This year’s Summer Game Fest started off with a bang. While no one was quite sure how Geoff Keighley’s gaming showcase would fare with E3 right around the corner, the kickoff stream was absolutely stacked. It started strong with the reveal of Borderlands spinoff Tiny Tina’s Wonderland and ended with the biggest game: Elden Ring.
The two-hour stream (plus the Day of the Devs event that followed) was loaded with surprise announcements, celebrity interviews, and musical performances. It’ll be a tough act for E3 to follow, but that hopefully sets the stage for an exciting weekend of reveals. Here’s all the major news from the first day of Summer Game Fest 2021.
Elden Ring gets a release date and trailer
The biggest shocker was Elden Ring, which closed out the show after years of memes. We got a glimpse at a new trailer that gave us a close look at its fantasy setting and gameplay. Even more shocking is that the game got a release date: January 21, 2022. That’s much sooner than some had been expecting, making this a genuine bombshell moment for Summer Game Fest. Hopefully we’ll see a little more at Namco’s E3 showcase on Monday, June 15.
Tiny Tina’s Wonderland is a new Borderlands spinoff
We’d heard rumors about it leading up to E3, but now it’s official. Borderlands is getting a fantasy spinoff game called Tiny Tina’s Wonderland. It features a star-studded voice cast that includes Andy Samberg, Wanda Sykes, Ashly Burch, and more. The game is scheduled for an early 2022 release.
Death Stranding gets a PS5 Director’s Cut
Hideo Kojima appeared on the screen to offer up a surprise. Death Stranding is getting a Director’s Cut on PS5. A teaser trailer for the game featured some cheeky callbacks to Kojima’s Metal Gear Solid franchise.
Vampire: The Masquerade gets a multiplayer spinoff
While we patiently wait for an update on the indefinitely delayed Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2, the series is getting a multiplayer spinoff game. Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodhunt will come out sometime this year, and fans can sign up for a closed alpha right now.
Metal Slug Tactics is a new spin on an old classic
Shoot-em-up classic Metal Slug is getting a surprising new installment. Metal Slug Tactics is a Fire Emblem-style strategy game that features characters fighting on a grid. Dotemu, the team behind last year’s standout Streets of Rage 4, is working on the game.
New content coming to Among Us
Indie sensation Among Us is getting tons of new content. A road map for the game was shared during the show, which revealed that new roles and modes are coming. The biggest addition is a Hide-and-Seek mode, though details on what that entails weren’t shared.
Jurassic Park Evolution 2 is coming
Jeff Goldblum made a celebrity cameo during the show to reveal Jurassic Park Evolution 2. The surprise sequel to the dinosaur park building game will be released sometime this year.
Call of Duty: Warzone’s next season teased
We got a slight teaser of Call of Duty: Warzone’s next season, which debuts on June 17. It’ll feature a “hijacked gulag,” whatever that means, plus plenty of new maps and guns.
Evil Dead: The Game gets a gameplay trailer
We finally got a closer glimpse of Evil Dead: The Game. A gameplay trailer showed off the multiplayer title’s gameplay, which looks about as gory as one would expect from the zombie franchise.
Tons of indies shown at Day of the Devs
A ton of indie games were shown during a delightful Day of the Devs stream. The biggest game shown during the stream was Axiom Verge 2. Developer Thomas Happ shared new details on the Metroidvania and confirmed it’ll come to PS4 and PS5. Other highlights included Soup Pot, The Wandering Village, and stop-motion title Vokabulantis.
And everything else …
- Indie game Sable got a September 23 release date.
- A NieR: Automata skin is coming to Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout.
- Smite is getting a Stranger Things crossover event.
- Fast and Furious content is coming to Rocket League.
- MMO Lost Ark is coming to the West this fall.
- Salt and Sanctuary sequel Salt and Sacrifice is coming in 2022.
- Two Point Campus will launch in 2022.
- The Anacrusis is a new co-op shooter developed by Stray Bombay.
- Prime Label is a new publisher, and it’s working on a new Painkiller game.
- Tales of Arise got a new gameplay trailer.
- Sky: Children of Light comes to Switch this July.
- Two new Overwatch 2 character skins debuted.
- Planet of Lana is a new indie with a hand-painted art style.
- Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin got a new trailer.
- We saw a gameplay trailer for Endless Dungeon.
- A new Back 4 Blood enemy type made its debut.
