Right at the end of 2022’s Summer Game Fest Live (or Keigh3 as some call it), Geoff Keighley predictably announced that the press conference would return in 2023. There was one twist however: the next iteration will be an in-person and digital event.
Details of exactly how this would look are forthcoming. It would presumably include a live audience for the presentation itself, as well as a “show floor” for press and fans to try game demos or talk with developers, although those details remain to be seen.
The current incarnation of Summer Game Fest is technically still ongoing. Immediately after the main event, Day of the Devs presented a slew of indie titles. It will conclude with the Xbox and Bethseda showcase on Sunday, June 12. One would imagine that an in-person version of the events could also incorporate multiple other presentations, as well as a more traditional convention floor.
The prospect of in-person brings up the specter of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. While conventions or public events often introduce mask mandates and/or vaccine requirements, this has frequently proven insufficient to stem the tide of illness. Many conventions has also forgone or reduced such requirements, resulting in more sickness. The state of the pandemic after a full calendar year is obviously a massive unknown, but it is still difficult not to wonder about the safety of such an event.
While the ESA has said E3 will return in 2023, Geoff Keighley’s games media empire seems posed to take the throne. However, ongoing concerns about in-person events may stand in the way.
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