Summer season of Gaming 2023 Predictions Revisited

After Nintendo’s remake-packed Direct on June 21, and Sega’s Sonic Central on June 23, it looks as if the vast majority of the occasions we’ve tucked into our Summer season of Gaming season at the moment are full. After we coated greater than 528 video games over the course of 25 livestreams, and noticed 137.5 million YouTube views and 336 million minutes (that’s 639 years) of IGN protection watched throughout the previous 4 weeks, it’s time to look again on these predictions from just a few weeks in the past to see if my dumb concepts have been truly any good. 

I made 21 predictions in complete, and I obtained 12 of them proper. That’s not fairly nearly as good as I’d hoped, however contemplating how bizarre and unpredictable issues have been round recreation releases over the previous few years, it’s truly not too dangerous. Let’s undergo them one after the other.

I wasn’t precisely stretching on this one, so it doesn’t really matter. But it surely’s good to open with a win. The sport seems to be phenomenal, and can absolutely be the juggernaut that each Microsoft and the Xbox fanbase really want it to be. The most important query after the present was: why is it 30fps on Xbox Sequence X and Sequence S and never 60fps, as folks anticipate from actually next-gen video games? In his IGN Efficiency preview after the occasion, Michael Thompson dove into the small print shared by Bethesda, the revealed PC minimal and advisable specs. He additionally seems to be at how the Creation Engine 2 works, evaluating it to Bethesda’s earlier video games to gauge potential causes for why the workforce might need chosen 30fps.

• Microsoft will lean onerous into Forza Motorsport, and it’ll exit of its technique to present how a lot prettier and even-more unnecessarily attentive to element it’s than Gran Turismo. See the person carbon fibers, or one thing. Nonetheless lengthy the phase of their showcase is, folks will complain that it’s too lengthy.

Equally predictable, however truthfully they stored the actually nerdy shit to a minimal, which was uncommonly reserved. What we did study was that a number of work has been executed to make the profession gameplay extra fascinating with the potentially-groundbreaking new Builders Cup profession mode, which serves as the brand new single-player marketing campaign. The Forza workforce calls it a “religious successor” to modes from Forza Motorsport 3 and 4, and guarantees extra of an RPG-style development system the place driving ability instantly impacts XP leveling. 

• I feel there’ll be a Gears 6 teaser with little to no gameplay proven. I do know this isn’t precisely that daring of a guess, however it’s time. It’s not a stretch to imagine there’s a Grasp Chief Assortment-style Gears bundle within the works too.

Nicely, that didn’t fairly work out. To be honest, I used to be hardly the one one predicting this. Ryan had this one on his record on Unlocked, too. What’s fascinating is that the Xbox Showcase (truly, each of them) projected a renewed confidence from Microsoft, regardless of a big variety of beforehand introduced video games like State of Decay 3, or highly-likely titles like Gears 6 not being current.

A lot as we have seen in motion pictures and TV, recreation studios at the moment are their very own again catalogs as sources of uncooked materials to reimagine from scratch, reasonably than proceed or just simply remake.

• All of the glitter-inspired fuss about Playground Video games’ Fable reboot will turn into true. I’m guessing it’s approach additional alongside than anybody thinks, and we might even get a launch date.

Nailed it. We didn’t get a launch date, however we did get a wonderful demonstration of how the story is being reimagined by Playground, plus a beautiful use of Richard Ayoade to show the workforce’s dedication to humor. Should you have been anticipating one thing that constructed absolutely on the inspiration of Lionhead’s authentic, it looks as if this one is transferring a lot additional afield and reimaging the franchise. It is a good instance of a pattern that appears to be rising fairly shortly nowadays – a lot as we’ve seen in motion pictures and TV, recreation studios at the moment are their very own again catalogs as sources of uncooked materials to reimagine from scratch, reasonably than proceed or just simply remake.

Facet be aware: Within the ballot I ran final time, this was by far the most well-liked alternative of video games listed that folks have been wanting ahead to. It took 34% of the votes.

• This one’s in all probability apparent after Phil Spencer made such some extent of claiming he’s performed it a bunch, however there’ll be a giant phase on Obsidian’s Pillars of Eternity-expanding first individual RPG Avowed.

Yup. They confirmed it twice, in reality. After the principle showcase the response positively appeared a bit combined as the general tone of the factor appeared to throw lots of people, plus there was widespread criticism of it wanting lower than stunning. The studio has since revealed that though it was first introduced three years in the past, the sport is way from being completed and received’t be launched till 2024. Obsidian boss Feargus Urquhart has additionally mentioned that whereas the studio’s preliminary pitch for Avowed was for it to be an even bigger, sprawling open-world fantasy role-playing recreation like Bethesda’s Skyrim, it has ended up being a smaller scale recreation, much like its earlier sci-fi role-playing recreation The Outer Worlds. 

• We’re about due an extended and even weirder Demise Stranding 2 trailer.

I truthfully thought this was a positive factor, however nope. Consistent with the overall air of unpredictability round something Demise Standing associated, the one factor we noticed throughout this time period was Kojima speaking in regards to the Administrators Reduce of Demise Stranding working on Mac as a part of Apple’s Worldwide Builders Convention on June 5.

• We’ll actually see extra from Ubisoft on Murderer’s Creed Mirage, however I feel we’ll study that it’s simply the sneaky stealth-focused amuse-bouche earlier than the true fundamental course: no matter it’s that Codename Crimson goes to be known as. I feel we’ll get the title for the sport and a reveal displaying that it’s a big RPG-style factor that’s even greater than Valhalla.

Sure to Mirage, however no to Codename Crimson. Sure – Mirage positively seems to be a smaller, extra compact, stealth-focused assassination recreation reasonably than an enormous sprawling RPG like Valhalla. Unexpectedly, we additionally obtained a take a look at Jade – the Ubisoft and Stage Infinite team-up that appears prefer it has the potential to be a fully-fledged Murderer’s Creed recreation for cellular. We additionally obtained a trailer for the Murderer’s Creed VR recreation, Nexus, however the trailer for it was fully and completely pretend pre-rendered nonsense and in no way what a Meta Quest 3 will have the ability to generate, not to mention a Quest 2.

• The one whiff of something that smells even vaguely like an acknowledgement of a brand new Splinter Cell will likely be in something Ubisoft exhibits of XDefiant.

We did get to see extra XDefiant 6v6 area gameplay, and the sport does characteristic Echelon brokers as certainly one of its factions – so I suppose that is kinda, technically a sure? The sport is in open beta proper now, and will likely be out later this yr.

• Ubisoft will present Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora in all its glory. The feedback on each platform will mainly be yawns and claims of not giving a shit, after which we’ll see that the trailer has executed a gajillion views within the first 12 hours.

Sure, and it’s Far Cry: Pandora, mainly. It didn’t do the loopy views I assumed it’d although, the trailer solely did round 80k views on our YouTube channel, which is fairly weak, after which the longer gameplay overview managed about 120k. Earlier bulletins across the recreation have carried out significantly higher than that, however that was primarily earlier than the second film got here out.

• Should you’re hoping there’ll be something on Past Good & Evil 2, you’re simply stressing your self out. We’re all going to must let it go.

Yeah. C’mon. It’s by no means occurring.

• Ubisoft’s megaton will likely be its Star Wars reveal. There are all types of rumors going round about this one, however my favourite is that it’s a Mandalorian recreation. Not based mostly on the present, however on The Purge that’s usually referenced. Varied flavors of wishful considering have it as an Murderer’s Creed-alike with house flight and fight in-between planets.

Sure to Star Wars, no to the Mandalorian half. That also counts as a win although, proper? Technically Star Wars Outlaws is extra of a Watch Canine-alike than an Murderer’s Creed-alike, however given the 2 are fairly intently associated anyway, I feel that also counts. For me personally, together with Starfield, that is the announcement from Summer season of Gaming I’m most enthusiastic about. I do know lots of people have criticized current Ubisoft video games (Valhalla specifically) for being too massive and too sprawling with simply an excessive amount of stuff in them – however I truthfully hope that Outlaws is precisely like that. Valhalla turned a consolation recreation for me, and the nearly-200 hours I spent in it was in the end resulting from exploring each nook and cranny and gathering each doodad I may presumably discover, so the concept of one thing related in a well-known Star Wars setting sounds fantastic.

• We already know the gameplay reveal of Mortal Kombat 1 will likely be at Summer season Sport Fest due to Geoff Keighley’s frequent reminders, so we will safely file this one below “expectations.”

Yup. You all appeared to like it, too. Once we posted the trailer it noticed over one million views in a short time and obtained a number of the most optimistic suggestions of something we noticed over the course of your entire occasion. That is one other instance of the pattern we’re seeing the place franchises are being revisited and reimagined to a point. Whereas Mortal Kombat 1 doesn’t appear to be rethinking the core gameplay of the 30 year-old franchise an excessive amount of, the truth that the story is being fully rebooted is indicative of the pattern we’re seeing the place publishers are clinging to previous manufacturers and making an attempt to make them contemporary once more.

• Warner Bros. Video games used Summer season Sport Fest to indicate Gotham Knights final yr, so it’s attainable it could use this yr’s occasion to indicate one thing redemptive for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. The sport isn’t due till subsequent February, however its final displaying positively soured lots of people to it, so there’s a possibility for restoration.

Not even the tiniest whiff of it. It appears unlikely we’ll see something of this till perhaps the Sport Awards in December. If I’m trustworthy, I’d guess it could get delayed even additional and we might not see it til this time subsequent yr. And even later.

• I feel we’ll see a brand new Sonic recreation at Summer season Sport Fest. I’ve no proof to again this up, I’m simply guessing. This may occasionally find yourself being little greater than a trailer for the Frontiers DLC that includes playable Tails, Amy, and Knuckles, however I truthfully assume there’ll be one thing greater than that.

Sonic Superstars appeared unbelievable, and the flexibility for 4 folks to play by means of the story collectively as Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy Rose positively differentiates it from the handfuls of different Sonic video games we’ve seen through the years.

• Sega will present a brand new Hyenas trailer as a result of everybody has forgotten that the sport exists.

Possibly all of us simply imagined Hyenas, and it was by no means truly actual?

• We’re effectively overdue for a brand new replace on the numerous Silent Hills, significantly Silent Hill 2. Time for a brand new trailer, absolutely?

Nothing. Not a sausage. Kinda shocked about this one, because it appears effectively overdue, plus Konami appears to be waking up once more with all of the Steel Gear Stable stuff.

There’s been an assumption that Phantom Blade Zero is a PlayStation 5 unique – nevertheless, it is not.

• Phantom Blade Zero will certainly pop up once more. After wowing everybody on the PlayStation Showcase, first-time studio S-Sport’s tough-to-describe steampunk kung fu maybe-soulslike motion RPG was an early shock that we’ll hopefully see far more of.

I truthfully thought this could present up in every single place, as a result of it appeared superb. Apparently, as a result of the sport was proven as a part of the PlayStation Showcase on Might 24, there’s been an assumption that Phantom Blade Zero is a PlayStation 5 unique – nevertheless, it isn’t. In line with a developer Q&A posted on the sport’s official Discord server, the workforce states that “for now we have no exclusivity on any platform.” To be clear, solely PS5 and PC variations have been introduced to this point.

• Lies of P emerged at Gamescom final August below related circumstances – a trailer throughout a showcase that wowed everybody with its gritty visuals and soulslike gameplay. Round8 debuted at Opening Night time Stay at Gamescom – which is hosted and curated by Keighley – so it looks as if a reasonably secure guess we’ll see a follow-up at Summer season Sport Fest. On the very least we’ll get an precise launch date.

Yup, and it appeared dreamy in all its puffy-shirted Timothée Chalamet-looking gothic glory, plus we obtained each a launch date and a demo.

• There hasn’t been a Warhammer 40k recreation announcement within the final 5 minutes, so there’ll in all probability be a type of.

They confirmed Area Marine 2, which wasn’t precisely an announcement as a result of they first confirmed it on the Sport Awards in December, so to the letter of this prediction, I used to be improper. However nonetheless – the sport appeared fairly superior, and the trailer revealed confirmed that the sport has a co-op mode. Should you’re eager to get a brand new, vaguely Gears of Conflict-ish repair earlier than the top of this yr – it appears to have that coated.

• Capcom will in all probability proceed down its path of regurgitating itself with the announcement of one other remake. The divisive Code Veronica, maybe? (Yeah, yeah, I do know they mentioned final October that they weren’t doing it proper now, however do you actually consider them?)

Nope, nope, nope. They solely confirmed stuff we already knew about, after which their “deep dive” on Dragon’s Dogma 2 was barely puddle-deep. An enormous disappointment all spherical.

• We’ll get our first glimpse of Name of Responsibility Fashionable Warfare 3. I’m guessing at Summer season Sport Fest.

Nope. We obtained Warzone Season 3, however not Fashionable Warfare 3. It was in all probability a stretch given what we’re studying from the FTC trial happening in the intervening time.

General, it was a very good, stable preview season with some actually cool-looking video games coming within the subsequent 12 months or so. It could not have been probably the most groundbreaking or shocking set of bulletins, however I feel the true takeaway from all this may be damaged down into seven fundamental themes.

1. All of us nonetheless anticipate massive summer season showcases and previews, and even with out E3 or one thing large-scale to carry every little thing collectively – June continues to be an necessary month for us all to see what the way forward for recreation releases seems to be like. Though E3 is cancelled for the subsequent couple of years (no less than) it appears clear we’ll proceed to see massive occasions yearly.
2. After three years of studios hedging and releasing video games throughout earlier and present technology platforms, we’re lastly attending to see true next-gen experiences.
3. We’re positively seeing parallels with TV and flicks the place studios usually are not solely remaking well-known and beloved video games, however we’re additionally seeing issues being rebooted from the start and reimagined as one thing barely completely different.
4. The subsequent 12 months is completely filled with video games. We noticed 528 titles throughout Summer season of Gaming, and whereas a lot of these have been indies, the amount of big-budget titles was significantly better than we have seen lately.
5. Our time is extra treasured than ever. Video games are getting greater and requiring extra of a dedication, the selection on subscription providers is getting broader, DLC is getting greater (Phantom Liberty seems to be big), and repair video games are extra of a time-suck than ever.
6. The {hardware} has actually settled down. You possibly can extra simply purchase a PS5 or an Xbox Sequence X, there aren’t any iterations on the horizon – and in reality the one {hardware} bulletins all yr have been VR and AR associated.
7. This yr is shaping as much as be one of many largest years ever for releases. After the large successes of Tears of the Kingdom, Diablo IV, and Hogwarts – we’re a super-packed September and October with video games like Mortal Kombat 1, Starfield, Alan Wake 2, Spider-Man 2, and Tremendous Mario Bros. Surprise.

John Davison is IGN’s writer and editorial lead, and has been writing about video games and leisure for greater than 30 years. Comply with him on Twitter.