The Summer Games Fest 2024 has finally finished and we can see what to look out for this year: it's DLCs, spin-offs, and sequels.
Yes, half of the major titles announced for this year's biggest video game event are either side stories or continuations of previously released games from the past decade.
Here are just some of the few examples:
DLC Announcements: Alan Wake II, Palworld, Street Fighter 6
Following its massive success last year, Remedy Entertainment unveiled a surprise for Alan Wake II fans with the new "Night Springs" DLC releasing in less than 24 hours.
This is in addition to the surprise of Control fans, another game under Remedy's wing, with the reveal of its main protagonist Jesse Faden appearing in the DLC's trailer.
It is uncertain how she will fit into the Alan Wake story, especially with the events of Control, although fans expect her appearance will spark the story for Control 2.
Even Street Fighter 6 will also receive a big update this year as it enters its second season with four new characters, including a crossover with the Fata Fury franchise.
As for Palworld, the Summer Games Fest revealed that the Pokémon-inspired open-world game will soon be receiving a map expansion along with a batch of new "Pals" for players to catch.
The expansion is expected to reignite people's interest in the game since the initial three-month hype and controversy the game caused earlier this year.
Upcoming Sequels: Civ VII, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
Players looking for good sequels have more options this year, most notably with the Civilization franchise and Kingdom Come.
After nearly eight years since Civ VI, Sid Meier's Civilization series will finally have its seventh installment.
While the teaser trailer did not reveal much about the gameplay, little details from the showcase indicate that the game will cover more civilizations and cultures all mounting up to the industrial age and the modern era.
More information is expected to come out as the game nears its release date next year.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is also confirmed after months of speculations and leaks, bringing the story-driven medieval drama to the city of Kuttenberg in 1403.
Developers Warhorse Studios already confirmed that the game will have a much bigger map with up-to-date graphics as it poses to compete with other medieval franchises like For Honor and A Plague Tale.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is set to hit PlayStation 5, Windows PCs, and Xbox Series S/S by the end of the year.
More Franchise Installments: Batman, Monster Hunter, Delta Force
Of course, there is no Summer Games Fest without a bunch of sequel franchise installments being announced.
The only difference is that the games have already been announced either last year or earlier this 2024.
Honorable mentions include the Meta Quest 3-exclusive Batman: Arkham Shadow, Monster Hunter Wilds, and a new Delta Force title since Xtreme 2 in 2009.
Based on the new trailer provided, the new Delta Force title, Hawk Ops, will be a modern retelling of the frenetic first-person shooter similar to earlier Battlefield games.
For Call of Duty and Battlefield players looking for something new, this might be the breakout title for this year's summer.
Breakout Original Titles
While sequels and franchises are the highlights of the Summer Games Fest, several new titles might be worth the players' attention.
Most notable is Blumhouse's debut in the horror game industry with Crisol: Theater of Idols. Yes, the studio behind "Paranormal Activity" franchise and "Get Out."
Crisol is set to headstart the company's transition to the industry with other single-player titles coming very soon.
Capcom is also holding strong this year as it returns to ancestral roots with Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess.
Colorful and chaotic, Kunitsu-Gami was directed by Shuichi Kawata, a major contributor to the original Resident Evil 2, 4, and 5.
Kawata's influence can be seen all around the Kunitsu-Gami, especially with its inspirations from Shinsekai: Into the Depths, Kawata's first lead game.
