Summer Game Fest had a bit of a "weird" vibe this year — an extremely mixed bag of weak presentations and interesting titles

"So, it's not just me, there's kind of a weird vibe this year, right?"

So said a friend of mine as we were chatting during Play Days, the in-person, media and creator-focused part of Summer Game Fest 2025 held in Los Angeles. I'm keeping them anonymous, but truthfully, it really wouldn't matter, because everyone I spoke with said some variant of the same thing.

As for why the vibes were a bit off, there are a couple of different layers to cut through. Part of it comes from the showcase that preceded media going hands-on with various games.

Opinions and tastes can range, and there were definitely some interesting games shown during the two-hour presentation hosted by Geoff Keighley, but for my money, it was easily the weakest show since Summer Game Fest has been a thing.

"You could really see the weight of all the studio closures and game cancellations," another friend in games publishing tells me, noting that with rampant layoffs over the last few years, there was eventually going to be a point where the well of new "blockbuster" titles to announce was simply going to run dry.

"It really felt like studios did the cost analysis and determined that it’s not worth paying top dollar right now," says another friend on the press side.

Capcom showing up to reveal its ninth mainline Resident Evil game was the clear exception, and Capcom's presence extended into Play Days. The Japanese publisher was frequently cited as a highlight in my conversations with other attendees, bringing presentations and demos for Onimusha: Way of the Sword, Pragmata, and Resident Evil Requiem.

Outside of Capcom, there were plenty of other developers with interesting games, and I crammed my schedule full trying to see as many as possible.

Annapurna Interactive, in particular, had a fun booth, styling game cases to make it appear that titles like Mixtape and Snap & Grab were being produced for NES and Dreamcast. Both games seem extremely promising, at least from my time hands-on.

Other developers and publishers showed up some neat titles I enjoyed checking out, such as Soft Rains' Ambrosia Sky, Supermassive Games' Directive 8020, Remedy Entertainment with FBC: Firebreak, Fictions with LEGO Party!, Dotemu's Marvel Cosmic Invasion, and more.

Xbox held its yearly highlight with the Xbox Games Showcase. It was a solid showing that I'd grade a "B-", but even here things felt like a step back from 2024's blockbuster cadence, a showing that unveiled a new DOOM game, a look at gameplay for Perfect Dark, and more that had earned an "A+" from me last year.

While mostly removed from Play Days itself, Xbox held a number of appointments nearby for great games shown off during the Showcase, including Obsidian's The Outer Worlds 2 and Grounded 2, Team Ninja and PlatinumGames' Ninja Gaiden 4, and The Coalition's Gears of War: Reloaded, which was playable on the upcoming Xbox Ally X.

All of these games were great to play, and I'm looking forward to playing all four later this year.

Returning to that aforementioned weird vibe, it's impossible to ignore how the mood was also compounded by nearby events, with Los Angeles inhabitants protesting against immigration raids by ICE, and all of it taking place just a few streets over.

I'm not here to navel-gaze about my role, but it bears mentioning that I'm going to just feel off when watching things unfold like that, wondering if people are going to be okay, especially when I started getting messages and calls from friends (who I appreciate!) making sure I'm alright.

Many of my colleagues were visiting the U.S. from other countries in order to attend Play Days. Throughout the event, I was fraught with worry about them, trying to keep in touch and give advice to as many as I could while still managing my workload.

In the evenings, as groups gathered in hotel lobbies to drink and chat, I constantly checked in to make sure various friends were getting to their rooms and staying off the street.

Yet with all of that said, I still had a fantastic time. Working remotely for most of what I do is great, but I seriously appreciate being able to actually talk to people in person, whether it's putting names to faces for the first time or catching up with longtime pals. It's a grounding recharge that I need at least once a year.

I'm not even going to try listing everyone because I'll inevitably forget some names and feel bad about it, but if we took time to chat, I appreciate you, and I dearly hope to see you again next year or sooner.

I also want to be clear that I appreciate Play Days for what it is and what the organizing team has accomplished every year. They listened to feedback and took security for the event itself quite seriously. It's not E3 reborn, but for what it is, it doesn't need to be.

Summer Game Fest was really weird this year. I'm already looking forward to hopefully going again in 2026.

With all that said, let me hear from you

I've said my piece, but now, I'd like to hear from our readers. What did you think of Summer Game Fest and the assorted associated showcases?

Did you think the various streams were better or worse than last year? No matter what your opinion is, I'd also like to know why you felt that way and what stuck out to you.