Something to look forward to: The fifth annual Summer Game Fest is set for Friday, June 7, organizer Geoff Keighley has revealed. The two-hour showcase highlighting what's next in gaming kicks off at 5 p.m. Eastern and streams live from the YouTube Theater in Inglewood, California.

Summer Game Fest debuted in 2020 as a four-month-long effort to help developers and publishers showcase their upcoming games. The event proved immensely valuable in its first year considering the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3 for short, was hit especially hard by the pandemic. The 2020 event was canceled outright. The show was expected to return as usual the following year, but organizers ended up canceling the in-person component and instead hosted an online streaming event that would be the last E3 ever.

�"�ð®ðÂÂÂ

It's officially official: On Friday, June 7 @SummerGameFest streams live from @youtubetheater in LA at 2p PT / 5p ET / 9p GMT.

A two hour showcase of what's next in gaming.

Sign up now at https://t.co/gO9QVWF4nN for event alerts. pic.twitter.com/5UAiehTPNY

– Summer Game Fest (@summergamefest) March 13, 2024

E3 2022 was also canceled due to ongoing pandemic concerns; the 2023 event was not held at all due to a lack of interest and the fact that several major publishers wouldn't be attending. In late 2023, organizers announced the event had been canceled for good.

Follow-up Summer Game Fest events were much shorter than the first, with organizers eventually settling on a single day format lasting just a couple of hours.

IGN last month announced it will be hosting a three-day gaming extravaganza in early June to help fill the gap left by E3. Known as IGN Live, the event will take place in downtown Los Angeles with the goal of bringing together creators, publishers, journalists, developers, and enthusiasts from around the world.

IGN Live will also afford visitors access to talent, networking opportunities, and parties, and it sounds like the event will be open to the public. A portion of the proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to charity through a collaboration with Humble Bundle.

Tickets to attend Summer Game Fest will go on sale May 7. Interested parties can sign up for email or text updates over on the event's official website.

Image credit: Noiseporn