Geoff Keighley announces Summer Games Fest: A 4 month long season of news and events

[Alexandros]

I am not really sold on the concept, it seems kind of redundant and four months is just too long of a time period to hold the audience's interest.

 

[Bit_Reactor]

This doesn't make any sense. You were making it seem like they all needed to show something in one week so you dont have to spend months looking for what to play. These companies are not waiting on one another in order to have their products shared in one week

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Right. They're not waiting on one another because that's the job of the organizer, in this case Geoff, previously it was ESA, to create submission guidelines and time frames for submission of said works to be shown at the show. How did you think E3 worked...?

I'm just not pumped for four months of Game Awards level advertising versus a consolidated approach to having everything have a cut off point and just showing it over one week to one month's time. Especially considering my opinion of TGA as a whole.

I wasn't spending "months looking for something to play" (again citation needed) but moreso not liking the idea of these types of things being drug out over four months for advertising revenue versus just having a cut off point and getting it out, directly and concisely.

Your comment was like "you can't expect companies to have everything ready for one week" when they not only did it before but have more of a time frame to target here without the hard cut off point, and could have been something Geoff and the others negotiated with the participants.

Just saying "everyone won't have things done in one week" is just a flat counter because how do you think the cutoffs and submissions worked prior to this? Just going "Well now they can put it out right when it's done" versus them making stuff with deadlines before and putting it later for E3, it just (to me) seems like a flat delivery method that benefits advertisers more than it benefits anyone trying to get any type of consolidated news.

I get that they're wanting to do "interactive" stuff and try to do the steam fest thing but even Summer Games Done Quick knows not to overstay its welcome lol. But again, like I said, I'll just wait for the VOD's and go back and reference those so I can skip all the ad stuff and things because none of the "interactive" stuff is probably going to be anything that I care about, and the whole "time limited get yours now" Gacha/GaaS thing to me is just...stupid.

 

[eso76]

I think there's a wee bit more to it than him just "giving it a name", especially with all of those brands signing off on having their logos on the marketing material.

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Yeah I was kidding should have clarified

 

[JetBlackPanda]

Way to go Geoff! This is awesome. I have always liked that we had a "season" so to speak for new game announcements etc,.

 

[Lobster Roll]

Yeah I was kidding should have clarified

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Oh, gotcha haha. My bad.

 

[Scarecrowe]

Right. They're not waiting on one another because that's the job of the organizer, in this case Geoff, previously it was ESA, to create submission guidelines and time frames for submission of said works to be shown at the show. How did you think E3 worked...?

I'm just not pumped for four months of Game Awards level advertising versus a consolidated approach to having everything have a cut off point and just showing it over one week to one month's time. Especially considering my opinion of TGA as a whole.

I wasn't spending "months looking for something to play" (again citation needed) but moreso not liking the idea of these types of things being drug out over four months for advertising revenue versus just having a cut off point and getting it out, directly and concisely.

Your comment was like "you can't expect companies to have everything ready for one week" when they not only did it before but have more of a time frame to target here without the hard cut off point, and could have been something Geoff and the others negotiated with the participants.

Just saying "everyone won't have things done in one week" is just a flat counter because how do you think the cutoffs and submissions worked prior to this? Just going "Well now they can put it out right when it's done" versus them making stuff with deadlines before and putting it later for E3, it just (to me) seems like a flat delivery method that benefits advertisers more than it benefits anyone trying to get any type of consolidated news.

I get that they're wanting to do "interactive" stuff and try to do the steam fest thing but even Summer Games Done Quick knows not to overstay its welcome lol. But again, like I said, I'll just wait for the VOD's and go back and reference those so I can skip all the ad stuff and things because none of the "interactive" stuff is probably going to be anything that I care about, and the whole "time limited get yours now" Gacha/GaaS thing to me is just...stupid.

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Do you not realized E3 wasn't impacted by this virus last year??? Obviously they would able to get every single company in one week after months of planning

 

[Bit_Reactor]

Do you not realized E3 wasn't impacted by this virus???

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Nevermind lol. We're clearly communicating past each other.

 

[Samiya]

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Thanks! Good to know that there's a plan

 

[JetBlackPanda]

even if its just a hashtag to follow through the summer its better than letting each company just do it themselves via twitter.

Obviously this is much more than that. I don't get the hate or the people saying so its just a name on stuff that already happens.

 

[Geoff Keighley]

I am not really sold on the concept, it seems kind of redundant and four months is just too long of a time period to hold the audience's interest.

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It's a different approach -- things weren't going to line up into one week. In fact you'll see some publishers do multiple events/touch points across the summer. It's not just about one 2 hour "press conference" anymore, think about playable content, extended looks at games, and so on. And we're certainly not programming things every day, there will be breaks. And in-game events and content too.

When you look back across the summer at Labor Day, I hope you'll say "I got all the news I wanted, and played a bunch of cool things too." This is a container for all that, and we have some big surprises coming too. Today is just the initial announcement, the schedule on the website will launch next week.

 

[CloseTalker]

This is... echoing what companies would announce no matter what in a 4 month span?

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...That's what E3 is too, just in a shorter time span lol. The games are always going to be announced no matter what haha.

Why are people complaining about this? Why would you have a problem with potentially getting more good news? This forum is honestly the most cynical place in the world sometimes, it's mind boggling.

 

[Empyrean Cocytus]

It's a different approach -- things weren't going to line up into one week. In fact you'll see some publishers do multiple events/touch points across the summer. It's not just about one 2 hour "press conference" anymore, think about playable content, extended looks at games, and so on. And we're certainly not programming things every day, there will be breaks. And in-game events and content too.

When you look back across the summer at Labor Day, I hope you'll say "I got all the news I wanted, and played a bunch of cool things too." This is a container for all that, and we have some big surprises coming too. Today is just the initial announcement, the schedule on the website will launch next week.

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I see that Nintendo isn't part of the initial phase...are you working out getting them in on a future phase? What seems to be holding them back?

 

[Alexandros]

It's a different approach -- things weren't going to line up into one week. In fact you'll see some publishers do multiple events/touch points across the summer. It's not just about one 2 hour "press conference" anymore, think about playable content, extended looks at games, and so on. And we're certainly not programming things every day, there will be breaks. And in-game events and content too.

When you look back across the summer at Labor Day, I hope you'll say "I got all the news I wanted, and played a bunch of cool things too." This is a container for all that, and we have some big surprises coming too. Today is just the initial announcement, the schedule on the website will launch next week.

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Thank you for replying, I wish you the best of luck in this new endeavor.

 

[Scarecrowe]

It's a different approach -- things weren't going to line up into one week. In fact you'll see some publishers do multiple events/touch points across the summer. It's not just about one 2 hour "press conference" anymore, think about playable content, extended looks at games, and so on. And we're certainly not programming things every day, there will be breaks. And in-game events and content too.

When you look back across the summer at Labor Day, I hope you'll say "I got all the news I wanted, and played a bunch of cool things too." This is a container for all that, and we have some big surprises coming too. Today is just the initial announcement, the schedule on the website will launch next week.

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Lol Geoff there's no point it seems like people here doesn't use logic

 

[Nax]

I'm glad we are getting announcements. Just not a fan of a 4 month stretch. I imagine most of that will be dead space. I do prefer having one easily digestible week of big gaming news.

 

[VirtuaModel]

This is super cool! I look forward to checking out the schedule next week.

 

[Fatmanp]

I'm glad we are getting announcements. Just not a fan of a 4 month stretch. I imagine most of that will be dead space. I do prefer having one easily digestible week of big gaming news.

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Tbh when you look at how things usually go they run May - August most years anyway. May is usually some form of COD/Destiny/Battlefield blowout, then E3 in June and as of last year Keighly did a showcase at Gamescom.

 

[bsigg]

It's a different approach -- things weren't going to line up into one week. In fact you'll see some publishers do multiple events/touch points across the summer. It's not just about one 2 hour "press conference" anymore, think about playable content, extended looks at games, and so on. And we're certainly not programming things every day, there will be breaks. And in-game events and content too.

When you look back across the summer at Labor Day, I hope you'll say "I got all the news I wanted, and played a bunch of cool things too." This is a container for all that, and we have some big surprises coming too. Today is just the initial announcement, the schedule on the website will launch next week.

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Looking forward to it!

 

[Cudpug]

Exciting, and makes you wonder if this will pull the rug out from under E3 in the future.

The idea of stretching out announcements over time is more appealing to me than a few days of intense activity.

 

[takriel]

It's a different approach -- things weren't going to line up into one week. In fact you'll see some publishers do multiple events/touch points across the summer. It's not just about one 2 hour "press conference" anymore, think about playable content, extended looks at games, and so on. And we're certainly not programming things every day, there will be breaks. And in-game events and content too.

When you look back across the summer at Labor Day, I hope you'll say "I got all the news I wanted, and played a bunch of cool things too." This is a container for all that, and we have some big surprises coming too. Today is just the initial announcement, the schedule on the website will launch next week.

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Thanks a lot for taking the time and being here with us. I'm looking forward to a great Summer gaming experience!

 

[Neoxon]

It's a different approach -- things weren't going to line up into one week. In fact you'll see some publishers do multiple events/touch points across the summer. It's not just about one 2 hour "press conference" anymore, think about playable content, extended looks at games, and so on. And we're certainly not programming things every day, there will be breaks. And in-game events and content too.

When you look back across the summer at Labor Day, I hope you'll say "I got all the news I wanted, and played a bunch of cool things too." This is a container for all that, and we have some big surprises coming too. Today is just the initial announcement, the schedule on the website will launch next week.

Click to shrink...

Sounds like you & everyone else involved really thought it through. This could really be the true successor to E3, even after the pandemic is over (assuming that the likes of Nintendo, Ubisoft, Capcom, & others join in later down the road).

With that said, I'm surprised that you got Blizzard on-board, considering that they're known to stick strictly to Gamescom & Blizzcon. But with the former canceled & the latter up in the air, maybe that motivated them.

 

[TechMetalRules]

Excited to see how all this turns out! I hope Bosman's involved in some capacity!

 

[1-D_FE]

Right. They're not waiting on one another because that's the job of the organizer, in this case Geoff, previously it was ESA, to create submission guidelines and time frames for submission of said works to be shown at the show. How did you think E3 worked...?

I'm just not pumped for four months of Game Awards level advertising versus a consolidated approach to having everything have a cut off point and just showing it over one week to one month's time. Especially considering my opinion of TGA as a whole.

I wasn't spending "months looking for something to play" (again citation needed) but moreso not liking the idea of these types of things being drug out over four months for advertising revenue versus just having a cut off point and getting it out, directly and concisely.

Your comment was like "you can't expect companies to have everything ready for one week" when they not only did it before but have more of a time frame to target here without the hard cut off point, and could have been something Geoff and the others negotiated with the participants.

Just saying "everyone won't have things done in one week" is just a flat counter because how do you think the cutoffs and submissions worked prior to this? Just going "Well now they can put it out right when it's done" versus them making stuff with deadlines before and putting it later for E3, it just (to me) seems like a flat delivery method that benefits advertisers more than it benefits anyone trying to get any type of consolidated news.

I get that they're wanting to do "interactive" stuff and try to do the steam fest thing but even Summer Games Done Quick knows not to overstay its welcome lol. But again, like I said, I'll just wait for the VOD's and go back and reference those so I can skip all the ad stuff and things because none of the "interactive" stuff is probably going to be anything that I care about, and the whole "time limited get yours now" Gacha/GaaS thing to me is just...stupid.

Click to shrink...

E3 is marketing. It always has been. It used to be marketing for retail buyers (to know what to order for Christmas), but now it's fundamentally direct marketing to the consumers. The reason companies started to hate E3 is because it was expensive and unless you were the top dog, your stuff just got lost in all the noise. Spreading things out means everything gets properly highlighted. Which means companies have actual incentive to be excited about participating.

 

[Neoxon]

Hmm no Capcom. Does this mean we can expect something on Inside Xbox next week? There were rumors about RE8 and new IP announcement ''soon''.

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There are rumors of a new Capcom IP? That's news to me. And even then, I'd imagine that RE8 would be announced at Sony's event given that PSVR is supposedly gonna be supported.

 

[Deleted member 51691]

Sounds like you & everyone else involved really thought it through. This could really be the true successor to E3, even after the pandemic is over (assuming that the likes of Nintendo, Ubisoft, Capcom, & others join in later down the road).

With that said, I'm surprised that you got Blizzard on-board, considering that they're known to stick strictly to Gamescom & Blizzcon. But with the former canceled & the latter up in the air, maybe that motivated them.

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Probably helps that it's not just one week of news where lots of things can get lost in the shuffle. Noticed Digital Extremes as well, though maybe they're not such a surprise since they were an early supporter of the Game Awards.

 

[BabyDontHurtMe]

It's a different approach -- things weren't going to line up into one week. In fact you'll see some publishers do multiple events/touch points across the summer. It's not just about one 2 hour "press conference" anymore, think about playable content, extended looks at games, and so on. And we're certainly not programming things every day, there will be breaks. And in-game events and content too.

When you look back across the summer at Labor Day, I hope you'll say "I got all the news I wanted, and played a bunch of cool things too." This is a container for all that, and we have some big surprises coming too. Today is just the initial announcement, the schedule on the website will launch next week.

Click to shrink...

Could you elaborate what you mean by "phases"? The first phase will have a selection of publishers planning to make announcements. How many phases are you planning in total and how long will these phases last?

Sorry if this came across as combative. I'm just genuinely intrigued. SUmmer Games Fest sounds amazing. Super hyped for it.

 

[renegade_sylens]

Could you elaborate what you mean by "phases"? The first phase will have a selection of publishers planning to make announcements. How many phases are you planning in total and how long will these phases last?

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I think the schedule that Geoff will release next week will give you some insight into this.

 

[Bit_Reactor]

E3 is marketing. It always has been. It used to be marketing for retail buyers (to know what to order for Christmas), but now it's fundamentally direct marketing to the consumers. The reason companies started to hate E3 is because it was expensive and unless you were the top dog, your stuff just got lost in all the noise. Spreading things out means everything gets properly highlighted. Which means companies have actual incentive to be excited about participating.

Click to shrink...

It COULD mean that. But that's if we don't look at TGA and how key awards were handed out offscreen or mentioned in flashcards so they could make room for more ads.

I know that E3 is ads, but going "This other showrunner who also has to do that to make the show work is now going to stretch that out over 4 months" doesn't really give me super optimistic vibes. That being said we'll see.

EDIT: After seeing Geoff's response again I feel like it's just not going to hold my interest to just sit here for four months waiting for "something playable" or "Something interactive" to take form. Like if it's a demo then let's just call it that, and we didn't need an "Event" to do that. If it's in game events same thing. I just don't get what the purpose of it is beyond just going "Game studios are going to make announcements, but instead of usually doing it via their own social channels, it'll be me that does it." I just don't really care enough about one person or organization doing it to follow hashtags and schedules for four months to see if there's something I give a shit about. -shrug-

...That's what E3 is too, just in a shorter time span lol. The games are always going to be announced no matter what haha.

Why are people complaining about this? Why would you have a problem with potentially getting more good news? This forum is honestly the most cynical place in the world sometimes, it's mind boggling.

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The shorter span is key there. The reason why most game development iterations are missed or not noticed by the casual audiences is because they're not taking time to follow a game devs twitter, forums, websites, etc.

That's why things like the Directs get the hype they get. I feel like four months of a supposed event is basically the same thing. But again I don't "hate" it, I just think it's kind of redundant. I'll be there for the VOD if there is any. I don't see how anything in this announcement for any game I play could be something that I'm hyped about. Like aside from demos for new/upcoming games, I don't play a lot of GAAS-esque titles, so the events and stuff are for people not me, which is totally fine.

I just want the information, don't want to have to jump through E3 times 4 to get it. To each their own.

 

[Nax]

Absolutely. And as forward-looking as TGA is, it's still mostly stuck in a format created for a different time, and suffers those moments just like E3.

This is a complete rethinking, and I'm way, way in.

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Whether the format was a live show or pre recorded, the FF announcement woulda been a downer either way. So I'm not sure what you're getting at.

 

[Deleted member 864]

It's a different approach -- things weren't going to line up into one week. In fact you'll see some publishers do multiple events/touch points across the summer. It's not just about one 2 hour "press conference" anymore, think about playable content, extended looks at games, and so on. And we're certainly not programming things every day, there will be breaks. And in-game events and content too.

When you look back across the summer at Labor Day, I hope you'll say "I got all the news I wanted, and played a bunch of cool things too." This is a container for all that, and we have some big surprises coming too. Today is just the initial announcement, the schedule on the website will launch next week.

Click to shrink...

Thanks Geoff. Looking forward to it.

 

[Helix]

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Wait so Gamescom is the finale of Phase 3, so the endgame of games?

 

[Hoa]

Geoff Keighley putting in work like always. Interested in seeing how this turns out!

 

[JamRock7]

Could you elaborate what you mean by "phases"? The first phase will have a selection of publishers planning to make announcements. How many phases are you planning in total and how long will these phases last?

Sorry if this came across as combative. I'm just genuinely intrigued. SUmmer Games Fest sounds amazing. Super hyped for it.

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I think "Phase 1" is the month of May. And each of those devs listed will make an announcement or have a showing this month.

Ex, Phase 2 will be June, Phase 3, July, etc.

 

[DNAbro]

I'm curious if there are gonna be any one on one interviews with Geoff cause those were some of my favorite parts of his E3 coverage. Need to see him have a long talk with Luke Smith on the future of Destiny.

 

[Tunichtgut]

Hmm, not so sure what to think about this. One one side, it's better for developers, but to me it may be a bit too much/long. I was happy with E3, and mostly skipped GamesCom. But let's wait and see.

 

[Serious Sam]

Hmm this is such an odd concept (or maybe I need time to adjust to it). But why 4 months? Does that mean starting now we'll have gaming news and events drought for the remaining 8 months of every year?

 

[PSOreo]

It's a different approach -- things weren't going to line up into one week. In fact you'll see some publishers do multiple events/touch points across the summer. It's not just about one 2 hour "press conference" anymore, think about playable content, extended looks at games, and so on. And we're certainly not programming things every day, there will be breaks. And in-game events and content too.

When you look back across the summer at Labor Day, I hope you'll say "I got all the news I wanted, and played a bunch of cool things too." This is a container for all that, and we have some big surprises coming too. Today is just the initial announcement, the schedule on the website will launch next week.

Click to shrink...

Thank you for taking the time to stop by and explain it a little more. Can't wait to see it all play out.

 

[Dysun]

Sounds interesting, looking forward to seeing it come to fruition over the next few months.

 

[Sparks]

Very interesting, I'd be more excited if it was a month, but perhaps it will work out.

Also, very little chance of any meaty demo's. Making a Demo for millions is way different then making a demo for a couple thousand in a controlled environment. At most we'll probably see smaller titles have a cool playable thing or maybe some type of Microsoft exclusive multiplayer Alpha thing that was going to happen anyways.

 

[KingBae]

I am still not super clear on how it works, but more news and content the better. The Game Awards kept improving year after year so I have confidence in Geoff pulling this idea off.

 

[Toño]

Looks cool.

All this about phases... Geoff Videogame Universe

 

[ByWatterson]

Whether the format was a live show or pre recorded, the FF announcement woulda been a downer either way. So I'm not sure what you're getting at.

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Just that it's another example of cringe. It added nothing to the FF announcement.

Games speak for themselves, I guess. Keanu didn't save Cyberpunk, it didn't need saving. Vin Diesel didn't save, couldn't have saved FF announcement.

 

[Fuchsia]

The Game Awards did keep getting better every year so I hope Geoff gets a chance to develop this over time. Would love to see what it could be next year if it happened in LA in person and maybe tried to condense the timeframe more. Definitely super interested in seeing this grow in general.

 

[Reizzz]

Man E3 always used to make me feel like a goody excited kid. I CANNOT WAIT for this whole thing!

 

[S1L3NT SH0T 419]

E3 is always like Christmas for me. I remember during the summer in highschool me and my bros would get together at my house, order some pizza, and watch the Xbox press conference. Those were some of my favorite memories. I'm hoping this can continue that tradition.

 

[Neoxon]

The only bummer about this for me is the lack of Nintendo & Capcom, but it looks pretty cool either way.

 

[Deleted member 51691]

The only bummer about this for me is the lack of Nintendo & Capcom, but it looks pretty cool either way.

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Yeah wonder what's up with Capcom. Nintendo we know is struggling with WFH.

We saw some Street Fighter and MHW updates get delayed so maybe the COVID-19 effect is starting to kick in for them as well?

 

[Geoff Keighley]

The only bummer about this for me is the lack of Nintendo & Capcom, but it looks pretty cool either way.

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Happy to include other publishers -- today was just the anouncement of Phase I. Lots of great indie partners coming on board too for future phases.

 

[Neoxon]

Yeah wonder what's up with Capcom. Nintendo we know is struggling with WFH.

We saw some Street Fighter and MHW updates get delayed so maybe the COVID-19 effect is starting to kick in for them as well?

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We should be expecting some announcements from them soon.

 

[Gohlad]

It's a different approach -- things weren't going to line up into one week. In fact you'll see some publishers do multiple events/touch points across the summer. It's not just about one 2 hour "press conference" anymore, think about playable content, extended looks at games, and so on. And we're certainly not programming things every day, there will be breaks. And in-game events and content too.

When you look back across the summer at Labor Day, I hope you'll say "I got all the news I wanted, and played a bunch of cool things too." This is a container for all that, and we have some big surprises coming too. Today is just the initial announcement, the schedule on the website will launch next week.

Click to shrink...

If that's going to end up being the "go-to-hub" for all the dates, news and "stuff" publishers are going to eventually show all in one place, then I'm already sold.

I'm tired of always having to, for example, write down event dates, livestream dates or stuff like that from publisher X, Y, Z in my own calendar because I can't keep track of it all by myself.