Summer Game Fest 2023 liveblog

 Idris Elba in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom City
Idris Elba in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom City

Summer Game Fest 2023 is happening today! Geoff Keighley's gaming extravaganza is kicking off at 12PM PT / 3PM ET / 8PM BST / 9PM CET on YouTube, Twitch, Twitter, and even on TikTok.

The event is lined up on the E3 2023 schedule with a run time of around two hours.

Keighley has said to expect new game reveals, updates, announcements, and developer interviews to drop over the course of the show. It's usually a big event, so we're excited to see what new games for 2023 and beyond are unveiled.


What time is Summer Game Fest 2023?

The Summer Game Fest start time is at 12PM PT / 3PM ET / 8PM BST / 9PM CET.

So let's count down to the big showcase by running through some of the things we expect to see, and some that we really hope make an appearance. It's Sam here again from the very sunny UK today to get excited with you.

If Geoff's hype trailer is anything to go by, this could be quite an explosive show. Alan Wake 2, Cyberpunk, Hellblade 2, Crash Bandicoot, and more can be seen here!

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Geoff has confirmed that he has over 40 partners for Summer Game Fest. It's not entirely clear whether all of them will have a presence at today's showcase, but the thought of 40 announcements over the course of a two-hour show is not inconceivable.

Summer Game Fest 2023 partners list
Summer Game Fest 2023 partners list
Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty
Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty

What we 100% do know is going to make an appearance though is the major expansion for Cyberpunk 2077. Known as Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty. , developer CD Projekt Red has said it'll "start talking about Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty this June", with the first hands-on previews for the DLC available for press at the Summer Game Fest Play Days. GamesRadar+ will obviously be in attendance and are very excited to see what's going down in Night City.

Phantom Liberty will be taking us to an entirely new location in Night City, which I'm so excited to see. Fans are suggesting it'll be the Pacifica Combat Zone, but that's not actually been confirmed, but  if that is true it's one of the most dangerous areas of the city. It's actually walled off from the rest of Pacifica!

Cyberpunk 2077 Edgerunner screenshot
Cyberpunk 2077 Edgerunner screenshot
Idris Elba in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom City
Idris Elba in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom City

Keanu's back for the Phantom Liberty DLC reprising his role as Johnny Silverhand, with the John Wick star stating that it's "awesome to be back playing the role of Johnny, and I hope you're excited to see him rocking out once more in the dark future".

But, Reeves is joined by Idris Elba too, who's joining the Cyberpunk 2077 world as Solomon Reed, an FIA Agent who's working for the NUSA. That's particularly interesting as this DLC is described as a "spy-three" where we'll be taking on an espionage mission.

Mortal Kombat 1 screenshot taken from announcement trailer
Mortal Kombat 1 screenshot taken from announcement trailer

Mortal Kombat 1 is another game guaranteed to make an appearance at the Summer Game Fest, with Netherrealm promising a first look at the game in action. And I don't know about you, but I'm ready to see what level of ultra-violence can be unlocked by the power of the PS5 and Xbox Series X.

Mortal Kombat 1 screenshot taken from announcement trailer
Mortal Kombat 1 screenshot taken from announcement trailer
Mortal Kombat 1 screenshot taken from announcement trailer
Mortal Kombat 1 screenshot taken from announcement trailer

What'll be key to watch out for is how Mortal Kombat 1 is navigating the decision to not remake the original game but reboot the timeline, meaning that old favorite characters will potentially sport new rivalries, costumes, and movesets. Then again, so long as Sub Zero can still rip spines I don't care all that much about the story.

It's easy to forget, but Mortal Kombat is the best-selling fighting game franchise of all time, with MK11 among the most profitable in the franchise's history. What does that mean? It means that whether you like fighting games or not, this gameplay reveal for Mortal Kombat 1 is guaranteed to be one of the biggest showcases of the night.

Alan Wake 2 gameplay screenshot PS5
Alan Wake 2 gameplay screenshot PS5

Another title that's going to get a spot in the showcase line-up is Remedy's Alan Wake 2. Sam Lake, Remedy creative director, will be taking to the stage to give us "the first look at raw gameplay". The game recently got an October 17 release date at the PlayStation Showcase, where it also revealed it would have a second playable protagonist in FBI Agent Saga Anderson.

Alan Wake 2
Alan Wake 2

According to Remedy, Saga's "a profiler with a reputation for solving impossible cases with uncanny leaps of logic", and is a newcomer to the Pacific Northwest who's here to investigate a series of ritualistic murders. But, as the latest trailer hints, she's about to find herself in the middle of a horror story.

And on that note, I'm going to investigate some lunch! Be back in an hour folks.

I'm back with a full belly and gently sun-bronzed from the garden, so let's go back into it!


E3 2023 schedule
E3 2023 schedule

As a reminder, here's a rundown of the Summer Game Fest schedule after Keighley's showcase later today:

  • Day of the Devs
    Date:
     June 8
    Time: 
    2PM PDT / 5PM EDT / 10PM BST

  • Devolver Digital
    Date: 
    June 8
    Time: 
    3PM PDT / 6PM EDT / 11PM BST

  • Tribeca Games Spotlight
    Date:
     June 9
    Time: 12PM PDT / 3PM EDT / 8PM BST

  • Wholesome Direct
    Date:
     June 10
    Time: 9AM PDT / 12PM EDT / 5PM BST

  • Future Games Show
    Date: 
    June 10
    Time: 10AM PDT / 1PM EDT / 6PM BST

  • Xbox Games Showcase / Starfield Direct
    Date: 
    June 11
    Time: 10AM PDT / 1PM EDT / 6PM BST

  • PC Gaming Show
    Date: June 11
    Time: 1PM PDT / 4PM EDT / 9PM BST

  • Ubisoft Forward
    Date:
     June 12
    Time: 10AM PDT / 1PM EDT / 6PM BST

  • Capcom Showcase
    Date
    : June 12
    Time: 3PM PDT / 6PM EDT / 11PM BST


Also, can we take a minute to appreciate how badass Idris looks in this Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty tease?

Idris Elba in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
Idris Elba in Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty

In fact, looking through the Summer Game Fest Twitter feed, there's some interesting stuff in here. Despite the fact that we'd imagine these would show up at Sunday's Xbox Games Showcase, is Keighley teasing that we could see any of the Xbox Series X exclusives which are massively overdue a dev update?

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That's Fable 4, Obsidian's Avowed, the new Perfect Dark, and Hellblade 2 he's teasing there. Honestly, if we got to see any of those today I'd be a very happy woman!

Ahead of its August 31, Baldur's Gate 3 is going to make an appearance later today to reveal a brand new character called Gortash. It doesn't look like this is a returning character either from the Baldur's Gate games or D&D, so it'll be exciting to see what they have in store for us.

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When does Fortnite Season 3 start?
When does Fortnite Season 3 start?

Tomorrow's a big day for Fortnite, so fans should brace themselves for a big update today. Fortnite Season 3 Chapter 4 starts tomorrow, but other than a 10-second teaser showing part of the island breaking up in a quake and a mysterious temple appearing (plus key art revealed for four of the battle pass outfits) we don’t know much about it yet.

What we do know is that it's called Wilds though. Seems tropical to us.

Ho boy, the price for Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty has leaked, and it costs more than the Witcher 3 DLC combined.

The GOG store listing for the DLC was live only for a little while, but you know that someone on Reddit managed to get a snap. Seemingly that means that pre-orders and potentially a release date should get revealed at Summer Game Fest later today.

I wonder how much content Phantom Liberty will deliver? After all the expansions for The Witcher 3 were chonky.

Hearts of Stone delivered a 10 hour storyline and then Blood and Wine was even bigger, with a 30 hour storyline set in a brand-new region of Rivia. If the leaked pricing is anything to go by, it could be similar in scope to Blood and Wine.

Isabelle looking confused in Animal Crossing
Isabelle looking confused in Animal Crossing

While Nintendo isn't confirmed as a partner for Summer Game Fest, it's looking very likely that something is happening soon with the Japanese gaming giant.

Several hints suggest a Nintendo Direct could be on the way soon, and while nothing's been announced yet, the clues are starting to stack up.

Warzone Lockdown LTM
Warzone Lockdown LTM

Later we are also getting a world premiere for the Call of Duty Warzone Season 4 content.

Activision has already confirmed it will feature a new map called Vondel, which will be home to Resurgence, DMZ, and Lockdown LTM at launch. Lockdown is a brand new mode inspired by Hardpoint, where multiple Quads will be tasked with capturing and holding zones around the map. No last squad standing here.

The traditional battle royale mode will come to Vondel later with a unique Gulag experience too. "The action will only get hotter as we look towards a summer Mid-Season Update," promises Activision in the latest blog.

There's a full Ranked Season on the way too.

Warzone S4 is dropping  June 14 at 9AM PT across all platforms.

Immortals of Aveum
Immortals of Aveum

Immortals of Aveum is getting a new gameplay trailer later too. This is an EA Originals' single-player throwback shooter, which the developers really want you to know isn't just "Call of Duty with magic".

Our own Jordan Gerblick went hands-on with the game a few weeks back and said "there are parts of Immortals of Aveum that remind me of classic Halo, like its dramatic set pieces, sundry assortment of combat options, and linear level design", which certainly has my interest piqued.

Plus, it out on July 20!

Time zones reminder!

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Stage is set and looking pretty swish!

The stage at Summer Game Fest 2023
The stage at Summer Game Fest 2023
Lies of P
Lies of P

Oh I almost forgot about Lies of P! The horror Pinocchio game is definitely sticking its nose into proceedings today too.

The thing that is going to be really exciting is what hasn't been confirmed though.

Joe Donnelly, our Features Editor, has a brilliant reminder of just how huge the announcements at Summer Game Fest can be:

5 of the biggest announcements from previous Summer Game Fest shows

Best FromSoftware games
Best FromSoftware games

And yes, one of them was Elden Ring...

Death Stranding 2 screenshot
Death Stranding 2 screenshot

In terms of what we could see, here's Heather Wald's piece on our top predictions:

Summer Game Fest 2023 predictions: all of the games we could see during the event

Let's hope Keighley's in a better mood by the time the show starts eh?

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Just 15 minutes to go now friends!

Oh hello, looks like Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown has been accidentally revealed before SGF. It's not clear exactly what it is - potentially a mobile game - but the soundtrack appeared briefly on YouTube.

Okay it's the final countdown. Got your snacks?

Don't forget you can tune in on YouTubeTwitchTwitter, and even on TikTok.

Here's the man himself, Geoff Keighley! And with a live audience too.

I'm guessing this is the just leaked Prince of Persia game?

Coming January 18, 2024 and it is indeed Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. 2D platformer with puzzles and action!

More to come at Ubisoft Forward on Monday too.

Next up Mortal Kombat 1 and Geoff is calling it "literally insane"

Come on then, show us the fatalities

Loving this Japanese penthouse-style map, complete with inflatable flamingo.

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown screenshot featuring new protagonist reaching for magical effect
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown screenshot featuring new protagonist reaching for magical effect

A screenshot from Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown there.

I must admit, in between all the fighting, these Mortal Kombat 1 levels are really pretty.

Love 2 shatter ribs with a thin katana

That's new lore for Mileena, I believe!

Spine-ripping finale there.

It's Ed Boon! Creator of Mortal Kombat.