Video games are changing, and Summer Game Fest just teased what’s next

This story is part of our Summer Gaming Marathon series.

When Geoff Keighley takes the stage at an event like The Game Awards, he doesn’t tend to talk about current events. That’s been a point of frustration for some people over the years who have voiced criticism over how the gaming figurehead uses (or misuses) his platform. As Keighley walked on the stage at this year’s Summer Game Fest, expectations that he’d acknowledge the current layoff crisis in the video game industry were low. Then Keighley delivered the show’s biggest surprise in its first minute.

“This has been a tumultuous and difficult year with company layoffs and studio closures which have disappointed all of us. But there’s also something else happening,” Keighley said to open the show before flipping to a slide showing the top 10 bestselling new games on Steam so far in 2024. The list wasn’t filled with blockbusters; it was topped by surprise success stories like Palworld, Balatro, and Manor Lords.

“Our industry is evolving and changing. And thanks to digital distribution, smaller teams and new creators are finding incredible success … Two of them are considered big company games, but the other eight come from indie, midsized teams, or indie developers. I look at this list and I get inspired that new ideas, new teams, and smaller creators can and will break through. It’s a reminder to big companies that they have to treat their developers right, because today there are many paths to sustainability and success. And that’s what makes this industry so, so great.”

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It was a big moment for Keighley, which saw him directly addressing his critics and accepting the responsibilities that come with a high-visibility platform like his. But that moment wasn’t just about Keighley; it set an