cooperative online action game since then, and that’s a shame. I’ve been in transform-and-deploy mode for the past 18 months and I am Worried.
Perfectly dark
Announced at The Game Awards 2020, by developer The Initiative’s Perfectly dark reboot promised to revive a long-dormant franchise and serve as the cornerstone of the Xbox Series Perfectly dark and what we can expect from Joanna Dark’s return. We’ll keep waiting for it, along with Xbox Game Studios’ Granted, Contraband, Fable, The outside worlds 2And State of disrepair 3.
Kingdom hearts 4
We are now two years away from the announcement of Kingdom hearts 4, a reveal timed to mark the 20th anniversary of the Square Enix-Disney role-playing franchise. It’s looking more and more like we’ll have to wait until the 25th anniversary of Kingdom Hearts before we can actually get our hands on Sora’s next adventure. Considering how long it’s taken Square Enix to realize the Final Fantasy 7 remake trilogy – not to mention the next mainline Dragon Quest game – we don’t really expect that Kingdom hearts 4 appearing soon. There is a painful dose of reality in it.
Hollow Knight Silk Song
It doesn’t happen, right? Soon, I mean. That’s fine. Everything is fine.