2023’s Geoff Keighley-hosted Summer Game Fest event was filled to the brim with exciting announcements and news. From global premieres of new game trailers to updates on ongoing projects to a surprise appearance from none other than upcoming Dead by Daylight addition Nicolas Cage, the two-hour showcase had a ton of stuff for fans to love. Here are GameLuster’s choices for the top five announcements from this year’s action-packed Summer Game Fest!
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Gets A Release Date
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is a hotly anticipated upcoming title that will see Spider-Men Peter Parker and Miles Morales team up to defend New York City from some of Marvel’s nastiest villains. While fans were expecting to hear something about the upcoming title at SGF, many were surprised that the game got an official release date: October 20, 2023. Even Keighley himself seemed surprised when Bryan Intihar dropped that news! In addition, fans got a closer look at Symbiote-infected Peter’s gameplay, some new images of villain Kraven, the reveal that the game’s NYC map has doubled in size – and will now include Brooklyn and Queens in addition to downtown Manhattan! – and a confirmation that the Venom appearing in the game will not be Eddie Brock. October simply cannot come soon enough!
Alan Wake 2 Serves A Double Helping Of Horror
The original Alan Wake caused more than a few nightmares when it first released in 2010. Now, Alan Wake 2 sees the crime fiction author return, this time caught up in a brand-new adventure. Rather than starring Alan exclusively, Alan Wake 2 will see gameplay alternate between Alan and a new character, Saga, who is investigating strange events and rumors in the town of Bright Falls. Writer Sam Lake described Alan Wake 2 as “more of a survival horror title” than its predecessor, and also revealed that it is designed as a standalone experience that people who have not played the first Alan Wake can still enjoy. After an extended gameplay sequence showing Saga investigating an abandoned store and seemingly fighting a deer-masked cultist, an official release date for Alan Wake 2 was shared: October 17, 2023.
Mortal Kombat 1 Gets An Extended Gameplay Look
Mortal Kombat 1 signifies a rebirth for the long-running series, featuring new backstories and re-imagined relationships between the iconic characters. A look at gameplay during Summer Game Fest also revealed that the game will be a celebration of all things Mortal Kombat with the newly introduced Kameo system. Now, not only do you get to choose a character to play as, you can also summon other characters on the battlefield to lend you strength as Kameos. And the MK1 team promises that tons of classic fighters will make Kameo returns! Mortal Kombat 1 will release on September 19, 2023 with a beta coming sometime in August.
Prince of Persia Returns With The Lost Crown
It’s been a while since the long-running Prince of Persia franchise got a new title, and it’s not an exaggeration to say that pretty much nobody was expecting Summer Game Fest to kick off with a brand-new Prince game from publisher Ubisoft. Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is an action-adventurer platformer that features an epic world to explore and focuses on the player’s ability to manipulate time and space themselves. It features updated graphics and multiple new enemies to defeat. Available on PC, PlayStation and Xbox consoles, and Nintendo Switch, The Lost Crown is scheduled to debut on January 17, 2024.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Closes Out The Showcase
The grand finale of Summer Game Fest is always a pretty exciting announcement, and 2023’s closer was no exception! Fans got a look at the first trailer for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, the second entry in the planned trilogy of Final Fantasy VII remakes. Cloud and his team have left Midgar and encountered new ally Yuffie (as well as some adorable Chocobos!) but Sephiroth is still hot on their trail, and he seems more determined than ever to end Cloud once and for all. The game is planned to come out in early 2024, although Final Fantasy VII fans can tide themselves over with Ever Crisis, a mobile game that will release later this year after a closed beta in late June.
Of course, these were only a few of the amazing announcements made during Summer Game Fest 2023. There was the upcoming Street Fighter 6 and Exoprimal collab, cool new titles like Sandland, Yes Your Grace Snowfall, and John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando, a quick look at the next season of Fortnite, and more! What were your favorite announcements from Summer Game Fest 2023? Are there any that you think should be added to this list? Comment below and let us know!
