Keighley has become the de facto curator of gaming's biggest moments.
Each June, the gaming world pauses to take stock of itself — and in 2022, that pause took the form of Summer Game Fest Live, a two-hour showcase hosted by Geoff Keighley that gathered the industry's most powerful publishers under one streaming roof. With E3 now a fading institution, Keighley has quietly become the architect of gaming's public calendar, and this year's event — featuring reveals like The Last of Us Part 1 remake, Street Fighter 6, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 — confirmed that the torch has not merely been passed, but redesigned. That the event now plays in IMAX theaters alongside YouTube and Twitch streams suggests something worth sitting with: the announcement of a video game has become, culturally, an event worth leaving the house for.
- With E3 effectively gone, the industry's hunger for a shared gathering point has grown acute — and Summer Game Fest is filling that vacuum with increasing confidence.
- The Last of Us Part 1 remake leaked before the show even began, threatening to deflate the moment, yet the sheer density of reveals — Street Fighter 6, Modern Warfare 2, The Callisto Protocol — kept the energy alive.
- For the first time, select IMAX theaters across the country screened the event, a deliberate signal that game announcements now carry the cultural gravity of film premieres.
- Geoff Keighley, who also produces The Game Awards and Gamescom's Opening Night Live, now controls so much of gaming's public-facing calendar that the industry has taken to calling the event 'Keigh3.'
- The showcase landed as a credible, cross-industry institution — broad enough to surprise, prestigious enough to matter, and positioned to grow further with a planned IMAX expansion to The Game Awards later in 2022.
Summer Game Fest Live wrapped on a Thursday afternoon in June 2022, closing out two hours of announcements that had been building for weeks. Hosted by Geoff Keighley, the showcase delivered on its growing reputation as the gaming industry's most important early-summer gathering — a role it has claimed more firmly as E3 recedes. The Last of Us Part 1 remake had already leaked before the event began, but it still anchored the show alongside Street Fighter 6, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and The Callisto Protocol. For the first time, the event was broadcast in select IMAX theaters, a partnership Keighley has indicated will extend to The Game Awards later in the year.
Keighley now occupies a singular position in the industry. Between Summer Game Fest, The Game Awards, and Gamescom's Opening Night Live, he effectively curates gaming's most-watched public moments — a consolidation that has earned the event the informal nickname 'Keigh3.' What distinguishes Summer Game Fest from publisher-specific showcases is its openness: the confirmed participant list spanned PlayStation, Xbox, EA, Capcom, Square Enix, Bandai Namco, Sega, and many more, giving the event the capacity to surprise in ways a single studio's presentation cannot.
The timing placed Summer Game Fest just ahead of Xbox's own showcase on June 12, creating a deliberate rhythm of anticipation. Microsoft, now operating with Bethesda in its portfolio, was expected to use both events strategically — with Starfield looming as a likely centerpiece for the latter. Immediately following Summer Game Fest, Day of the Devs took the stage, marking its tenth anniversary and shifting the day's focus from blockbuster reveals toward the independent studios quietly shaping gaming's future.
The IMAX expansion was the event's most telling detail — a sign that gaming announcements have transcended niche spectacle and arrived somewhere closer to cultural ceremony. Summer Game Fest has become the moment when the year's biggest games meet the world, and in 2022, the world showed up in theaters to watch.
Summer Game Fest Live wrapped on Thursday afternoon with a flood of announcements that had been building toward this moment for weeks. The two-hour showcase, hosted by Geoff Keighley, delivered on its promise to be a major gathering point for the gaming industry—a role it has increasingly claimed as E3 fades from relevance. The biggest reveal, The Last of Us Part 1 remake, had already surfaced online before the event began, but the presentation still carried weight. Street Fighter 6, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and The Callisto Protocol all made appearances, each getting their moment in front of an audience that spanned YouTube, Twitch, and, for the first time at a Summer Game Fest event, select IMAX theaters across the country.
Keighley has become the de facto curator of gaming's biggest moments. He produces The Game Awards each December and oversees Gamescom's Opening Night Live. With E3 no longer running, some in the industry have taken to calling Summer Game Fest "Keigh3"—a shorthand acknowledgment that one person now orchestrates much of gaming's public-facing calendar. The IMAX partnership, which Keighley has indicated will expand to The Game Awards later this year, signals something larger: gaming announcements are becoming events worth experiencing in theaters, not just on screens at home.
The event began at 11 AM Pacific time on June 9, with GameSpot and other outlets running pre-shows starting thirty minutes earlier. The presentation aired across the standard streaming channels, but the IMAX component represented a deliberate push toward legitimacy and spectacle. Ticket sales for the theatrical experience had opened in May, and the move suggested that major game reveals now carry the cultural weight of film premieres or concert events.
What made Summer Game Fest distinct from publisher-specific showcases—like those from Microsoft or Ubisoft—was its openness to any studio willing to participate. The confirmed participant list read like a who's who of the industry: PlayStation, Xbox, EA, Capcom, Square Enix, Bandai Namco, Sega, Warner Bros. Games, Epic Games, and dozens more. This breadth meant the event could surprise in ways a single publisher's showcase could not. In past years, Summer Game Fest had premiered Death Stranding, Elden Ring, and Bayonetta 3—games that shaped conversations for months afterward.
The timing mattered too. Summer Game Fest concluded just before Xbox's own showcase on June 12, creating a natural rhythm for major announcements. Microsoft, now operating with Bethesda as part of its portfolio following the acquisition's finalization, was expected to use both events strategically—teasing games at Summer Game Fest before diving deeper at its own event. Starfield, the long-anticipated space exploration game from Bethesda, loomed as a likely centerpiece.
Other confirmed appearances included Warframe, Gotham Knights, and rumors swirled around Hideo Kojima's project codenamed Overdose, though nothing official had been confirmed. The mystery was part of the appeal. Unlike E3, which operated on a predictable schedule and known participant list, Summer Game Fest maintained an element of surprise. Games could be announced days or weeks before the event, building momentum, or they could premiere without warning.
Immediately following Summer Game Fest, Day of the Devs took the stage—a showcase produced by Double Fine and iam8bit that had become known for surfacing exciting independent games. This year marked the event's tenth anniversary, and it served as a natural extension of the day's announcements, shifting focus from blockbuster reveals to the smaller studios shaping gaming's future.
The IMAX expansion signaled confidence that gaming events had transcended their niche status. Keighley's ability to draw major publishers, secure theatrical partnerships, and command attention across multiple platforms had transformed Summer Game Fest from a curiosity into a fixture. For the industry, it had become the event that mattered most in early summer—the moment when the year's biggest games got their formal introduction to the world.
Notable Quotes
With E3 no longer running, some in the industry have taken to calling Summer Game Fest 'Keigh3'— Industry observers
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does it matter that Summer Game Fest exists at all? Isn't it just another livestream?
E3 used to be the gathering point—the one event where the entire industry showed up on the same stage. When that ended, there was a vacuum. Summer Game Fest filled it, but more importantly, Geoff Keighley made it feel like something worth attending, not just something happening in the background.
The IMAX theaters seem like an odd choice for a video game event. Who's actually going to watch a game trailer in a theater?
That's the point, though. By putting it in IMAX, Keighley is saying these announcements matter the same way a film premiere matters. It's a signal that gaming has moved into the mainstream—that a game reveal deserves the same ceremonial weight as a movie trailer.
But the biggest reveal, The Last of Us remake, leaked before the event even started. Doesn't that undermine the whole thing?
It does take some air out of it, sure. But leaks happen. What matters is that people still tuned in. The event still delivered on other games—Street Fighter 6, Call of Duty, The Callisto Protocol. The leak didn't kill the momentum; it just meant people knew what was coming.
How is this different from just having each company do their own showcase?
Because it's neutral ground. PlayStation, Xbox, EA, Capcom—they're all on the same stage, competing for attention in the same two hours. That creates a different energy than a company controlling its own narrative. You get surprises, you get variety, and you get a sense of where the whole industry is heading, not just one publisher.
What happens to Summer Game Fest if Keighley ever steps away?
That's the real question, isn't it? Right now, he's become synonymous with it. He runs The Game Awards, Gamescom Opening Night Live, and Summer Game Fest. If he left, the whole structure might collapse. The industry has essentially handed him control of gaming's biggest moments.