Summer Game Fest 2023: All the games announced<p>After dozens of stories, we’re just about wrapped with our coverage of Summer Game Fest 2023. Following the <a data-i13n="cpos:1;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/e3-2023-has-been-canceled-211201976.html">cancellation of E3[/url] back in March, we had a smaller, stripped-back experience at SGF. It began... before it all began, with Sony holding its own PlayStation Showcase livestream on May 24th. It was a pretty packed show, featuring Bungie's
Marathon, Haven's
Fairgame$, a
Metal Gear Solid 3 remake, more info on
Final Fantasy XVI and
Spider-Man 2, and a release date for
Alan Wake II. There was also the <a data-i13n="cpos:2;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/project-q-is-a-dedicated-ps5-streaming-device-due-later-this-year-211814445.html">Project Q[/url] handheld streaming device. </p><p>Then came Summer Game Fest with an opening night event on Thursday, June 8th. We got a gameplay reveal for
Mortal Kombat 1, a new (delayed to 2024) release date for
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth,
and a handful of smaller reveals like
Sand Land and
Sonic Superstars. There were a
lot of sequels and free-to-play MMO trailers, but it was a generally low-key affair, with fewer big names than we've come to expect from the team behind The Game Awards.</p><span id="end-legacy-contents"></span><p>The Day of the Devs and Devolver streams immediately following Summer Game Fest's live show were a little more successful, with interesting games from smaller studios, including
Baby Steps,
Beastieball,
Cocoon,
Hauntii,
Helskate,
Simpler Times and
Viewfinder.</p><p>It wasn't until Sunday's Xbox event that we got an event filled with the AAA announcements you'd expect out of E3. Microsoft had a customarily dense show that featured new announcements and some release dates (or windows) for known games. Among the games featured were
Avowed,
Fable,
South of Midnight,
Persona 3 Reload,
Forza Motorsport,
Senua's Saga: Hellblade II,
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty,
Metaphor: ReFantazio and
Clockwork Revolution. We also finally got an Xbox Series S that has 1TB of built-in storage.</p><p>On Monday, we saw a pair of smaller shows. First up was Ubisoft, which featured
Star Wars Outlaws and
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, a trio of Assassin's Creed games, a new Crew game and a fresh Prince of Persia title. Later that day it was Capcom's turn, and they showed off
Exoprimal, again, and offered an intriguing look at
Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess, which looks like a unique third-person action game. Finally, because it's 2023, there was also an indefinite delay to the company's almost-forgotten AAA sci-fi game,
Pragmata. That's a game that was announced for PlayStation 5 way back in June 2020 — before we even knew what the PS5 looked like — and this is its second delay after initially being expected in 2022.</p><p>We’ll have more coverage in the coming weeks, and will update this post with links when they go live. For now, enjoy our analysis, previews and all the other big announcements from SGF 2023.</p><h2>Analysis</h2><p></p><h3><a data-i13n="cpos:3;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/summer-game-fest-2023-and-the-stagnant-state-of-the-industry-163019962.html">Summer Game Fest 2023 and the stagnant state of the industry[/url]</h3><div id="e1558b1698364ac08c6a55051fdee852"><iframe src="
https://www.youtube.com/embed/cTb8Z_Us7vA?rel=0" style="top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;position:absolute;border:0;" allowfullscreen scrolling="no"></iframe></div><p>I published this story about the state of AAA gaming on the eve of Summer Game Fest. After a week stuffed full of gaming announcements, I feel exactly the same way.
— Jessica Conditt, Senior Reporter</p><h3><a data-i13n="cpos:4;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/generative-ai-can-help-bring-tomorrows-gaming-npcs-to-life-163037183.html">Generative AI can help bring tomorrow's gaming NPCs to life[/url]</h3><p>This story from senior reporter (and Engadget's AI expert) Andrew Tarantola looks at the history of NPCs from if-then programming through to finite-state-machines, decision and behavior trees, GOAPs, and modern AIs in games like
The Last of Us, and then looks to the future to see how generative AI might impact the future of gaming.</p><h3><a data-i13n="cpos:5;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/ubisoft-needs-a-reboot-164531373.html">Ubisoft needs a reboot[/url]</h3><div id="300e744d5b4b49d3803d78789ecd2cf4"><iframe src="
https://www.youtube.com/embed/5QSXqnJhrx0?rel=0" style="top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;position:absolute;border:0;" allowfullscreen scrolling="no"></iframe></div><p>At some point in the last console generation, Ubisoft lost its soul. It was a piecemeal erosion process that started in 2015, and it finally resulted in a complete identity collapse somewhere between the studio’s unironic rollout of in-game NFTs and its sixth delay of
Skull & Bones. Ubisoft has 40 years of AAA hits and weird licensing deals to its name, and it used to be a pillar of European innovation — but in 2023, it’s selling live-service blandness, mobile ports with microtransactions and unreliable release dates. What even
is Ubisoft anymore?
— Jessica Conditt</p><h3><a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:YouTube;elmt:;cpos:6;pos:1" href="
https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=89f68c82-f255-44fa-8db9-03fec996b93a&siteId=us-engadget&pageId=1p-autolink&featureId=text-link&merchantName=YouTube&custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsInN0b3JlSWQiOiI4OWY2OGM4Mi1mMjU1LTQ0ZmEtOGRiOS0wM2ZlYzk5NmI5M2EiLCJsYW5kaW5nVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cueW91dHViZS5jb20vd2F0Y2g_dj0xaUxvZ3R3NmRLUSIsImNvbnRlbnRVdWlkIjoiZWRlOTJhNTItYTJhNC00MmUyLWI2MzktMGY3MmUwMjhhMTcwIn0&signature=AQAAAbg_DJNFlH6nclRvatVlZJwnlBkaK_2kWataeeUrwAAj&gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D1iLogtw6dKQ" class="rapid-with-clickid">The Starfield direct has me excited for Bethesda's new ambitious RPG[/url]</h3><div id="4ff37f7cd1004082a36bd205c3482ca5"><iframe src="
https://www.youtube.com/embed/1iLogtw6dKQ?rel=0" style="top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;position:absolute;border:0;" allowfullscreen scrolling="no"></iframe></div><p>Senior video producer Brandon Quintana shot this video immediately after Microsoft's Starfield Direct on Sunday, outlining why, after a fuller look at the game, he's more excited than ever for Bethesda's new ambitious RPG.</p><h3><a data-i13n="cpos:7;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/why-the-oxenfree-ii-team-became-netflixs-first-game-studio-130035607.html">Why the 'Oxenfree II' team became Netflix's first game studio[/url]</h3><p>In early 2021, Night School was in the market for a partnership. It ended up being acquired by Netflix, becoming the company's first game studio. Now, Night School is gearing up to launch its first game for the streaming giant. But that's not the end of Netflix's ambitions.</p><h2>Game previews</h2><p></p><h3><a data-i13n="cpos:8;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/alan-wake-ii-stands-out-in-a-sea-of-sequels-140010178.html">'Alan Wake II' stands out in a sea of sequels[/url]</h3><div id="3f7f0b1b8d1c469a8bf64937dff30eef"><iframe src="
https://www.youtube.com/embed/pDUPB4EqMKQ?rel=0" style="top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;position:absolute;border:0;" allowfullscreen scrolling="no"></iframe></div><p>I’m nervous about Saga’s fate in Alan Wake II — and that only makes me more excited for the full game. This is first-and-foremost a linear, narrative-driven experience, and it looks spooky as hell.
– Jessica Conditt</p><h3><a data-i13n="cpos:9;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/armored-core-vi-fires-of-rubicon-first-look-140011240.html">‘Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon’ has fast battles with customizable mechs[/url]</h3><div id="68067a48a68b406e8a45d10e4e51695b"><iframe src="
https://www.youtube.com/embed/70iJdmJKMVw?rel=0" style="top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;position:absolute;border:0;" allowfullscreen scrolling="no"></iframe></div><p>Armored Core, one of the longest-running mech battle series ever, hasn’t been seen in over a decade. Now, developer FromSoftware, flying high from
Elden Ring and
Dark Souls glory, is returning to mechs, with what it says is a remastered, reimagined take on robot combat. It’s time for a mech gaming boom.
– Mat Smith, UK Bureau Chief</p><h3><a data-i13n="cpos:10;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/cocoon-is-worth-getting-excited-about-181529189.html">‘Cocoon’ is worth getting excited about[/url]</h3><p>Cocoon is a game that makes perfect sense while you're playing it. That would be an unremarkable achievement if it wasn't also a game that forces you to use its levels to solve themselves. It’s the debut title from Geometric Interactive, a studio from folks that previously worked on the award-winning puzzle platformers
Limbo and
Inside. At Summer Game Fest 2023 I had around half an hour to play through the game’s opening, and it has stuck with me more than anything else I saw at the show. In my mind it’s the game of the show.
– Aaron Souppouris, Executive Editor</p><h3><a data-i13n="cpos:11;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/forza-motorsport-wants-you-to-drive-forever-183033371.html">'Forza Motorsport' wants you to drive forever[/url]</h3><p>The long-overdue next title in the Motorsport series (it’s been over five years since the last!) has a bunch of new features, improved physics, better AI and looks absolutely fantastic at 4K/60. The most interesting thing about it to me is that it could well be the last distinct Motorsport game, as Microsoft is moving the series to a game-as-a-service model. In the age of Game Pass, that makes perfect sense to me, and I can’t wait to start driving this October.
– Aaron Souppouris</p><h3><a data-i13n="cpos:12;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/immortals-of-aveum-first-look-a-little-more-magic-and-this-might-be-wonderful-133034089.html">'Immortals of Aveum' first look: A little more magic and this might be wonderful[/url]</h3><div id="6c48bfbc91e24177bb8d3e575fec4b8c"><iframe src="
https://www.youtube.com/embed/HB_J-qp331E?rel=0" style="top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;position:absolute;border:0;" allowfullscreen scrolling="no"></iframe></div><p>When I saw the announcement trailer for
Immortals of Aveum in the winter of 2022, I was surprised by my own interest in the game. Today, I remain interested in
Immortals of Aveum and I think I’ve figured out why. There aren’t a ton of first-person action games that rely on mechanics other than guns —
Dishonored,
Ghostwire: Tokyo and
Hexen come to mind, but it’s a small field overall. That might be one reason
Immortals stands out as something fresh, but it’s also nice to see a new, AAA-level game that’s single-player and narrative-driven with a contained campaign, rather than an open world of live-service features.
– Jessica Conditt</p><h3><a data-i13n="cpos:13;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/lysfanga-hands-on-impressions-sgf-2023-130004741.html">‘Lysfanga’ is what happens when hack-and-slash meets tactical time travel[/url]</h3><p>
Lysfanga’s isometric views may conjure up memories of Hades, but this is a different kind of game. While you’ll still be slicing and dicing monsters and enemies, protagonist Imë combines her spells and weapon combos with the ability to revert time and do it all over again, differently. The second time around, her shadow from the previous timeline will continue to rush into the enemies. While some action-game prowess helps, you’ll only beat most levels by thinking them through before you act. The controls and play style aren’t remotely similar, but Lysfanga reminded me of old Fire Emblem games, where careful planning decided a fight before it even begins. Even in this early demo, the game offers some incredibly satisfying moments when all your attacking clones come together to wipe out all the enemies in mere seconds.
– Mat Smith</p><h3><a data-i13n="cpos:14;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/mortal-kombat-1-first-impressions-sgf-2023-180039676.html">‘Mortal Kombat 1’ made a great first impression[/url]</h3><div id="7b2a0e6373eb4621ad114286e0e01025"><iframe src="
https://www.youtube.com/embed/fD_IYYMFoqc?rel=0" style="top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;position:absolute;border:0;" allowfullscreen scrolling="no"></iframe></div><p>Ed Boon's on-stage gameplay reveal of
Mortal Kombat 1, the latest entry in the storied fighting game franchise, was one of the stand-out moments of an otherwise subdued opening event. At a private event after the show, Brandon Quintana and Mat Smith sat down to play some
MK1 and came away impressed.</p><h3><a data-i13n="cpos:15;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/prince-of-persia-the-lost-crown-is-a-metroidvania-style-platformer-coming-in-2024-194059046.html">'Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown' is a Metroidvania-style platformer coming in 2024[/url]</h3><div id="00ff766809f0411fabe27a4d60bcb5a1"><iframe src="
https://www.youtube.com/embed/q3qohiAoz9w?rel=0" style="top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;position:absolute;border:0;" allowfullscreen scrolling="no"></iframe></div><p>After a small reveal at Summer Game Fest’s opening night event, Ubisoft did a deeper dive into the game during Monday’s “Forward” stream. After that, senior video producer Brandon Quintana got his hands on an early build of the game and had a blast.</p><h3><a data-i13n="cpos:16;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/33-immortals-first-look-defying-a-god-is-more-fun-with-friends-190037208.html">'33 Immortals' first look: Defying a god is more fun with friends[/url]</h3><p>Can you imagine assembling 33 players for a 25-minute raid?
33 Immortals plans to do exactly that. Channeling the animation style of retro cartoons (and a little Banner Saga),
33 Immortals is a multiplayer roguelike top-down action game from the creators of
Spiritfarer. In this early build of the game I played with five others and had a lot of fun, even if some technical issues spoiled the party a little. I’m excited to play a roguelike as part of a mob, and I'm curious to see what the other character types will be.
– Mat Smith</p><h3><a data-i13n="cpos:17;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/under-the-waves-is-a-sad-but-relaxing-oceanic-adventure-130037105.html">‘Under the Waves’ is a sad but relaxing oceanic adventure[/url]</h3><p>Parallel Studio’s
Under the Waves is a calming game. Between the cheers and jeers from
Crash Team Rumble players (possibly employees) nearby, I was diving. Diving deeper and deeper into the inky blue, chasing a jettisoned shipping container as it bounced off rocks, spilling soft toys and revealing a mysteriously abandoned submarine hidden deeper still. While I might have been relaxed, I also felt a little unsettled. In a lot of ways, whether it’s the story yet to be revealed or the uneasy tension that is touched on regularly, it reminds me of
Firewatch, even if it’s all set undersea.
– Mat Smith</p><p></p><h2>All the other big announcements at Summer Game Fest 2023</h2><p></p><p>You can find all of our coverage from Summer Game Fest <a data-i13n="cpos:18;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/tag/sgf-2023/">right here[/url], but here’s a chronological list of the announcements we think really moved the needle.</p><h3>Thursday June 8th</h3><ul><li><p><a data-i13n="cpos:19;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/you-can-play-a-demo-of-the-goth-pinocchio-game-lies-of-p-right-now-200224973.html">You can play a demo of the goth Pinocchio game 'Lies of P' right now[/url]</p></li><li><p><a data-i13n="cpos:20;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/sand-land-trailer-sgf-2023-akira-toriyama-200242482.html">'Sand Land' is a new adventure game based on a manga by the creator of Dragon Ball[/url]</p></li><li><p><a data-i13n="cpos:21;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/sonic-superstars-gives-classic-gameplay-another-modern-makeover-200643371.html">'Sonic Superstars' gives classic gameplay another modern makeover[/url]</p></li><li><p><a data-i13n="cpos:22;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/like-a-dragon-gaiden-revives-kiryu-on-november-9th-2023-204950865.html">‘Like A Dragon Gaiden’ revives Kiryu on November 9th 2023[/url]</p></li><li><p><a data-i13n="cpos:23;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/final-fantasy-vii-remake-rebirth-is-delayed-to-early-2024-211301245.html">'Final Fantasy VII Remake: Rebirth' is delayed to early 2024[/url]</p></li><li><p><a data-i13n="cpos:24;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/baby-steps-is-the-3d-qwop-weve-all-been-waiting-for-130829279.html">'Baby Steps' is the 3D 'QWOP' we've all been waiting for[/url]</p></li></ul><h3>Sunday June 11th</h3><ul><li><p><a data-i13n="cpos:25;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/take-a-peek-at-xboxs-fable-reboot-in-action-172438277.html">Take a peek at Xbox's Fable reboot in action[/url]</p></li><li><p><a data-i13n="cpos:26;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/south-of-midnight-is-a-southern-gothic-monster-adventure-from-compulsion-games-173100633.html">'South of Midnight' is a Southern Gothic monster adventure from Compulsion Games[/url]</p></li><li><p><a data-i13n="cpos:27;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/obsidian-fantasy-rpg-avowed-release-date-sgf-2023-174259416.html">Obsidian's fantasy RPG 'Avowed' is coming to PC and Xbox in 2024[/url]</p></li><li><p><a data-i13n="cpos:28;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/senuas-saga-hellblade-ii-will-arrive-in-2024-175240445.html">'Senua's Saga: Hellblade II' will arrive in 2024[/url]</p></li><li><p><a data-i13n="cpos:29;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/like-a-dragon-infinite-wealth-will-make-you-see-ichibans-bare-butt-in-early-2024-175557876.html">'Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth' will make you see Ichiban's bare butt in early 2024[/url]</p></li><li><p><a data-i13n="cpos:30;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/xbox-series-s-will-be-available-with-1tb-storage-in-black-for-349-on-september-1st-181414018.html">Xbox Series S will be available with 1TB storage in black for $349 on September 1st[/url]</p></li><li><p><a data-i13n="cpos:31;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/cyberpunk-2077-phantom-liberty-will-take-you-back-to-night-city-on-september-26th-181652972.html">'Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty' will take you back to Night City on September 26th[/url]</p></li><li><p><a data-i13n="cpos:32;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/cities-skylines-ii-will-arrive-on-pc-and-consoles-october-24th-2023-181911885.html">'Cities Skylines II' will arrive on PC and consoles October 24th[/url]</p></li><li><p><a data-i13n="cpos:33;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/metaphor-refantazio-is-a-fantasy-rpg-from-the-team-behind-persona-5-183345120.html">'Metaphor: ReFantazio' is a fantasy RPG from the team behind 'Persona 5'[/url]</p></li><li><p><a data-i13n="cpos:34;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/clockwork-revolution-is-a-time-traveling-rpg-of-steampunk-anarchy-183507054.html">'Clockwork Revolution' is a time-traveling RPG of steampunk anarchy[/url]</p></li><li><p><a data-i13n="cpos:35;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/overwatch-2s-story-missions-and-new-pvp-mode-will-land-on-august-10th-191905129.html">Overwatch 2's story missions and new PvP mode will land on August 10th[/url]</p></li><li><p><a data-i13n="cpos:36;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/persona-3-reload-updates-a-ps2-classic-for-modern-platforms-in-early-2024-192331128.html">'Persona 3 Reload' updates a PS2 classic for modern platforms in early 2024[/url]</p></li></ul><h3>Monday June 12th</h3><ul><li><p><a data-i13n="cpos:37;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/avatar-frontiers-of-pandora-launch-date-sgf-2023-174516354.html">Ubisoft’s ‘Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora’ arrives on December 7th 2023[/url]</p></li><li><p><a data-i13n="cpos:38;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/skull-and-bones-is-still-alive-will-apparently-have-a-closed-beta-in-august-175747813.html">'Skull and Bones' is still alive, will apparently have a closed beta in August[/url]</p></li><li><p><a data-i13n="cpos:39;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/first-star-wars-outlaws-gameplay-trailer-offers-10-minutes-of-scoundrel-wish-fulfilment-184921702.html">First 'Star Wars Outlaws' gameplay trailer offers 10 minutes of scoundrel wish fulfillment[/url]</p></li><li><p><a data-i13n="cpos:40;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/capcoms-pragmata-has-been-delayed-for-a-second-time-002035406.html">Capcom's Pragmata has been delayed for a second time[/url]</p></li><li><p><a data-i13n="cpos:41;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/capcoms-kunitsu-gami-path-of-the-goddess-is-an-action-game-with-traditional-japanese-aesthetics-054801136.html">Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess is an action game with traditional Japanese aesthetics[/url]</p></li></ul>This article originally appeared on Engadget at
https://www.engadget.com/summer-game-fest-2023-all-the-games-announced-140053892.html?src=rssSource:
Summer Game Fest 2023: All the games announced
