As the year shifts into the Summer, that usually means one thing in the video game industry, the big blowout of announcements as developers showcase what coming in the next few years. This year is no exception despite the cancelation of E3. It kicks off later this week with the PlayStation Showcase and then Summer Game Fest returns with a live event for the first time in its history. In an interview with Epic Games, Host and Producer Geoff Keighley talked about that, how E3’s cancelation affected things, what changes are in store for this year, and that there are 3-4 big announcements that will be big for this audience.

Are you ready for Summer Game Fest?

Geoff Keighely expects three or four “pretty big” announcements this year amidst the show’s wall-to-wall news and world premieres, read more: https://t.co/PhGNKUuGiO pic.twitter.com/uT8Co7u23A

— Epic Games Store (@EpicGames) May 22, 2023

Talking about this year’s show, Keighley said “As I always say with these shows, one or two games kind of makes the entire difference,” he said. “As the producer, it’s challenging because sometimes you have those games, sometimes you don’t, sometimes you think you have them and they drop out or change. While Keighley is always cautious in his estimates of the show, he did say that there were currently three or four things that are going to be “pretty big for this audience.”

Alongside Summer Game Fest, Geoff Keighley also hosts and produces The Game Awards. The big difference between the two is The Game Awards is an awards show. There’s time spent for the winners to celebrate their win and give a speech, so the announcements are pretty straightforward. “Whereas The Game Awards is very much straight trailer, trailer, trailer, announcement, announcement, announcement,” he said. “I think Summer Game Fest has a chance to talk to the developers and showcase games and give a little bit more context around games. We’re not giving out awards in the show. It really is just kind of a showcase of games.”

Keighley also notes that this year’s show having a live, in-person audience will bring a lot of energy in the room. ” We certainly felt that at the Game Awards last year when fans would erupt in cheers when we revealed Hades or other games,” Keighley said. “In the world of so many video events, our live show and fan audience is a key differentiator for Summer Game Fest. It adds so much energy to the room to have fans react to the announcements, allowing us to really bring the announcements into the room.”

Keighley has always been adamant since Summer Game Fest’s inception, this isn’t a replacement for E3. There are no booths or demo stations for people attending the event. “The consumer experience is really coming to the live show,” Keighley said. “There will be some games and demos and things released online for fans to sort of play at home and experience. But the consumer experience is limited to the live show. We’re not doing panels. We’re not doing a convention show where you walk around and play games.”

Keighley said that he was just as surprised as everyone when E3 2023 was canceled. Keighley and the Summer Game Fest team were talking with Reedpop about E3 last year but there wasn’t really an impact on this year’s show. “We had long planned exactly what we’re doing,” he said. “We’re kind of building on what we’ve done for three years.

“I think people just want great video game news, right?”

Summer Game Fest is the second big gaming event planned for early June. the Xbox Games Showcase and a Starfield Direct is set for Sunday, June 11. Ubisoft will be presenting Ubisoft Forward showcase on June 12. Summer Game Fest is set for June 8 at 12 pm PT | 3 pm ET.