This year’s Summer Game Fest has kicked off with a two-hour show featuring new trailers, game reveals and interviews with dev teams across the world of gaming.
With host Geoff Keighley on hand to guide players through, the 2022 show had something for everyone so here is a rundown of what was announced during the show.
Street Fighter 6
First up was a new trailer from Street Fighter 6 featuring the announcement that series regular Guile will be part of the roster when the game launches in 2023. Fans got their first look at Guile in action in the teaser trailer, which also showed off one of the game’s many different locations.
Street Fighter 6 is currently in development for a 2023 release on console and PC.
Aliens are back
Next up was the reveal of a new game set in the Aliens universe. Coming in 2023 for console and PC, Aliens: Dark Descent will see players take on the Xenomorphs in deep space in close-quarter combat.
The Callisto Protocol
Following on from the first look trailer at PlayStation’s State of Play earlier this month, there was more from the team developing The Callisto Protocol with an extended trailer and gameplay footage from two different locations in the game. Introduced by Striking Distance Studios CEO Glen Schofield, the two clips featured a fresh look at what fans can expect from the survival horror when it launches later this year.
The Callisto Protocol is currently set for a December 2, 2022 release on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and PC.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II
Fresh off the reveal of the first trailer was the first gameplay from the upcoming Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II. Set on an offshore oil rig, the “Dark Water” mission playthrough footage featured members of Task Force 141 as they tried to stop a missile launch.
The demo showcased the game’s combat, UI display, weapon options and more. Call of Duty GM Johanna Faries and Infinity Ward’s Jeff Negus were on hand after the trailer to give fans a little more info about the game ahead of the launch later this year.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II is scheduled to be released on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and PC on October 28, 2022.
Reveals Galore
Along with the more in-depth looks, there were a few games which only gave players a sneak peek of what they can expect to see:
- Flashback 2 is a sequel to the Mega Drive platformer coming to PC and console later this year,
- A new trailer for Witchfire confirmed the game will be coming to Early Access soon,
- Troy Baker and Roger Clark will be leading the cast of a new thriller title called Fort Solis, which was described by Baker as being “Dead Space meets Duncan Jones’ Moon”
- Routine is a first-person thriller which has been in development for more than a decade coming to Xbox Game Pass,
- The Endgame reveal for Outriders Worldslayer will be coming on June 10,
Stormgate
Next up on the show was Frost Giant Studios and their next title – Stormgate. The first trailer revealed the first two factions which will be available in the game, Humans and the Infernal Host. Tim Morten from the studio was on hand to explain a little bit more about the game, which will be free-to-play, ahead of the beta coming in 2023.
Stormgate is currently in development for PC.
Previews Galore
More announcements came thick and fast during the show:
- Highwater is an adventure strategy game set against the backdrop of extreme climate change,
- American Arcadia sees players follow a character called Trevor as he tries to escape the seemingly idyllic city of Arcadia, where ratings are everything.
- Goat Simulator 3 will be coming to the Epic Games Store in Autumn 2022,
- The latest trailer for Marvel’s Midnight Suns revealed that both Venom and Spider-Man will be part of the game’s story when it is released on October 7,
- Fans of Cuphead got a look at one of the upcoming boss fights in The Delicious Last Course, which is coming out at the end of June,
- Neon White, a story about an assassin plucked from Hell to work for Heaven, will be coming to PC on June 16,
- A demo for Midnight Fight Express is available now ahead of the game’s August release,
- Fans of Warframe got a tease of the upcoming Duviri Paradox ahead of the event’s full reveal at TennoCon in July.
There was one game noticeably absent from the show. Currently in development at Sad Cat Studios, Replaced is a 2.5D retro-futuristic platformer coming to Xbox this year. The team, who are based in Belarus, had been hoping to showcase a new trailer from the game, but, as Geoff Keighley explained, they were unable to do so do the current war in Ukraine meaning it wasn’t finished on time. Keighley then went on to express his support for the team and the hope the game will be shown at a future event.
The HoYoverse Expands
There were not one, but two games on show from HoYoverse. Up first was Honkai Star Rail with a new trailer showcasing the game’s world, characters and combat. It is currently in development for iOS, Android and PC.
Secondly, there was a new character reveal trailer for Zenless Zone Zero. No release date has been confirmed for this urban action adventure which is also in development for iOS, Android and PC.
More Previews and Teasers Ahead
The next round of reveals came in very quick succession:
- TMNT Shredder’s Revenge will feature Casey Jones as a playable character and have a 6-person local and online cop-op mode when it launches on June 16,
- Super People will be having a beta testing session in August
- Humankind will be coming to Xbox via Game Pass with a new Cultures of Latin America expansion also coming to the game,
- A new trailer for One Piece Odyssey showcased Luffy and his crew heading on a new adventure
- Soul Hackers 2 unveiled a new trailer featuring the game’s English voice cast,
- Capcom Arcade 2nd Stadium was revealed for console and PC,
- Samsung will be launching its own Gaming Hub service later this summer,
- A new demo for Metal Hellsinger is available now on console and PC,
- There was a more in-depth look at gameplay for Nightingale, including the new Realm Card system,
- The Boss Factory demo will allow players the chance to create their own character for the upcoming Saints Row reboot ahead of its release later this year,
- Warhammer 40K fans got a new look at some gameplay from the upcoming Darktide story,
- Layers of Fears is the next game from Bloober Team which will be coming in 2023.
Last among the previews was a more in-depth look at Nightwing in Gotham Knights. Introduced by WB Games Montreal’s Fleur Marty, the new preview showcased different aspects of Nightwing’s charters, with teases of his combat, gear, abilities and his story arc within the game.
Gotham Knights is scheduled to be released on Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5 and PC on October 25.
Naughty Dog
Joining Geoff Keighley on stage to help close the show was Neil Druckmann of Naughty Dog. While marking the 9- and 2-year anniversaries of the launches of The Last of Us and The Last of Us 2 respectively, Druckmann was there to give fans an update on what they can expect moving forward.
While no title or release information was announced, it was revealed that a standalone multiplayer game set in the world of The Last of Us is currently in development and will feature a new location and a new set of characters.
There was also an update on The Last of Us TV series which is in development for HBO. During the showcase, Druckmann revealed that principal photography on the show is due to finish this week and that he will be directing one of the episodes in the series, which is set to debut in 2023. As a special treat for fans, an image from the episode was shown, with series leads Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey as Joel and Ellie taking cover from an infected on the hunt.
There was one final announcement for the TV adaptation: Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson, the original voice actors for Joel and Ellie, will both be appearing in the series. No details have been revealed about their roles but Johnson and Baker both confirmed their appearances will be “more than a cameo”.
Finally, there was the official unveiling – following an earlier leak by PlayStation Direct – of the PlayStation 5 remake of The Last of Us. After the reveal trailer was shown, it was confirmed the game is being rebuilt from the ground up using the original mocap and voice performances from both Baker and Johnson with no new or re-recorded dialogue.
The Last of Us Part 1 is scheduled to be released on PlayStation 5 on September 2, 2022 with a PC release to be confirmed.
More information about Summer Game Fest 2022 can be found on their official website
Watch the showcase in full below.
Words by Megan Roxburgh
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