Summer Game Fest 2023 is nearly here, with a cross-industry showcase of announcements and reveals set to arrive on June 8. It's already shaping up to be an exciting event, with more than 40 partners revealed – such as Capcom, Disney, EA, Sega, and more – and a helping of teasers confirming the presence of some big new games. We already know we can expect to see gameplay from the likes of Alan Wake 2 and Mortal Kombat 1, and other upcoming releases, such as Lies of P and the long awaited Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty expansion from CD Projekt Red are also expected to make an appearance.
With Summer Game Fest kicking off the E3 2023 schedule line-up, we have a host of presentations to look forward to, with the Xbox Games Showcase, Starfield Direct, and Ubisoft Forward to follow – to name a few. But with the Summer Game Fest fast approaching, now feels like the perfect time to look ahead and try to predict just what we may see on June 8. We already know some of what's coming, but we likewise expect there to be a surprise or two on the day.
So, from what we know so far, and what we don't, we've put together all of our Summer Game Fest 2023 predictions below (with a side of clown make-up for some).
Death Stranding 2
Given that Death Stranding 2 didn't make an appearance at the latest PlayStation 2023 showcase in May, we could very well see more of the sequel to Kojima Productions' adventure. It feels like the right time to get a closer look at the next installment, especially given that earlier this year Hideo Kojima shared several sneak peeks of Death Stranding 2's development, and we've been hearing a little more from the voice talent attached to the game such as Elle Fanning. Since Kojima has taken to the stage in the past, it seems likely that we'll once again see him make a showing and it would make sense that it would be to debut some more of DS2 after announcing it officially at the Game Awards with a trailer last year.
Cities Skylines 2
Paradox Interactive is among the Summer Game Fest partners, and we already know about some big projects coming up from the publisher that we could very well see. Earlier this year during the Paradox announcement showcase, sequel Cities Skylines 2 was revealed for the first time. Set to be an evolution of the game that came before from developer Colossal Order, we haven't really seen all that much of the next installment since its unveiling. The Summer Game Fest could be the perfect time to do just that, and since we don't yet have a release date, perhaps we get some news on that front, too.
Life by You
If we don't see Cities Skylines 2, Life by You is another possibility. The upcoming release, which looks set to be an alternative to The Sims, is also coming from Paradox Interactive and developer Paradox Tectonic. Positioned as the "most moddable" new life sim, we've steadily been learning about what we can expect, such as the fact that it looks set to turn the wildest sims challenges into quests with rewards, and you can create custom careers and jobs for your characters. The release date for Life by You isn't too far off, with it currently slated to arrive on September 12, 2023. As such, Summer Game Fest may present the opportunity to give us a more in-depth look at the game ahead of its launch later this year.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is another big PlayStation exclusive that didn't make an appearance at the recent PlayStation showcase – much to the disappointment of excited fans. While we may have to once again get our clown makeup ready when the highly anticipated follow-up to Final Fantasy 7 Remake doesn't show, there's always a chance we may see another trailer or update during the Summer Game Fest. After all, the developers most recently released a series of answers about Rebirth on Twitter - including the fact that a release date hasn't been decided yet – which has led to speculation that Square Enix may be gearing up to show something off. Square is also among the partners, so it's not entirely outside of the realms of possibility. Still, with Final Fantasy 16 on the near horizon, we may not see Rebirth for some time.
Baldur's Gate 3
Baldur's Gate 3 from Larian Studios is officially coming out of early access this year and will land on PC and PS5 on August 31, 2023. With the release date just a matter of months away, seeing it make an appearance during the Summer Game Fest feels like a safe bet. Larian is also confirmed among the partners of the showcase, so it would make sense that we see more of Baldur's Gate 3 as we gear up towards the launch date. It'll be great to see more of the adventure and hear from Larian about all things Baldur's Gate 3 to really amp up the excitement.
Skate 4
EA's presence at The Summer Game Fest could mean several things. Lots of upcoming games are on the way from the publisher, but one that's overdue a big showing is Skate 4. First announced back in 2020, we don't yet have a concrete release date for the new installment simply titled Skate. We do however know it's set to be free-to-play when it launches, and playtests took place earlier this year. It may be some time before we see it arrive, but perhaps we'll see it pop up during the showcase.
Elden Ring DLC
With Bandai Namco among the partners for the showcase, thoughts are once again turning to the possibility of at long last getting to see The Elden Ring DLC. Back in February of this year, developer FromSoftware officially revealed the expansion, which is known as Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree, is currently in development. With a single piece of artwork accompanying the announcement, fans are of course hungry for more, and getting a proper glimpse during The Summer Game Fest would undoubtedly set the hype train going at full steam. With the release of Elden Ring over a year ago, this could very well be the time we get to see our first look at the long-awaited post-launch content. It may be wishful thinking, but we can keep on hoping for a release date, too.
Wildcards
While there are some games we can safely assume will likely make a showing, the selection below are among our wildcard predictions – the games that are less likely to pop up but not entirely out of the question. One thing's for sure: these would certainly be welcome surprises.
Respawn's Star Wars FPS
There are so many upcoming Star Wars in the pipeline, with everything from Ubisoft's open world experience set in a galaxy far, far away, to Star Wars: Eclipse from Heavy Rain developer Quantic Dream. Since a slate of announcements, we've yet to see all that much of the many projects on the way. Still, if there's one Star Wars game that would certainly surprise us with its presence, it's the new FPS spearheaded by Respawn in collaboration with EA and Lucasfilm Games. It would be fantastic to learn about any of the new Star Wars games, but with EA set to be a part of Summer Game Fest, perhaps the fresh FPS is the one we'll shoot to the stars for.
Silent Hill 2 Remake
Back in October 2022, Konami revealed a line-up of Silent Hill projects we've not had a substantial update on in some time. Along with 1960's set Silent Hill f, Silent Hill: Townfall from Annapurna Interactive and No Code, and the real-time interactive project Silent Hill Ascension, it was also revealed that a Silent Hill 2 Remake is officially coming from Bloober Team. The lineup of upcoming horror games certainly stirred up plenty of excitement - not least the prospect of a Silent Hill 2 remake given that the original is among the best horror games of all time. This is a bit of a wildcard pick since it doesn't appear as though Konami will be involved in the Summer Game Fest, but perhaps we could see some Silent Hill surprise this year – there have been some leaks that suggest we could get some teasers, after all.
Naughty Dog
It had been quite some time since we heard about the Last of Us 2 multiplayer standalone Factions before Naughty Dog posted an update confirming it has been pushed back. While we're not likely to get an update on Factions given the set back, it is possible that we get some kind of Last of Us update with the anniversary of the first game looming on June 14. Interestingly, the developer did also confirm in the delay news that a new single-player experience is in development. It may be a long shot, but perhaps we'll get to something Last of Us-shaped when the Summer Game Fest comes around.
