Summary
The opening night of 2024’sSummer Game Festbrought with it countless new announcements for upcoming games and DLC.Since its introduction in 2020, Summer Game Fest has rapidly replaced E3 as the premier annual event for the reveal of new games. Summer Game Fest has since transformed from a season-long slew of reveals, demos, and dev interviews to a single long weekend full of trailer-laden livestreams. The biggest reveals are generally reserved for opening night.
SGF organizer and host Geoff Keighley tempered expectations ahead of this year’s event, cautioning fans not to expect too many big reveals of brand-new games. That said, many already-announced titles had exciting news to share - and there were more than a few surprises in the mix.These are the ten biggest reveals from the opening night of Summer Game Fest 2024, including new games, release dates, and other development updates.
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10Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero Finally Got A Release Date
Spike Chunsoft, October 11
Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zerois the newest installment in theBudokai TenkaichiseriesofDragon Ball3D fighting games. First announced in March 2023, fans have been waiting a long time for this reveal, especially considering it’s the first game to come out for the series in 14 years.Sparking! ZerofeaturesDragon Ballcharactersfrom throughout the ages, with 25 confirmed so far. Its expansive and varied roster allows for players to satisfy their wildest, burning “what if” questions, by orchestrating head-to-head clashes between superpowered Saiyans.
Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zerowill be released on June 23, 2025, for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. It’ll feature new and returning characters from the manga, anime, and video game series, as well as an explosive new mechanic in the form of destructible environments. Players can expect more information, and likely new characters, to be revealed ahead of the game’s upcoming release.
9Sid Meier’s Civilization 7 Was Officially Confirmed
Firaxis Games, 2025
Civilization 7is the next installment in the long-running strategy series, which began in 1991.Civilizationis the brainchild of strategy game pioneer Sid Meier. As always, the game will allow players to take control of a variety of different world leaders as they compete to develop technology, cultivate culture, and raise armies. There are multiple paths to victory, and destroying one’s enemies isn’t always the easiest one. Infinite strategies are possible inCivilization, making it infinitely replayable.
Civilization 7is scheduled for releasesometime in 2025- more information, perhaps including a release date, is expected this August. It’ll be available on Switch, PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. No word on whether all those releases will be simultaneous. As always, it’ll be possible to play alone with AI leaders, or join friends for a competitive game of strategy. DLC unlocking new civilizations and new ways to play is likely to follow.
8Harry Potter Quidditch Champions Was Confirmed With A Release Date
Unbroken Studios, September 3
Long requested as a feature for the open-worldHarry PottergameHogwarts Legacy,Quidditch is instead getting a standalone game:Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions. This fully-featured game is centered entirely on the fantasy sport, featuring a variety of teams based on the school houses of Hogwarts. Players can occupy a variety of positions, including Beaters, Chasers, Keepers, and Seekers, as they fly across the field in fast-paced games. It uses a distinct art style, featuring cartoonish renderings ofHarry Pottercharacters.
7Batman: Arkham Shadow Was Finally Revealed
Camouflaj, Fall 2024
Batman: Arkham Shadowis the long-awaited next installment in theArkhamseries, which began withArkham Asylumin 2009. The series caused controversy with the divisiveSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leagueearlier this year; this is the first Batman-focused entry since 2016’sArkham VR.Arkham Shadowfollows that legacy: it’s a VR game, but maintains many of the classic mechanics fans have come to associate with theArkhamseries. It’s being developed by Camouflaj, creators of a similarly superhero-focused VR experience,Iron Man VR, and episodic stealth action gameRépublique.
Arkham Shadowtakes place betweenOriginsandAsylum, as Batman attempts to stop the Rat King and his dangerous cult from taking over Gotham City.Batman: Arkham Shadowis exclusive to the Meta Quest 3. It doesn’t have a concrete release date, but it is due out in the fall of 2024. More details are likely to be revealed closer to launch.
6Alan Wake 2 Shadow-Dropped The Night Springs DLC
Remedy Entertainment, June 8
Rumors and leaks aboutAlan Wake 2DLChave been circulating for a while, but Remedy has finally confirmed their existence with an in-person announcement from Sam Lake himself.The next chapter in theAlan Wake 2saga will be theNight SpringsDLC. It takes the form of three episodic stories, each focusing on a familiar side character from the series in the context of an unfamiliar side story. Episodes will allow players to take control of The Waitress, The Sibling, and The Actor, each in a unique chapter that explores an obscure corner of theAlan Wakeuniverse. It’s framed as a TV-show-within-a-game, reflecting the world in which it exists while also establishing a universe of its own.
Night Springswill be released less than 24 hours from its announcement at Summer Game Fest, sometime on August 16, 2025. It may not answer anylingering questions aboutAlan Wake’s lore, but it looks like a fun diversion for curious fans.
5Palworld Provided A First Look At Its New Island
Pocket Pair, June 27
Palworldis finally getting its first substantial update this summer, featuring the all-new Sakurajima Island. The hit indie game has made waves since its January release, skyrocketing to the top of the Steam charts within weeks. The new terrain comes with new Pals to catch, new dungeons to explore, and new bosses to fight. It also includes new camp buildings, an arena for one-on-one battles, and a brand-new faction. Most importantly, the update will finally bring dedicated servers to the Xbox version of the game, opening up opportunities for a richer multiplayer experience. The update isn’t news - it’s been teased byPalworld’s creators for months. But Summer Game Fest provided a first look at its new sights and sounds.
Palworld’s Sakurajima update will be released on June 03, 2025. The update is expected to be released for both its current platforms - PC and Xbox - on the same day. No word on a PS5 release just yet.
4Monster Hunter Wilds Revealed A New Trailer
Capcom, 2025
Monster Hunter Wildsgot its first reveal at The Game Awards in 2023, but SGF gave it a much deeper look. This is the next installment of Capcom’s long-running action series, which features a familiar gameplay formula: players ride out to take down giant beasts in groups of one to four, returning home with materials they’ll use to craft new weapons, armor, and other gear. However,Wildspromises to innovate on theMonster Hunterformula by telling a deeper, more involved story than ever before. That was on display even in the earliest trailers, which gave a first look at some of the characters involved, and the terrifying new monsters they’ll face.
Monster Hunter Wildswill be released some time in 2025for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. It’ll have full crossplay capability across all platforms, so hunters can join their friends regardless of where they’re playing from.
Bokeh Games, November 8
Slitterheadis the upcoming action-horror game fromSilent Hillcreator Keiichiro Toyama. Featuring a terrifyingly transformational, original horror concept,Slitterheadis unlike any horror game before it. First revealed at the Game Awards way back in 2021, it’s not the brooding, atmospheric, story-focused kind of game players might have come to expect from the creator ofSilent Hill: instead, it features action combat in which player characters can mutate their bodies at will, sprouting sharp claws and other battle-ready bioweapons from their arms. Players can also jump from one body into another, presumably using different humans’ and animals’ unique abilities to overcome various unique challenges.
The story centers on a murder mystery in a seemingly abandoned city.Slitterheadis now confirmed for a July 10, 2025 release date- just over a week after the remake ofSilent Hill 2. It’ll be available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
2Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Showed A New Trailer
Warhorse Studios, 2024
Medieval RPGKingdom Come: Deliveranceannounced a sequeljust a couple of months ago, andfans finally got a closer look atKingdom Come: Deliverance IIduring opening night of SGF. In a sea of fantasy games,Kingdom Comestands out for its historical accuracy, set in the real-life historical kingdom of Bohemia and featuring absolutely no fantasy elements. But players can still customize their characters, using a variety of period-accurate weapons to wage war against a rival army. Its combat uses an advanced physics system to realistically simulate the clashing of swords and flying of arrows.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2still doesn’t have a release date, butit’s expected out sometime this year. It’ll be playable on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. Its plot follows the same character as the first: Henry, the blacksmith of Skalitz, as he gets further embroiled in the civil war against Holy Roman emperor Sigismund.
S-GAME, 2024
Phantom Blade Zero, a shockingly brutal action game revealed at last year’s SGF, is finally backwith a full gameplay trailer. Set in a dismal steampunk world,Phantom Blade Zerofocuses on the Dark Raider, a lone swordsman who sets out to find and destroy the mysterious Order. Players can hack and slash their way through enemies with lightning-fast combos that draw from classical martial arts. The new trailer was the grand finale for SGF’s opening night, closing out the ceremony with stunning, fast-paced action gameplay.
Phantom Blade Zerostill doesn’t have an official release date- it was originally set to come out sometime in 2024, but time is rapidly running out on that window. While the trailer showed an impressive slice of gameplay, it didn’t provide any new information on when it’ll actually be playable by the public. However, it’s expected to unleash a playable demo at Gamescom this August, just two months after itsSummer Game Festtrailer.
Summer Game Fest
https://www.summergamefest.com/
Summer Game Fest is an annual video game event hosted by game journalist Geoff Keighley. During the two-hour live stream, several video game developers showcase their upcoming titles, including game announcements, trailers, and more.
