Geoff Keighley says to expect fewer third-party showcases this summer

Journalist and presenter Geoff Keighley has said to expect fewer third-party digital showcases this summer, as companies instead opt to include content in events like his Summer Game Fest show.

Last year companies such as Capcom and Square Enix received a somewhat negative critical response to their own digital events, which fans felt contained fewer announcements than anticipated.

Speaking during a Twitter Spaces audio session this weekend, Keighley said consumers should expect less third-party conferences this year, as those publishers with less content instead opt to participate in Summer Game Fest and “first-party conferences” such as the Xbox and Bethesda Showcase.

“There were a lot of shows last year where everyone was disappointed when they weren’t really press conferences, right? Like Take-Two, Capcom, Square Enix and things like that,” he said.

“I think [they] have learned that if you’re going to do a press conference, you kind of need to have 30 minutes-plus of stuff, and sometimes they only have one or two great games to show, which may not be enough to do a full event around.”

Keighley added: “So I think that’s going to be a bit of a shift. I have a pretty good sense of what’s coming in the next month, and I think people will be hyped about games in general.

“There is still a lack of games coming out right now, this kind of is the Covid gap year I think… with a lot of games being delayed because they were started during the pandemic. We’re still hoping for a lot of things to come out”.

As previously announced, Summer Game Fest will kick off with “a live cross-industry showcase” on Thursday, June 9 at 11am PT / 2pm ET / 7pm BST.

It promises to showcase “what’s next in gaming with huge new game announcements, world premieres, special guests, and much more”.

Related

Core of this year’s Summer Game Fest event will run from June 9-12

But announcements are likely to be spread over a matter of weeks

During the Twitter chat, Keighley revealed that “15-plus” guests will appear during the show, and confirmed that this year’s event will see members of the media go hands-on with some of the games featured.

“I don’t think people are going to get necessarily everything that they want in June, like they never do, but I hope people have fun,” he said.

“It’s just going to be different, and that’s what I keep telling people: this is not replacing E3, it’s a different sort of vibe and sense of things. I don’t make the games, so I just sit here and pray that there’s going to be some cool stuff to show to people.”