Kicking off E3 2021 with style, Geoff Keighley's Summer Games Fest has delighted us with a whole bunch of new announcements and reveals, ranging from the long-awaited Elden Ring to updates on Call of Duty: Warzone Season 4. If you didn't manage to catch the event live, we've rounded up all the Summer Games Fest announcements here for your reading pleasure.
And don't forget to check out the E3 2021 schedule for the rest of what to watch over the next few days.
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands
Borderlands is going high-fantasy with this standalone spin-off called Tiny Tina's Wonderlands. Cue magic, dragons, and a whole lot of Tiny Tina sass. You're actually on a journey to defeat the Dragon Lord with all your companions, and you'll be able to play the game in early 2022.
Metal Slug Tactics
Metal Slug Tactics was the second game to take the spotlight, and will see Marco, Eri, Fio, and Tarma reunited as they lead the Peregrine Falcon Squad. This is an isometric, turn-based title with a seriously retro feel taking inspiration from the original Metal Slug title. The game seems to mix animated narrative sections with pixel art gameplay. No word on a release date for this one.
Death Stranding Director's Cut
Although the actual trailer for the game felt like it was teasing a Metal Gear Solid DLC with all the box banter, the real reveal was for a Death Stranding Director's Cut coming to PS5 at some point in the future. All we have so far in terms of a date is a simple "coming soon", but that was definitely a never before seen area of the game, so perhaps expect deleted scenes and additional content for the PS5 release.
Jurassic World Evolution 2
Frontier's excellent dinosaur theme park simulator is back and Jeff Goldblum stating that the game will be deeper and more expansive than the original game - including deepwater biomes that were not previously seen before. Prepare yourself to continue trying to control some of the most dangerous and hella extinct creatures. It's arriving sometime this year, so there shouldn't be long to wait.
Lost Ark
A surprise for the games industry is that Lost Ark, a Diablo-esque MMO, is coming to the West, launching in fall 2021. It's been playable in Korea and Japan for years, before launching in Russia, but now Amazon is helping it branch out to America and Europe. There's also a beta coming this summer, so look out for that if you've been waiting for this game.
Call of Duty Warzone Season 4
We got a new trailer for the next season of Call of Duty Warzone and Black Ops Cold War, with a new operator appearing in a brief cinematic before all hell breaks loose. Players of Treyarch’s shooter will be delighted to see fan-favorite map Hijacked is back, while Warzone players also got a glimpse of some of the new things that are heading to Verdansk this season.
Among Us
Among Us is getting a brand new hide and seek mode, along with a number of new roles, new colors and cosmetics, achievements, and developer Innersloth also revealed that Map 5 is in development. It all continues to be super exciting for the indie breakout hit.
Salt and Sacrifice
Shuhei Yoshida, head of PlayStation indies, made a surprise appearance to reveal a sequel to Soulslike Salt and Sanctuary. Called Salt and Sacrifice, it's arrived in 2022 and is currently confirmed for PS5 and PS4. It's another dark, slightly terrifying 2D action-platformer, but this time around the co-op functionality will be brought to the fore more, including offering online multiplayer.
Solar Ash
Beautiful Solar Ash from Heart Machine, the developer behind Hyper Light Drifter, got a brand new trailer at Summer Games Fest, which also reaffirmed its 2021 release date. It showed us more of the game's gorgeous neon-infused art style and a better look at how combat will work, featuring a flying, laser-breathing monster.
Valorant
Riot offered the very briefest of glimpses at Valorant's next agent, which will arrive with the launch of its shooter's upcoming third episode. There's almost nothing to glean from the reveal at this point - just a cybernetic-looking helmet and some armor - but it'll be interesting to see how the new arrival fits into the game's pre-existing roster.
Escape from Tarkov
Battlestate Games revealed a trailer for Escape from Tarkov showcasing a brand new map called Streets of Tarkov. As an urban map lined with narrow streets and tall buildings, the new map poses a fairly significant shift in gameplay strategy, as most maps available in the closed beta are set in rural or industrial environments with less cover.
Two Point Campus
From the makers of Two Point Hospital comes a brand new game in the same world - Two Point Campus. As the title suggests, this one will have you creating and managing a college campus, which will include various lecture halls, and what looks like the game's take on quidditch - without the broomsticks of course. What's more, it's arriving next year.
Stranger Things x Smite
Free-to-play MMO Smite from Hi-Rez Studios is getting a Stranger Things crossover for its Battle Pass on July 13. The haunting Demogorgon and The Mind Flayer will be joining the game to rage chaos, but so will Eleven and Hopper. They’ll both bring some unique abilities to Smite and each with 2 costumes available. There is also a new Upside Down arena that will be available to really immerse into the Netflix series’ world.
Painkiller
Saber Interactive is working on a new game based on PainKiller. If you are not sure what Painkiller is, that is understandable. The original was released by People Can Fly in 2004, but despite a cult following, has long been left to time. The original is a first person shooter meets horror game, and is known for dealing with a lot of monsters at once. A good project for the team who dealt with hordes of zombies in 2019s World War Z.
Nothing else was shared about the game sadly, with no trailer, platform or date confirmed. However, for those who have waited a *long* time for Painkiller news, your day has arrived.
The Anacrusis
The Anacrusis is a brand new FPS from former Valve and Riot developers. Offering four-player co-op, it is set on a spaceship overrun with aliens. Like Left 4 Dead, the game will use an AI to remix and reshape every playthough to keep it feeling fresh. It's arriving on PC, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, and Xbox Game Pass this fall, complete with crossplay support.
Fast and Furious cars return to Rocket League
From June 17, you'll be able to get your hands on a Fast and Furious 3-car bundle in Rocket League. With three different Fast and Furious cars, you'll be able to drive the Nissan Skyline, Dodge Charger, and the new Pontiac Fiero. Complete with a variety of different decals, each vehicle can be bought separately if you're just after one particular set of wheels. A tournament is also being held to celebrate the return of the famous high speed franchise in Rocket League from June 19.
Bloodhunt
Vampires meet Fortnite in Bloodhunt, a brand new battle royale game set in the Vampire: The Masquerade universe. A slew of different vampire types slug it out on the rooftops to be crowned winner winner human dinner.
House of Ashes
The third entry in the Dark Pictures Anthology got a new trailer at Summer Games Fest, and definitely showed off its Descent inspirations. We already knew the game was en route but now we know that the release date is set for October 22.
Tales of Arise
We got a closer look at the next game in the beloved Tales Of series, which is set to release on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC via Steam on September 10, 2021. The trailer gave us a closer look at the JRPG's roster of characters and the abilities they'll be bringing to bear during combat.
Sky - The Little Prince Season
Sky is heading to Nintendo Switch on June 29, and will be followed by the adorable Le Petit Prince season shortly after on July 6.
Planet of Lana
Channelling serious Limbo x Ori vibes, Planet of Lana is an upcoming game that features a little cat/soot sprite creature in a side-scrolling hand-drawn adventure. Originally announced in 2019, you can now wishlist the game on Steam ahead of its launch on PC, Xbox Series X and Xbox One sometime in 2022.
Overwatch 2
Although we got no new info about Overwatch 2, we did get a glimpse at a pair of new skins for heroes Baptiste and Sombra. Both are sporting their new looks, which all existing characters are expected to get.
Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin
Capcom provided a new look at Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin. Unlinke mainline Monster Hunter games, there is a stronger focus on the story and a lighter, more cartoon-y artstyle to the whole world. It is still undeniably Monster Hunter though. Rathalos, Nergigante and a whole host of other dragons-like monsters were shown flying and causing havoc. It all quite dramatic. There was also a look at amiibo that are coming with the game. There are three in the form of Ena, Tsukino and a Razewing Rathalos.
Endless Dungeon
Coming from Amplitude and SEGA, Endless Dungeon got a new gameplay trailer during the showcase. It's a roguelike that sees you trapped on a mysterious space station. In order to escape you'll need to recruit other heroes and protect your crystal against the never-ending monster onslaught.
Neir skin for Fall Guys
Fall Guys is no stranger to weird and off-kilter skins. Just recently it has seen Tron of all franchises added as skins to the game, but Mediatonic’s latest might be the strangest yet. In a short trailer, it was announced that soon players would be able to take on the ultimate knockout dressed as 2B from Nier Automata. For those who would love to sport the protagonist of Yoko Taro’s in the most unlikeliest of settings, the skin will be available on June 18.
Deviation Games
Former Treyarch developers Dave Anthony and Jason Blundell have begun to reveal their next project, showing off their new studio, Deviation Games. There's next to no information about the team's first project, but the duo seemed incredibly excited while talking to Keighley on stage, and we do at least know that it's being made in partnership with PlayStation. Whether that means we'll be seeing the next major PS5 exclusive, however, remains to be seen.
Back 4 Blood
Turtle Rock Studios dropped another teaser for Back 4 Blood, the spiritual successor to Left 4 Dead. Showing off a big hulky enemy you'll be facing in the upcoming first person shooter. Set to release on October 12, 2021, we've steadily been seeing more and more of the game ahead of its release, and as the trailer confirms, you'll be able to get early access to the open beta from August 5 and try it out for yourself if you pre-order a copy.
ID@Xbox demo event
Keighley revealed that Microsoft is launching another ID@Xbox demo event is launching next week - on June 15 specifically. Xbox has confirmed the event will start on June 15 and run through to June 21, offering up over 40 demos for players to try out. They'll include the gorgeous Zelda-inspired Tunic, starring a little fox explorer. Some additional highlights also include chill post-worker story Lake, and the absolutely stunning Sable, which got a small snowcase with live music from Japanese Breakfast during Summer Games Fest.
Tribes of Midgard
Tribes of Midgard, from Norsfell Games and Gearbox, got a brand new trailer and a release date of July 27 at the Summer Games Fest. It's a survival RPG that's launching on PC, PS4, and PS5, with your tribe starting from scratch, needing to hunt to earn better gear and protection - especially from the things that stalk the night.
Evil Dead: The Game
Arriving from Saber interactive, Evil Dead: The Game is another four-player co-op game that was originally announced at the end of last year and is now set to launch in 2021. It's four survivors against various otherworldly horrors and Deadites, with various melee weapons and guns at your disposal, along with vehicles to get around the maps - which feature iconic locations from the movies.
Elden Ring
Our first proper look at Elden Ring since the game's original reveal back in 2019 certainly didn't disappoint. The upcoming title - a collaboration between Dark Souls developer From Software and A Song of Ice and Fire author George R. R. Martin - got a new trailer detailing information about its world, story, and combat, as well as a shiny new release date. We'll be heading to the realm of the Tarnished sooner than you might think, as Elden Ring is currently slated to release across PlayStation and Xbox consoles, as well as PC, on January 21, 2022.
