E3 2020 is officially cancelled, and in its place, the Steam Game Festival is coming back once again. Put together by Game Awards host Geoff Keighley, the festival debuted alongside last year’s awards show and returned last month in place of GDC, offering indie developers a chance to showcase their upcoming PC games in place of cancelled trade shows. Now, the festival is returning on the day E3 was originally scheduled to start.
The Steam Game Festival begins again on June 9, and will last until June 14. The event will once again offer a load of free game demos to enjoy, but it looks like it’s expanding in some form, too. Keighley says “much more news” is on the way, and that the summer will bring “an entirely new way for us all to gather and celebrate gaming in these uncertain times.”
A Steam page for the festival is already live, which includes a form for developers to indicate their interest in the event. The festival will focus on games set to be released within the next year, and will also offer opportunities to “connect with the developers behind the games.” Keighley says the festival will come to other platforms, as well.
Keighley had been subtly critical of the ESA’s plans for E3 even before the COVID-19 pandemic, and announced in February that he would not be participating in the show – for the first time in 25 years. The producer slash journalist slash host has been pretty open about having broader ideas for the future of gaming conventions, and it seems the Steam Game Festival is a big part of those plans.
I'm excited to share that the The Game Festival will return this summer on Steam from June 9 – 14 2020, allowing you to play more upcoming games from the comfort of your home. Developers can register interest here: https://t.co/G5IhvSpEMw
— Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) April 13, 2020
If you’re looking for more free PC games to enjoy in the meantime, you know where to click.