Destructoid names its most anticipated games of the summer 2022 news blitz
E3 was always a special event for gamers, not just because we got a whole slew of exciting new trailers, footage, and announcements for the best upcoming games, but because it was a way for us to all come together and celebrate the games that mean the most to us. While E3 may be dead for this year at least, its spirit lives on in the form of Summer Games Fest and all of the other events that are lined up in the coming months. As for us, we’re back with another list of our most anticipated games, 2022 edition.
What was once a three-day event has now been stretched over nearly a dozen streams over the course of a few weeks, which means there’s a whole lot of news to look forward to. Here’s hoping that the streams won’t be absurdly long this year (something Geoff Keighley himself has promised won’t be the case), but I’ll believe it when I see it.
As we get ready for the torrent of news that’s about to head our way, I reached out to the Destructoid staff, who threw in their two cents on their most anticipated games of summer 2022.
Witchbrook
Based on the game’s recent listing on Steam, the long shot that Witchbrook could get some love during the summer streams this year just got a whole lot shorter.
When you ask me what my most anticipated game of 2022 is, Witchbrook will continue to be my answer until it eventually comes out. Another spiritual successor to Stardew Valley, Witchbrook was originally announced all the way back in like 2018 (when it was previously known as Spellbound), and is a community simulator where players get to take on the role of a student at a magic school. That’s literally all I had to hear before being 1000% on board with this game, but after seeing the art, I know for a fact that Witchbrook has the makings to be one of my favorites of all time.
Unfortunately, developer and publisher Chucklefish had to put Witchbrook‘s development on hold for a bit to focus on other projects, so who knows when this game could be coming out. There’s even an entire subreddit of other fans like me who are absolutely desperate for any and all information about the game, which showcases the true desperation we were feeling when left in the dark for years.
Chucklefish recently announced that they’re still working on Witchbrook, and of course the game is listed on Steam now, so I’m hoping with every fiber of my being that we’ll get some kind of news about it. For me, best case scenario we get a release date, but some more gameplay footage would send me over the moon, too. I’m thinking we’d be most likely to hear about it at the Summer Games Fest, or maybe even the Wholesome Games Direct, so I’ll be keeping a close eye on those. – Noelle Warner
Project G.G.
Remember a few years ago when PlatinumGames slowly rolled out information on the mysterious “Platinum 4,” four projects that were going to help usher in the next phase of PlatinumGames? It’s been a while, but I still remember all the speculation quite vividly and the excitement I felt when The Wonderful 101: Remastered was announced. I didn’t think Platinum could top it, but then again, I didn’t think it would reveal anything like Project G.G.
What is Project G.G.? That is a good question because that’s all up in the air right now. The base information we can surmise from the teaser trailer is that it’s likely to be an Ultraman-inspired action game that’ll act as the final entry of Hideki Kamiya’s superhero trilogy that started back with Viewtiful Joe and continued with The Wonderful 101. That’s about all we know at this point, so anything else about the project is pure speculation. Earlier this year, Kamiya spoke with IGN and clarified that work on the project was making significant progress, but an update might not be available until the end of the year. That sounds like a Game Awards reveal to me, but I’m holding onto hope that maybe the studio will give us something over the next few weeks. And if not, I guess I can settle for a release date for Bayonetta 3. – CJ Andriessen
New Yacht Club and/or SUDA51 games
Last year, SUDA51 (No Morre Heroes, Shadows of the Damned) told me he’s working on a new IP that might remind me of the movie Buckaroo Banzai. Then earlier this year, Yacht Club Games (Shovel Knight, Mina The Hollower) signaled that their development staff is currently split into two teams, one working on Mina, the other on a currently unannounced game that may be in 3D.
These are two of my favorite developers, so choosing just one of their upcoming projects as my most anticipated potential announcement of the 2022 Summer news blitz was tough. Then I asked myself, “Why can’t we have both?”
Seeing the shovel blade clash against a beam katana would be a classic E3-style shocking moment, but there’s actually some precedent for these two franchises making headlines together at a big summer event. Back in 2017, SUDA51 showed up on the PAX West Nindies at Night event wearing a secret Shovel Knight t-shirt, pledging that Travis would wear something like it in his next game. Travis Strikes Again ended up with two Zelda shirts, a Jet Set Radio shirt, and a load of other cameos from indies and AAA titles alike, but for whatever reason, that specific Shovel Knight shirt never happened.
Maybe Yacht Club and SUDA51 were saving it for a full-on Shovel Knight Vs. No More Heroes crossover? I’ll be happy as hell if even one of these two creators has something new to show off this month, but if they do manage to get some peanut butter in each other’s jellies, I’d toss that sloppy sandwich down my pie hole faster than you can say Jiminy Christmas. – Jonathan Holmes
Dragon Age
While we’ve known about the new Dragon Age for quite a while, it’s been a while since we heard anything about it. Earlier this year, the team said it was “right in the middle” of production, following the news that executive producer Christian Dailey was leaving the studio.
With its last trailer popping up at The Game Awards 2020, it seems like the time is ripe for BioWare to show something. We already know the new Dragon Age will deal with the return of Solas, and likely see players heading into Tevinter. But with very little info to go on, it’s hard to know when to expect it or even what it will look like. With a new Mass Effect now looming overhead too, I’m hoping we’ll see BioWare lock in what’s in store for Dragon Age, and possibly give players an idea of when the next adventure will get underway.
I’m also secretly hoping for some older Dragon Age characters like Merrill to make some cameos. An updated Keep for carrying over info from Origins up through Inquisition would be great too, if BioWare plans to have those choices reflected moving forward. – Eric Van Allen
Resident Evil Village DLC (and more VR love)
I feel like 2022 has already been so great to me thanks in no small part to Elden Ring and Rogue Legacy 2. As such, I’m… kind of good for now? I’m picking away at new games here and there, but I’m not out-of-my-mind pumped for anything on the horizon. If anything’s going to blow me away, it’ll be something new — something we aren’t expecting at all. There is one exception, though, and that’s my pick: more Resident Evil!
Specifically, it feels like it’s about time Capcom shared concrete details about the Resident Evil Village DLC that was announced last year “by popular demand.” Whether it’s a fresh side story, a tease of things to come in Resident Evil 9, a wacky mode, or (pretty please!) VR support, I’m here for anything and everything that might be coming Resident Evil‘s way.
With Sony building up to PlayStation VR2 in an increasingly public way, and word that it’s got “20+ major first-party and third-party titles confirmed for PS VR2 at launch,” I’m riling myself up. Can you blame me? These past few years have been pretty wonderful to this series, and I’m ready to see the Winters trilogy stick the landing. – Jordan Devore
Pikmin 4
It’s not funny anymore, Nintendo! Years ago, Shigeru Miyamoto said it was practically done. Then he said it again. What? Is he keeping it to himself? Is he sitting in his living room in his Pikmin pajamas, playing Pikmin 4 and laughing at us? Laughing at me, specifically? Could you give us a trailer with a vague release window or something? Anything?
Nothing is really known about Pikmin 4, but it’s a series with a lot of possibilities. While the formula has stayed largely the same over the years, it’s not hard to imagine a shake-up. It could even be something as predictable as it going open world. Maybe a survival game with lots of crafting. I don’t care anymore, just let me see my carrot children again! – Zoey Handley
Sakura Wars remasters or sequels
This one’s a bit out of left field, especially for the Summer Game Fest, but it was prompted by Sega’s promise of a surprise livestream happening June 3. Of course, it’s unlikely that that stream has anything to do with their dormant, briefly-revived franchise, but a Sakura Wars fan knows never to say never. If the company’s at all interested in bringing the brand further back from the brink of death (especially after their gacha game spectacularly flopped), I think it would be a great time to announce a port or remaster of the original Saturn and Dreamcast-era Sakura Wars games, for global release.
It wouldn’t even be terribly hard to do that, considering the Saturn games already got a rerelease on PSP some years back, and several of the Dreamcast titles have PC editions floating around out there. Putting Sakura Wars on Switch or PS4 or PC to remind the world why Sakura Wars fans are completely unhinged about the franchise could only be a good thing. – Josh Tolentino
Project 007
While there are plenty of games that I’m hoping to see during the summer shenanigans, I’m going to take a shot as long as Moneypenny’s ill-placed bullet in Skyfall. I’m hoping that, somewhere in the mix, the good folk at IOI Interactive will offer up a little more info on its previously teased release “Project 007.” With a digital lineage as rough as Batman pre-Arkham Asylum, it’s high time that James Bond returned to gaming with a truly stellar release, and with the excellent Hitman franchise tucked away in its attache case, nobody could possibly do it better than IOI.
While I’m hardly expecting gameplay footage at this stage, it would be great to at least get a little more info on the exciting new title’s structure. What type of game are we looking at? Do we have a plot outline? Can we create our own custom Bond? And when will Ana de Armas return my calls and stop sending me those rude legal letters? Honestly, we are probably unlikely to get answers to all of these questions this summer, but I hope IOI will see fit to offer 007 fans just a hint of what’s to come.
Even if it’s just for my eyes only. – Chris Moyse
Some new From Software thing or Elden Ring DLC
Look I’m a simple man: so simple in fact, that I use the phrase “I’m a simple man” nearly every time a staff member asks me this question.
If there hasn’t been a From Software game in a while, I’ll make that my go-to answer. If there has…DLC for it! If there’s been both a From Software game and DLC recently…well I might go for something Resident Evil related. But in this case, Elden Ring DLC is very much a possibility, and we haven’t gotten it yet. So that!
What do I want to see from it? Anything close to Artorias of the Abyss is ideal. A single “expansion-quality” add-on that brings us to a new era, gives us some new toys to play with, and augments the game with some more memorable boss fights would be enough. – Chris Carter
Those were our most anticipated games of summer 2022! Let us know which games you’re hoping for in the comments below.
