Canada takes centre stage at Summer Game Fest, Xbox and Ubisoft showcases

Summer Game Fest (SGF) is a pretty big deal in that it brings together the entire gaming industry.

While the globally-streamed live showcases can be hit or miss, Markham, Ontario-born Geoff Keighley’s successor to E3 has nonetheless started to fill that void of being a Los Angeles-based hub at which industry members from around the world can congregate and try out upcoming games. In total, more than 55 publishers from around the world took part this year, including PlayStation, Xbox, Capcom, Bandai Namco, Sega and 2K.

What you might not realize with such an international event, however, is the sizeable role that Canada plays within it. As I spent four days in Los Angeles last week for the latest Summer Game Fest and the bevy of adjacent gaming events, I was taken aback by just how many Canadian games and creators were present in ways both big and small. While that’s always been true to an extent, the sheer volume of Canadian-made titles, as well as how much attention they commanded within each showcase, was particularly impressive. This is especially notable considering Canada rarely gets recognized for its significant contributions to the gaming industry.

In that spirit, then, I wanted to highlight the Canadian games of this “not E3” season, which includes the Summer Game Fest Live showcase, as well as the Xbox Games Showcase, Ubisoft Forward, Day of the Devs, Wholesome Direct and other related events. (There were a lot of streams over the weekend.)

So, read on for an overview of the many Canadian games that were featured throughout Summer Game Fest and beyond.

All Systems Dance

Platforms: PC
Release date: TBA

When you first hear about a robot-filled corporate dystopia, you might assume you’re in for a particularly dark story, but All Systems Dance wants to subvert those expectations. Developed by Toronto’s Mighty Yell (The Big Con, Canada’s sole selection of the 2021 Tribeca Games Festival), All Systems Dance tasks you with leading a revolution through the power of dance, rather than any sort of violent combat. While Mighty Yell says it still aims to explore themes of unregulated greed, automation and body dysmorphia, it’s all told through the charming humour that made The Big Con such a delight.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows

Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, iPad, Mac
Release date: November 15th, 2024

One of Ubisoft’s main two titles at its Forward presentation was Assassin’s Creed Shadows, a long-awaited feudal Japan entry in the popular action-adventure series. Notably, it hails from Ubisoft Quebec, the team behind 2018’s acclaimed Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and 2020’s Immortals: Fenyx Rising. Ubisoft gave the game a grand drum intro before game director Charles Benoit took to the stage and a 10-plus-minute gameplay demo was shown. On top of finally giving fans a Japan-set adventure, the Quebec team is building from its experience of making a two-protagonist game in 2015’s Assassin’s Creed Syndicate to provide a new duo of playable characters. This time, though, one is based on a real person, the African samurai known as Yasuke, as well as an original character, a shinobi named Naoe. The former is all about a brute-force, combat-focused playstyle, while the latter allows for nimble stealth options, giving players plenty of options as they explore a meticulously crafted historical Japan.

Battle Vision Network

Platforms: PC, Netflix Games (Android and iOS)
Release date: TBA 2025

Toronto’s Capybara Games is one of Canada’s most prolific indie teams thanks to acclaimed titles like Superbrothers: Sword and Sorcery EP, Below and Grindstone under its belt. But its latest game, Battle Vision Network, harkens back to one of its earliest works, Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes. Enter Battle Vision Network, a puzzle-battler that has you facing off against other players in the galaxy’s most popular sport. It’s an evolution of the Clash of Heroes formula that aims to mix cozy colour-matching gameplay with turn-based tactics into engaging-yet-digestible five-minute matches. If anyone can do that, it’s the team behind the ever-addictive Grindstone.

For more on Battle Vision Network, check out our interview with creative director Dan Vader.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard

Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Release date: TBA fall 2024

At long last, BioWare Edmonton has pulled back the curtain on its next Dragon Age game, The Veilguard (formerly known as Dreadwolf). EA revealed 20 minutes of gameplay footage publicly alongside an extended hour-long demo of the game at Summer Game Fest. All told, it’s shaping up to be a classic BioWare game, offering real-time combat with tactical depth, a choice-based narrative, robust character customization and a cast of three-dimensional party members. BioWare has been in a bit of a slump since 2014’s acclaimed Dragon Age: Inquisition, but The Veilguard looks like it could be a real return to form for the iconic Canadian developer.

For more on Dragon Age: The Veilguard, check out our impressions of the SGF demo here.

Eternal Strands

Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC 
Release date: TBA 2025

Speaking of Dragon Age, this next game comes from Mike Laidlaw, the former creative director of BioWare’s fantasy RPG series. His new studio, Quebec City’s Yellow Brick Games, is a new fantasy IP that blends elements of Breath of the Wild and Shadow of the Colossus. In a new Future Game Show trailer, Laidlaw and Yellow Brick co-founder Fred St. Laurent offered a deep dive into a dragon boss fight, showcasing Eternal Strands‘ frenetic combat as the player switched between sword and shield, spells, arrows and more. For more information, check out this 14-minute developer interview as well.

Gears of War: E-Day

Platforms: Xbox, PC
Release date: TBA

Many people have been calling the latest Xbox Games Showcase one of the company’s best presentations to date, which makes it all the more notable that its big “one more thing” was a Canadian game, Gears of War: E-Day from Vancouver’s The Coalition. Interestingly, the studio has opted not to go with a sequel to Gears 5 that continues one of that game’s multiple endings and has instead pursued a prequel focused on the series’ pivotal Emergency Day (E-Day). Set 14 years before the original Gears of War, The Coalition aims to tell a darker and more emotional story about the nascent bond between Marcus Fenix and Dom Santiago as they encounter the Locust for the first time.

For more on Gears of War: E-Day, check out our interview with The Coalition.

No More Room In Hell 2

Platforms: PC (Steam, Epic Games Store)
Release date: Fall 2024 (early access)

The second game in the entire two-hour-long SGF Live show was this 8-player co-op horror experience from Toronto’s Torn Banner (Chivalry 2). On top of being featured on SGF’s global stage, No More Room In Hell 2 is notable for being a sequel to a mod from a tiny Toronto team known as Lever Games, so it’s come quite a long way. Powered by Unreal Engine 5, the game will challenge players with enemies and maps inspired by zombie movies and the ever-looming threat of permadeath.

Outersloth games

Seattle-based Innersloth (Among Us) has launched a new fund called Outersloth to help fund indie games, and the initiative was announced at SGF Live by the developer’s CEO and co-founder, Forest Willard, and Montreal-based communications director Victoria Tran.

Notably, a few of their initial projects are from Canadian teams:

• An unnamed game from Toronto’s Visai Games (Venba) about Sangam-era Tamil culture
• Mossfield Archives (Vancouver’s Studio Any Percent) — a game about “building and exploring connections”
• Neverway from Vancouver’s Coldblood (co-founded by one of the creators of Celeste)

Skate

Platforms: PlayStation, Xbox, PC
Release date: TBA

Out of everything that was shown during SGF Live, Skate from Vancouver-based Full Circle may have had the strangest appearance. After a bizarre live-action skit featuring comedian Tim Robinson, a brief snippet of “pre-pre-alpha” gameplay was shown alongside confirmation that console playtesting is coming this fall. The game was first announced four years ago, so it’s been a long time coming, and this gameplay-light trailer didn’t exactly help. That said, Full Circle did subsequently publish a 10-minute video offering a more meaningful update on the free-to-play shared-world skater’s progress. We still don’t know when the beloved series will make its grand return, but at least console players will be able to get their hands on an early build of the new Skate before the end of the year. Registration is now open on EA’s website.

South of Midnight

Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, PC
Release date: TBA 2025

Another highlight of the Xbox Games Showcase was South of Midnight, a brand-new action-adventure title from Montreal’s Compulsion. The maker of Contrast and We Happy Few has crafted a modern folktale about a young woman named Hazel who must wield magical powers to confront and subdue dangerous creatures and uncover her family’s past. With a unique Deep South setting, striking Coraline meets Arcane art style, and magic-centred combat and traversal, South of Midnight could be one killer new IP.

Starship Troopers: Extermination

Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Release date: October 11th, 2024

Following an early access launch last year, Vancouver-based Offworld Industries confirmed at IGN Live that Starship Troopers: Extermination will get a full release on consoles and PC this fall. Alongside that announcement, the Canadian studio unveiled a new single-player mode for the 16-player co-op FPS, and it features none other than Casper Van Dien as Johnny Rico from the original Starship Troopers film.

Star Wars Outlaws

Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Release date: August 30th, 2024

Simply hearing the words “new AAA Star Wars game” would be enough to turn most heads, and Star Wars Outlaws has the distinction of being the galaxy far, far away’s first true open-world experience. How cool is it, then, that a good chunk of the game is being made by none other than Ubisoft Toronto? Alongside lead developer and sister Ubisoft team Massive Entertainment, the Toronto studio’s Navid Khavari (narrative director) and Nikki Foy (lead writer) have helped craft this story about scoundrel Kay Vess (Venezuelan-Canadian Humberly González) fighting to survive in the Galactic Empire. At Ubisoft Forward, we saw 10 minutes of new footage, showcasing a bustling town, open-world exploration, shootouts and space combat, making for quite an exciting demo all around.

For more on Outlaws, check out our interview with Khavari and Massive Entertainment game director Mathias Karlson.

Unknown 9: Awakening

Platforms: PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Release date: Fall 2024

It’s not often you see a Japanese gaming giant having a studio presence in Canada, but that’s exactly the case with Montreal-based, Bandai Namco-owned Reflector Entertainment. The team’s debut title, Unknown 9: Awakening, is part of a big multimedia push from Bandai Namco to tell an original story about a magical young woman named Haroona (The Witcher‘s Anya Chalotra) who collides with secret societies in parallel worlds. (Reflector says the additional media, which includes a comic book and podcast, will flesh out the lore but are otherwise not required to complete the game.) In a behind-closed-doors Summer Game Fest demo following a short story trailer during the SGF showcase, we got to see an impressive display of Haroona’s powers that let her possess enemies, cloak herself, shoot energy blasts and more. New IPs are so rare nowadays, and this transmedia approach is particularly ambitious, so hopefully, it all pans out.

Those are some of Canada’s standout AAA and indie titles that were shown throughout the week, but that just scratches the surface. Some other notable highlights include:

• Alan Wake 2’s Night Springs DLC features Brampton, Ontario’s Shawn Ashmore (who portrays Tim Breaker in the main game) playing himself in an utterly surreal meta experience
• Blumhouse Games teased a mysterious collaboration between game maker Sam Barlow (Immortality) and Toronto filmmaker Brandon Cronenberg (Infinity Pool)
• Echo Generation: Midnight Edition was revealed for Steam and Nintendo Switch, an expanded version of 2021’s Echo Generation from Toronto’s Cococucumber that adds improved visuals, fast travel and more
• Eidos Montreal (Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy) is assisting Britain’s Playground Games with the new Fable
• Happy Bastards, a new comical turn-based tactical RPG from Montreal’s Clever Plays (Operation: Tango), was revealed
• Nano Park Studios, a remote Canadian studio led by Calgary’s Brandon James Greer and Danny Guo, unveiled Petal Runner, a Game Boy-inspired slice-of-life RPG
• Psychroma (a Ubisoft Toronto-backed indie cyberpunk horror game) got a surprise release on Steam
• Rooster, a casual Chinese mythology-inspired puzzle adventure game from Toronto’s Sticky Brain, got a new trailer
• Slay the Princess: The Pristine Cut was announced, an expanded version of last year’s Slay the Princess from Toronto’s Black Tabby that adds new chapters, endings and voiceover
• Toronto’s Massive Damage (Fera: The Sundered Tribes), Finish Line Games (Robots at Midnight), and Lofty Sky Entertainment (Sky of Tides) all had demos at SGF

What are your standout Canadian games from the show? Let us know in the comments!

Image credit: Xbox, Electronic Arts

Update: 13/06/2024 at 11:58am ET — Added Eternal Strands, a new fantasy action-adventure game from ex-Dragon Age developers.