Ranking the winners and losers of the 2026 Summer Game Fest announcement season

The season formerly known as E3, let’s now just call it Summer Game Fest season, has basically ended as quickly as it began. Starting with last week’s PlayStation State of Play and coming to a close with yesterday’s Nintendo Direct, we now have a much more full picture of what to expect on the gaming calendar for 2026 and beyond. The dust is still settling, but there were some clear winners and losers of this year’s events.https://embeds.beehiiv.com/a8d62108-86ed-4039-bf49-44877ba62c15 Table of contentsSummer Game Fest 2026 winners and losersThe WinnersThe LosersSeptember Summer Game Fest 2026 winners and losers Image via Summer Game Fest The winners Capcom Image via Capcom I don’t know how they do it, but this development team is next-level. After launching Resident Evil Requiem and Pragmata this year, it’s already swiftly coming back with Resident Evil Veronica and Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance in 2027, alongside even more Street Fighter 6 content. It’s also got DLC confirmed to be in the works coming for Requiem, along with the newly-revealed Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen expansion in October. Let Capcom cook. XBOX gamers Image via XBOX You won, XBOX gamers. The company is bringing back console-exclusive games, including Gears of War: E-Day for 2026 and Clockwork Evolution in 2027. We’ll see if the company sticks with this strategy, but for now, it’s a W for those who wanted a reason to own an XBOX. The XBOX Showcase was chock full of many games and announcements, too, with a little something for everyone to look forward to. Granted, the company had a lot of ground to make up, so it feels like the only direction was “up,” but this event felt like a good start in reclaiming the brand’s glory after numerous missteps over the past few years. Persona fans Image via SEGA Throughout the course of showcases this week, Persona 4 Revival was revealed, and Persona 6 has been confirmed. Rabid fans of the JRPG franchise have every reason to be excited for the future. Switch 2 owners Image via Nintendo Early adopters of the Switch 2 have been clamoring for more reasons to play the handheld console hybrid, and this month’s presentation gave it. While a lot of the Nintendo Direct’s focus was on multiplatform games that the console can handle that its predecessor simply couldn’t, the exclusive games are still where it’s at. A remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is coming this year, and so is Nintendo Switch Sports Resort, Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave, and Splatoon Raiders. For me? That upcoming network test for The Duskbloods is what I’m most hyped for, with hopes that the game could still launch sometime this year. The losers PlayStation Image via PlayStation Between the lackluster State of Play showing and every single live stream chat being spammed by fans clamoring for Destiny 3 after pulling the plug on Destiny 2’s live-service period, it was a tough show for Sony. I’m very excited for God of War: Laufey and Marvel’s Wolverine, but the rest of the showcase was not great, focusing mainly on release dates for other games we already knew about. Where is Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet? Where is Fairgame$? Sony has fumbled this console generation pretty badly, especially when it comes to trying (and failing) to catch the live-service dragon and leaving behind its bread and butter: top-notch triple-A singleplayer games. Sony has become way too complacent, and it has never felt more apparent than during this SGF season. Tupac Shakur Image via Sega What the hell is deceased rapper Tupac doing in Stranger Than Heaven? No one truly knows, besides maybe the development team, but it was one of the weirdest and most off-putting moments of the entire week. September There is just an impossible amount of games crammed into September 2026. It begins at the end of August and carries through October, but September is especially bad, and a lot of it feels directly related to Grand Theft Auto 6 launching Nov. 19: publishers want their games nowhere near it. Gaming discourse in general Screenshot by Destructoid This has been the case for a while now, but it’s most evident during the biggest events of the year. There’s no nuance in reactions to these or any gaming events anymore, and negativity pays the bills, so excitement has almost been fully replaced by cynicism or just plain old rage bait. The never-ending “culture war” continues on with just about every announcement, like discussion around the design of Stellar Blade: Blood Rain’s main character, or the fact that the lead of the new God of War is a woman. A lot of it is performative, most of it is incendiary, but all of it is tiring, and it’s likely not going to end anytime soon. Who do you think “won” or “lost” this June gaming season? Sound off in the comments. 0 The post Ranking the winners and losers of the 2026 Summer Game Fest announcement season appeared first on Destructoid.

Jun 11, 2026 - 02:59

Ranking the winners and losers of the 2026 Summer Game Fest announcement season

The season formerly known as E3, let’s now just call it Summer Game Fest season, has basically ended as quickly as it began.

Starting with last week’s PlayStation State of Play and coming to a close with yesterday’s Nintendo Direct, we now have a much more full picture of what to expect on the gaming calendar for 2026 and beyond.

The dust is still settling, but there were some clear winners and losers of this year’s events.

https://embeds.beehiiv.com/a8d62108-86ed-4039-bf49-44877ba62c15

Table of contents

Summer Game Fest 2026 winners and losers

Summer Game Fest 2026 winners and losers

Image via Summer Game Fest

The winners

Capcom

Image via Capcom I don’t know how they do it, but this development team is next-level. After launching Resident Evil Requiem and Pragmata this year, it’s already swiftly coming back with Resident Evil Veronica and Monster Hunter Wilds: Ascendance in 2027, alongside even more Street Fighter 6 content.

It’s also got DLC confirmed to be in the works coming for Requiem, along with the newly-revealed Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen expansion in October. Let Capcom cook.

XBOX gamers

Image via XBOX You won, XBOX gamers. The company is bringing back console-exclusive games, including Gears of War: E-Day for 2026 and Clockwork Evolution in 2027. We’ll see if the company sticks with this strategy, but for now, it’s a W for those who wanted a reason to own an XBOX.

The XBOX Showcase was chock full of many games and announcements, too, with a little something for everyone to look forward to. Granted, the company had a lot of ground to make up, so it feels like the only direction was “up,” but this event felt like a good start in reclaiming the brand’s glory after numerous missteps over the past few years.

Persona fans

Image via SEGA Throughout the course of showcases this week, Persona 4 Revival was revealed, and Persona 6 has been confirmed. Rabid fans of the JRPG franchise have every reason to be excited for the future.

Switch 2 owners

Image via Nintendo Early adopters of the Switch 2 have been clamoring for more reasons to play the handheld console hybrid, and this month’s presentation gave it.

While a lot of the Nintendo Direct’s focus was on multiplatform games that the console can handle that its predecessor simply couldn’t, the exclusive games are still where it’s at. A remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is coming this year, and so is Nintendo Switch Sports Resort, Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave, and Splatoon Raiders.

For me? That upcoming network test for The Duskbloods is what I’m most hyped for, with hopes that the game could still launch sometime this year.

The losers

PlayStation

Image via PlayStation Between the lackluster State of Play showing and every single live stream chat being spammed by fans clamoring for Destiny 3 after pulling the plug on Destiny 2’s live-service period, it was a tough show for Sony.

I’m very excited for God of War: Laufey and Marvel’s Wolverine, but the rest of the showcase was not great, focusing mainly on release dates for other games we already knew about.

Where is Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet? Where is Fairgame$? Sony has fumbled this console generation pretty badly, especially when it comes to trying (and failing) to catch the live-service dragon and leaving behind its bread and butter: top-notch triple-A singleplayer games.

Sony has become way too complacent, and it has never felt more apparent than during this SGF season.

Tupac Shakur

Image via Sega What the hell is deceased rapper Tupac doing in Stranger Than Heaven? No one truly knows, besides maybe the development team, but it was one of the weirdest and most off-putting moments of the entire week.

September

There is just an impossible amount of games crammed into September 2026. It begins at the end of August and carries through October, but September is especially bad, and a lot of it feels directly related to Grand Theft Auto 6 launching Nov. 19: publishers want their games nowhere near it.

Gaming discourse in general

Screenshot by Destructoid This has been the case for a while now, but it’s most evident during the biggest events of the year. There’s no nuance in reactions to these or any gaming events anymore, and negativity pays the bills, so excitement has almost been fully replaced by cynicism or just plain old rage bait.

The never-ending “culture war” continues on with just about every announcement, like discussion around the design of Stellar Blade: Blood Rain’s main character, or the fact that the lead of the new God of War is a woman.

A lot of it is performative, most of it is incendiary, but all of it is tiring, and it’s likely not going to end anytime soon.

Who do you think “won” or “lost” this June gaming season? Sound off in the comments.

0 The post Ranking the winners and losers of the 2026 Summer Game Fest announcement season appeared first on Destructoid.

Tags:

Best Witchspire graphics settings for no lag and max FPS

What's Your Reaction?

Dislike

Love

Funny

Angry

Sad

Wow

XINKER - Business and Income Tips Explore XINKER, the ultimate platform for mastering business strategies, discovering passive income opportunities, and learning success principles. Join a community of thinkers dedicated to achieving financial freedom and entrepreneurial excellence.