With E3 gone and buried, Summer Game Fest has since stepped up as the mid-year event where developers and publishers showcase what’s next in the gaming pipeline. From Sony (via their separate State of Play) to our indie darlings, who stole the spotlight in 2026?
There is little to argue that there were scores of video games announcements or updates during the first week of June 2026. Starting with the Sony State of Play, we received a release date for the highly anticipated Marvel’s Wolverine, and they ended with announcing the new God of War title. Summer Game Fest proper opened with Resident Evil Veronica and unfolded into a fury of announcements such as Alien Isolation 2, Guild Wards 3, 1666 Amsterdam, SAW: Genesis, Star Wars: Zero Company, Wolf Among Us 2, Stellar Blade: Blood Rain, and Final Fantasy VII: Revelation.
Don’t discount indie games, either. Both Day of the Devs and Wholesome Games brought something for everyone with colorful and creative games such as Tenebris Somnia, When Sirens Fall Silent, Patience is a Virtue, Colorbound, and Danchi Days. Then, the Xbox Showcase closed the weekend strong with announcements of iconic franchises like Gears of War E-Day, Fable (finally with release date), Senua, DOOM: The Dark Ages: Revelations, Crazy Taxi: World Tour, Persona 6, and Spyro: A Realm Beyond.
Every studio and publisher deserves some credit, working hard to make video games and putting them into the hands of their communities. Who emerged at the top as “winners” and who stumbled and made themselves look like utter fools?
WINNERS: Microsoft and Bloober Team
Microsoft has been stumbling over thin ice in the last few years (remember the “This is an Xbox campaign”?). It seemed like they lost sight of where Xbox was headed, and their future felt uncertain by many, including their most loyal fans. However, the Xbox Showcase that streamed live Sunday 7th, whipped out a pristine white glove and slapped us in the face with it.
Xbox focused on the franchises that defined them as well as some key partnerships. While we expected Gears of War E-Day, we were shocked and awed by another Senua and Plague Tale game, and don’t forget about the Crazy Taxi and Spyro the Dragon announcement. Persona 6 was also announced, albeit in the form of a tiny teaser. Lastly, they showed off a 25th anniversary edition Xbox console and controller, releasing this November. It is a translucent green, a very iconic color scheme for Xbox. This showcase may have revived a very much needed hype for Xbox.
The Bloober Team name was attached to several video game announcements during Summer Game Fest weekend. I was impressed that, although they worked “behind the scenes” during the event, their name was evident and recognized by many. The Bloober Team is involved with SAW: Genesis and Star Trek: Shadow Frontier. Outside of the showcases, they also announced DLC for their title, Cronos: The New Dawn.
The Bloober Team worked with Paramount Games to develop Star Trek: Shadow Frontier. This game takes a more psychological action-adventure approach where you play as Ro Laren. She responds to a distress signal but ends up crashing on an uncharted planet. For SAW: Genesis, the Bloober Team takes a publisher role, working with Anshar Studios and Broken Mirror Games. SAW: Genesis adopts the asymmetrical, 3v1, multi-player format and takes place after World War I. Lastly, the DLC for Cronos: The New Dawn is titled Lazarus, and it delves further into the story behind the Warden.
LOSERS: Trolls on the Internet
There’s really only one loser I can think of during Summer Game Fest 2026. The “loud minority” made their thoughts known after the State of Play revealed God of War: Laufey. I don’t want to reward them with much more attention, but they really showed their behinds by throwing fits over the announcement. Their disgust was over the fact you played as a female, that this was allegedly driven by a woke agenda, and/or believed God of War should only follow Kratos. While I can somewhat understand the sense of disruption of a long-standing protagonist in a franchise, the reactions were toxic, rage-bating, and quite honestly, disgusting. These people have no place in the celebration in gaming.
Who do you think stole the show during Summer Game Fest season, and who failed to shine? Please share your thoughts with us on our Boss Rush Facebook Group or our Boss Rush Discord.
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