The Evolution of Gaming: Unveiling the Future at Summer Game Fest

As our culture scrambles for new digital frontiers, Summer Game Fest is fast becoming the last word in gaming innovation. A offshoot of the largest video game trade show of all time, E3, Summer Game Fest has now eclipsed itself and E3 stands in its shadow. From the Microsoft stage at the sunkissed Santa Monica Pier, to the haunted hallways of horror studio BLUMHOUSE, LA was the scene of the week for the next generation of video games. Here is the news that has the gaming world buzzing.

BLUMHOUSE: Unleashing a Horror Game Bonanza

Sitting at the centre of the fest’s reveals is BLUMHOUSE’s gaming arm, the horror studio teasing a suite of six horror games due for release from the upcoming ‘year of BLUMHOUSE horror’ – on various platforms, no less. Creating titles in collaboration with indie video game studio Half Mermaid and Eyes Out, what BLUMHOUSE showcased was brief, but… frights and chills are in the air: Fear the Spotlight, Theater of Idols.

The Return of Doom: Doom: The Dark Ages

Bethesda and Id Software are bringing us back to our medieval roots with a prequel to the beloved Doom series: that’s right, Doom: The Dark Ages is on its way. While the gaming press has reported on the imminent release of Doom: The Dark Ages, there’s been scant mention of the game’s main new feature: Doomguy finally wielding his chainsaw against elves and orcs. More firepower than ever, all with the fantasy-epic stylings you know and love. Expectations are sky-high for the new instalment, especially following an early leak on the Federal Trade Commission v. Microsoft case documents.

Bokeh Game Studio's Debut: Slitterhead

Partially developed by the man that drove the horror genre into a whole new level of psychological trauma with Silent Hill, it’s hard to imagine a game that could set the mood more perfectly than Bokeh Game Studio’s Slitterhead. I just had my first taste of the new title, and it’s rich with grotesque innovations – and it terrified the hell out of me. I saw my first elements of what has the potential to be a horrorscape in Summer Game Fest.

A New Chapter: Civilization VII

And this is how the latest chapter in one of gaming’s longest-running strategy series was revealed: Civilization VII, announced for release on PC and other platforms by the designers Firaxis Games.

Life Is Strange: Double Exposure: A Sequel to Remember

Life Is Strange: Double Exposure, the next chapter in the saga of a beloved cult classic, sees Max Caulfield back in action trying to make sense of a friend’s death and the timey-wimey aspects of said death. It’s more of what you’d call a life-journey-through love-and-loss-with a time-twisty title than a game.

Exploring the Impact of Studio Innovation

And the presence of studios like BLUMHOUSE driving the development of games is a fundamental reason why the industry will keep growing. G. Pham is a freelance writer who, when not busy geeking out over gaming, can be found in the garage playing guitar.

By continually striving to create new frontiers of what’s possible, the studio’s infinite game – and the audience of gamers that indulges it – is passionate, diverse and ever-growing. Studios such as BLUMHOUSE personify creative experimentation and are what helps the games medium remain cutting edge in the digital entertainment space.

With the aftermath of Summer Game Fest still swirling around, it becomes clear that what was put on display wasn’t just a glimpse at a gaming future, but a testament to the creative power of studios that are actively producing that future. Whether it’s horror, strategy, or something else entirely, the next page in the history of digital worlds will be full of stories that will delight, puzzle, and inspire. And as more and more studios push ourselves beyond the confines of what’s been done before, that horizon will only continue to stretch onward, a place where gamers can once again venture into the unknown and open up a new frontier.