The Summer Game Fest 2021 kicked off with a new game announcement from Gearbox Software and 2K Games — Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, a Borderlands spinoff starring Andy Samberg, Wanda Sykes, Will Arnett, and Ashly Burch.
Tiny Tina's Wonderlands Announced
“It’s a high-fantasy take on a looter shooter,” Tiny Tina’s voice actor Ashley Burch explained to Geoff Keighley on stage. “If you’re a fan of Borderlands, you’ll probably recognize some fantasy elements inspired by Assault on Dragon Keep which was the Borderlands 2 DLC that was beloved by the devs. And so, this kind of inspired Wonderlands.”
Despite the inclusion of Tiny Tina, Burch confirmed that this is not a core Borderlands game. Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands is expected to launch in early 2022. More details will be revealed later this summer; in the meantime, you can check out playwonderlands.com.
Metal Slug Tactics
The Metal Slug franchise has been around for decades, largely focused on side-scrolling arcade games packed with guns and heavy armored vehicles. Now, something new is on the way — get ready for Metal Slug Tactics.
Although Metal Slug Tactics preserves the same kind of pixel art style as the previous games, this will have very different gameplay. Players will place their characters on the map and move them in a turn-based system to take on all sorts of enemies; your characters can stay on foot, mount up in a vehicle, and even call in an airstrike.
Death Stranding Director's Cut
Hideo Kojima had a short interview with Geoff Keighley, talking about the difficulties of dealing with COVID-19 and his next project: Death Stranding Director’s Cut.
Death Stranding Director’s Cut showed us a short scene with Sam Porter Bridges exploring some kind of facility that hasn’t been seen in the game just yet. At one point, Sam notices a Fragile Express box on a shelf and jumps into it, likely as an homage to the Metal Gear franchise that Kojima created.
Unfortunately, we didn’t get much more information aside from a short teaser; a full reveal of the game is expected to arrive within the next few weeks.
Jurassic World Evolution 2
Jeff Goldblum appeared remotely at the Summer Game Fest 2021, doing a “dramatic reading” of a new world that will challenge you to “control chaos” — Jurassic World Evolution 2.
We then got to see a short Jurassic World Evolution 2 trailer with herds of triceratops running over some grasslands while people watched from afar. The scene transitioned to underwater, showing some underwater dinosaurs in the depths. The trailer closed with the surprising news that this Jurassic World Evolution sequel would be arriving in 2021.
Sable Release Date
The new game announcements were interrupted by a short musical interlude; Japanese Breakfast had a life performance of “Glider” from Raw Fury and Shedworks’ upcoming open-world game Sable.
More details will be revealed about Sable at the Tribeca Games Showcase tomorrow. You’ll be able to get your hands on this game when it launches on September 23, 2021.
MMO Lost Ark Coming to The West
Smilegate and Amazon Games will be bringing the Korean MMORPG Lost Ark to the West. We got to see a trailer showing off massive battles and city scenes with dozens of characters on the screen at the same time. You can learn more about the game at playlostark.com; it’s expected to arrive in the West later in Fall 2021.
Call of Duty: Warzone Season 4 Comes Next Week
Call of Duty’s General Manager Johanna Faries then took to the stage to talk about the future of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Call of Duty: Warzone. After a short, enthusiastic chat about the game, we got the official trailer for the next season of the game.
Season 4 will include the map Collateral in 6v6 and 12v12, Amsterdam in 2v2, and Hijacked in 6v6. We also got a short tease about some kind of update to the Call of Duty Zombies game mode. You’ll be able to play Call of Duty Season 4 starting on June 17, 2021.
New Among Us Modes, Cosmetics, and More
Next up was Innersloth revealing the new Among Us content that will be making its debut in the future. Bear in mind that all of this stuff was presented in no particular order and is in various states of completion.
Firstly, a brand-new game mode is on the way: hide and seek. New roles including “Sheriff” and “Scientist” will also come to the game.
New Among Us cosmetics are on the way, too. New colors include coral, tan, rose, maroon, and gray. A new Banana head cosmetic is coming, and that’s not all — visor cosmetics are getting introduced. These include things like goggles, facial hair, face masks, and the iconic “Dum” post-it note based on an image we saw.
Among Us Achievements are also being introduced in the future. The final teaser from Among Us was a hilariously small portion of Map 5; we’re sure to find out more details in the coming weeks and months.
Salt & Sacrifice Announced, From the Salt & Sanctuary Developers
PlayStation’s Head of Indies Shuhei Yoshida appeared remotely to talk about working with indie developers to bring indie games to PlayStation consoles, starting by highlighting today’s release of Chicory: A Colorful Tale.
Yoshida’s quick chat was followed by a new trailer for Salt & Sacrifice, an upcoming game from ska studios and Beyouren Studios that will feature players hunting mages in both online and offline co-op.
Escape from Tarkov New Area Shown Off
Moving on, we got an exclusive first look at the streets of Tarkov, a new area of Escape From Tarkov that’s under development and will take players into a urban environment that’s pretty different from what we’ve seen so far.
Players in the trailer explored streets, grocery stores, parking garages, and apartment buildings in relative peace. It wasn’t long before some intense firefights broke out, showcasing the sheer size of some of these new areas. (It’s probably a good idea to start practicing with long-ranged weapons right now.)
Towards the end, we also saw what appeared to be a Russian BMP APC with more than half-a-dozen troops riding on the outside, jumping off and getting ready to engage the player. Unfortunately, that delicious detail all we got before the trailer came to an end.
Two Point Campus Revealed
Two Point Campus has been revealed as the next simulation game in the Two Point universe, continuing development of games in the style like Theme Hospital and Dungeon Keeper.
Naturally, Two Point Campus is all about building a college campus (as opposed to building a hospital in Two Point Hospital.) The same silly style of humor from Two Point Hospital will be preserved — after all, who wouldn’t want to build a gigantic robot as a class project?
You’ll be able to play Two Point Campus on PC via Steam, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch in 2022. Pop on over to twopointcampus.com and you can sign up to score a free item at launch!
Smite and Stranger Things Crossover
As was teased yesterday, we got a first look at the Smite Stranger Things crossover, one of the many nerdy happenings arriving as part of Netflix’s Geeked Week. A Battle Pass featuring the Upside Down Arena Map will arrive on July 13, 2021.
Prime Matter Publishing Label Revealed
Prime Matter has been revealed as a new game publisher arriving on the scene with a bang — it’s got a total of 12 new games on the way to herald its entry in the gaming industry.
Check out here for more details.
The Anacrusis Announced
The Anacrusis is a new four-player co-op shooter set aboard a massive starship. You’re stranded at the edge of known space — unfortunately, your ship is also being boarded by hordes of deadly aliens.
Featuring a distinct retro-futuristic theme, you and your friends will explore the Anacrusis, gathering up guns and defending the titular ship in an infinitely replayable co-op game.
Rocket League Fast & Furious Content June 17th
Rocket League is bringing back the Nissan Skyline, Dodge Charger, and F9 Pontiac Fierro “heist car” from the Fast & Furious movies to celebrate the next big film in the saga. We got to see a short teaser featuring the cars, but there wasn’t much more in the way of details; you’ll be able to get these new vehicles on June 17, 2021.
Vampire: The Masquerade Blood Hunt Coming Later This Year
Previously, a new Swedish developer called Sharkmob revealed a teaser for its new game set in the Vampire: The Masquerade universe. Now, we finally have a name for this mysterious game: Vampire: The Masquerade Blood Hunt.
We then got to see a short teaser of the game featuring characters climbing on walls along with a bit of gunplay. You can sign up for the closed alpha coming later in 2021 at bloodhunt.com.
The Dark Pictures: House of Ashes Coming in October
Next up was the reveal of the next game in The Dark Pictures Anthology featuring a group of soldiers fighting an “ancient horror.” A group of soldiers suspected that chemical weapons were hidden in an underground facility; instead, they found a terrifying monster.
The trailer then moved on to show us a monster tearing these poor soldiers to bits in the darkness; the “Underworld Creature” was eventually revealed to look like a gigantic bat. You’ll be able to get The Dark Pictures: House of Ashes on October 22, 2021, for PC, PlayStation, and Xbox.
Pre-order the game now and you can get early access to the “Curator’s Cut” which will let you play previously unavailable scenes with different playable characters, allowing you to make new choices with different outcomes.
New Tales of Arise Trailer
The Tales franchise is finally coming to 3D through the power of the Unreal engine — we got a look at a brand-new trailer for Tales of Arise. More information about Tales of Arise will be arriving in the coming weeks.
Sky: Children of Light Coming to Nintendo Switch
A console version of Sky: Children of the Light will be launching on Nintendo Switch on June 29, 2021. Additionally, the next Le Petit Prince season will be starting on July 6, 2021.
Planet of Lana Announced
Planet of Lana Is a colorful adventure from Thunderful that will plop players down into a hand-painted world filled with mysteries. We got to see a little bit of the world before learning that it will be arriving in 2022; you can learn more about this new game at planetoflana.com.
Updated Looks for Baptiste and Sombra Shown Off for Overwatch 2
Overwatch Game Director Aaron Keller took to the stage with Geoff Keighley to talk about the latest Overwatch 2 news. Aaron Keller kicked things off by revealing updated looks for Baptiste and Sombra. Unfortunately, that’s all we really got; we’ll have to wait for more details about the game in the following months.
Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance Gameplay
The Summer Game Fest 2021 then moved on to showcasing Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance played by comedian and entertainer Hannibal Buress, WWE wrestler Ember Moon, Geoff Keighley, and game developer Jeff Hattem.
Paladins x Gen:Lock Crossover
A Paladins x Gen:Lock crossover was revealed; all of the major characters from this animated series will be coming to Hi-Rez’s game in July 2021.
Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin Trailer
We got the first look at the Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin story trailer, showcasing a vibrant world filled with powerful, gigantic creatures. You’ll be able to get Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin on the Nintendo Switch later on July 9, 2021.
As is common with Monster Hunter games, there are a ton of incentives for getting the game early. Aside from a bunch of deluxe edition goodies being available, anyone who pre-orders the game will get the “Kamura Maiden Outfit” for Ena as a pre-order bonus. Additionally, you can score the “Kamura Garb” Layered Armor by linking up your Monster Hunter Rise save data with Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin.
More Details on Endless Dungeon
Endless Dungeon was announced at The Game Awards 2020; now, we got an extended look at this new game from Amplitude and Sega. Endless Dungeon will be coming to PC via Steam, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo; you can register at endlessdungeon.game to score yourself an exclusive skin.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart Launch Stream
Insomniac will be hosted a special launch stream for Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart on Twitch later today. You can check it out at twitch.tv/insomniacgames starting at 5:00 PM Eastern Time.
Giancarlo Esposito Talks Far Cry 6
Giancarlo Esposito appeared remotely to talk about Far Cry 6. This acclaimed actor started off by talking about how he was approached to take on the role and how he was excited to work with the motion and facial capture technology that was used to bring his character to life in the game.
Based on what Giancarlo Esposito said, the main villain of Far Cry 6 isn’t going to be as clear cut of a villain as one might expect. Antón Castillo loves his country very much and has a vision for how he wants to shape it; Esposito implied that there would be moments where he could be viewed as a hero.
Nier Costumes Coming to Fall Guys
A brand-new Fall Guys costume was revealed — you’ll soon be able to dress up your bean as the iconic character from NieR: Automata with the Fall Guys 2B costume.
Genshin Impact Trailer
Genshin Impact was next in line with a rapid-fire trailer showing off some intense gameplay moments, highlighting the “Clash,” an upcoming tournament in which players can apparently participate. We also got a brief look at Kaedehara Kazuha, a male character wielding a katana with style and grace.
New Developer Deviation Games Announced
Deviation Games is a new game developer; Call of Duty veterans Dave Anthony and Jason Blundell are the CEO and CCO, respectively, of this new venture. Deviation Games is “very early” in its new project as it’s largely spent the first year building its development team; unfortunately, they didn’t have anything to show just yet aside from a partnership with PlayStation.
Back 4 Blood Beta and New Boss Shown
We got a quick tease of a new Back 4 Blood boss as part of a short trailer. Additionally, we got some new details about when you can play it first: you can pre-order Back 4 Blood and get early access to the open beta which begins on August 5, 2021.
Back 4 Blood will launch on October 12, 2021, for PC, PlayStation, and Xbox. You can tune in to the PvP Showcase on June 13, 2021, at 5:00 PM Eastern on twitch.tv/turtlerockstudios to learn more about this upcoming Left 4 Dead spiritual successor.
ID@Xbox Demo Event - Play Tunic and more
A new ID@Xbox demo event will be starting Tuesday, June 14, 2021. As part of this announcement, we got a quick look at the isometric action-adventure Tunic from its developer. This game features an adorable fox exploring a world and finding items with an interesting twist — you can’t understand any of the dialogue on screen.
You’ll be able to play the Tunic demo exclusively on Xbox as part of the ID@Xbox event along with Sable and a number of other games.
Tribes of Midgard Release Date
Get ready for a new Viking action RPG that’s all about grabbing as much loot as you can! In Tribes of Midgard, you’re charged with protecting the seed of Yggdrasil and fighting against the forces of darkness including giants, trolls, and all sorts of foul creatures. You’ll also have to build base defenses, too — it’s not exactly easy to fend off a frost giant, after all.
You’ll be bale to play Tribes of Midgard on PC via Steam and PlayStation on July 27, 2021; pre-order the game now and you’ll score some cool cosmetics. PC and PlayStation players will each get their own unique set of items.
Evil Dead: The Game Gameplay
Evil Dead: The Game was announced at The Game Awards 2020. Now, Saber Interactive’s Chief Creative Officer Tim Willits popped into the show remotely to show off some extended footage of the game, helped along with an explanation by the legendary Bruce Campbell.
You and your friends can team up as characters from The Evil Dead, battling against the forces of darkness… or you could play as the demon instead if you’d prefer to be “a dick” as Campbell so colorfully put it. The good guys will have to track down pages of the Necronomicon and lost tapes to send the demon back to where it came from. You’ll be able to play Evil Dead: The Game later in 2021.
Elden Ring Release Date
Our next game was “extremely special” according to Geoff Keighley who enthused about being able to show something like this off at his show. It’s finally time for the premiere of Elden Ring.
We got our first look at a bleak landscape filled with otherworldly architecture and creatures; broken, floating buildings, a gigantic turtle with a bell, walking pots, and all sorts of horrifying creatures that wouldn’t be out of place in a Dark Souls game. And yes, there are dragons, too.
Finally — and perhaps most importantly — we know when this highly-anticipated game will be coming out: the Elden Ring release date is January 21, 2022. You’ll be able to play it on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox; you can find out more about this game at eldenring.com.
That massive Elden Ring reveal brings a close to kickoff of the Summer Game Fest 2021. We’ll be seeing Geoff Keighley next on August 25, 2021, as part of Gamescom’s Opening Night Live.
Keighley couldn’t leave without making one more happy announcement, though — The Game Awards 2021 will be returning this December and will once again be an in-person event.
