After much anticipation, Summer Game Fest (SGF) has come to an end, with revelations such as the remake of The Last of Us Part 1 by Naughty Dog and Marvel’s Midnight Suns.
But what you may not have noticed is that many of the games featured during SGF come from Canada, especially suitable considering that Geoff Keighley, the show’s producer, is from Markham, Ontario.
With that in mind, we’ve put together all of the Canadian games that were shown:
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II *
A long demonstration of this year’s Call of Duty campaign was shown, with firefighting on an oil rig. Although the game is developed primarily by California-based Infinity Ward, Quebec City-based Beenox manages the PC port, as it did with previous Call of Duty titles.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II will be released on October 28, 2022 on Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X / S.
Cuphead: The delicious last course
It’s time for a real cold thriller !!
After an exclusive revelation at #SummerGameFest, enjoy the new gameplay of The Delicious Last Course. Introducing … Mortimer Freeze a Snow Cult Scuffle!
We hope you enjoy this little taste of what awaits you on June 30th! pic.twitter.com/9Y1zsW4tL1
– Studio MDHR (@StudioMDHR) June 9, 2022
The MDHR studio in Oakville, Ontario, showed short gameplay footage of a head-to-head fight in its highly anticipated Cuphead DLC, The Delicious Last Course. In it, you can see the new playable character Ms. Chalice face Mortimer Freeze, a sensitive and deadly refrigerator. Maja Moldenhauer, the Canadian producer and artist of the game, also took to the stage to talk briefly about the DLC.
Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course will hit PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X / S, Nintendo Switch and PC on June 30, 2022.
Knights of Gotham
Fleur Marty, executive producer of Warner Bros. Montreal of Quebec, virtually joined the program to present a new trailer for the team’s Batman game, Gotham Knights.
The footage focused on Nightwing, one of four playable characters alongside Robin, Batgirl and Red Hood.
Gotham Knights will be released on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X / S and PC.
Rossinyol
Edmonton-based Inflexion Games, a new studio run by former BioWare (Mass Effect) CEO Aaron Flynn, has taken a fresh look at its new IP, Nightingale.
It’s a shared global survival title that includes a Victorian fantasy setting.
Nightingale will be released on PC in late 2022.
TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge
Old school beat ’em up game fans received a gift from the Montreal-based Tribute Summer Game Fest with their Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game, Shredder’s Revenge.
The trailer confirmed a six-player co-op mode as well as a release date.
TMNT Shredder’s Revenge will be released on June 16 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One (and Xbox Game Pass), Nintendo Switch and PC.
Warframe: Duviri’s paradox
London, Ontario’s Digital Extremes unveiled the expansion of its popular action-RPG shooting game, Warframe.
The teaser was brief, however, with Digital Extremes promising a broader look at the “open world of Duviri Paradox” at the Tennocon Warframe convention on July 16th. However, there was also a brief fun exchange between Megan Everett, the gaming community manager, and Keighley.
“My fellow Canadian!” Everett said, to which Keighley replied, “I know, we always have these Canadian teams on the show; I don’t know how it works!”
Hon. mention: The aforementioned remake of The Last of Us is co-directed by Matthew Gallant of Quebec, a veteran developer of Naughty Dog, based in California.
These were all Canadian games shown at Summer Game Fest. However, the program also had many more titles; the full list can be found here. Also, here’s a breakdown of the major gaming events for June, including the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase.
Image credit: Studio MDHR
* It is important to note that Activision Blizzard, the parent company of Beenox and the publisher of the Call of Duty series, is currently involved in a number of controversies. In particular, the company has been plagued by multiple lawsuits related to an allegedly toxic work culture in which many employees, especially women, have been harassed and mistreated.
The company’s CEO, Bobby Kotick, has also been accused of working to cover up these incidents, including, in one case, threatening to kill an assistant. While Activision Blizzard has said it is working to improve its work culture, it remains to be seen what significant changes will be made, especially in the midst of Microsoft’s acquisition of the company.