Wandering around the Play Days “campus”, there were still small moments of joy. Devolver’s area had a full bar celebrating mascot Volvy’s 15th birthday, complete with fake grass, cocktails, mocktails and birthday hats. And a stained glass Volvy for good measure. Huge wall art featuring Monster Hunter Wilds, Dragon Ball Z: Sparking! Zero, and an entire greenhouse-like building full of Sega and Atlus games.

Summer Game Fest is a trade event. Some games are hidden behind fancy art and bar fronts, while others are in nicely packaged rooms with lighting, air conditioning and another one of those free bars. Don’t worry, iced tea, water and other soft drinks were on the menu – even I can’t live off margaritas all week. This year, some dates were off-site, hidden behind hotel doors and tucked away in theater basements, adding to that sense of mystery.

A lot of the things I’ve covered are also locked behind embargoes. So Nintendo’s SGF offering probably seems even easier to readers. I also miss taking pictures with Pokémon statues at E3 or peeking past the lines for Link’s Awakening just to take photos of adorable Zelda dioramas.

But since this is a media and influencer exclusive event, it was much easier to spot people I know and, more importantly, faces. Shigenori Soejima, artist for Persona series, was holed up in Sega territory, holding interviews for the upcoming PS5, Xbox and PC RPG Metaphor: ReFantazio (which I was lucky enough to play and cover for Push Square). But he went out a few times to just walk, talk and get a drink. Takashi Iizuka, the head of Sonic Team, was also wandering the campus, perhaps taking a break from all those weird Shadow the Hedgehog questions.

Shuhei Yoshida, former president of SIE Worldwide Studios and now a man known for nurturing and celebrating indie games for Sony, has been spotted wandering around more than once, more than happy to take pictures with fans and friends. I saw Swen Vincke, founder and head of Larian Studios, enjoying a glass of something at the Summer Game Fest live afterparty.

I was surrounded by creators, developers and journalists that I have respected and loved for years and that is something that will always be in my head. But from the outside, Summer Game Fest probably seems quite different. It’s just a collection of live streams, announcements, and press previews that barely hint at the experience.

As someone who has to work at an event, I don’t think the show should be open to anyone who buys a ticket – if it ever is, then there should be a special day when the campus is open to the public. Plus, the space just isn’t big enough to accommodate the E3-level crowds that have been beckoning through the doors for the past few years.

But right now there is a real disconnect between what we as the media see and what the general public sees. There are many events and demonstrations that we are invited to they are not public like events like Summer Game Fest or Gamescom. And as for the former, many people still see it as the preferred replacement for E3. But Summer Game Fest is a completely different beast – one that lacks Nintendo’s presence and Sony, right now (except, once again, for LEGO Horizon Adventures for the latter). For Nintendo, it just seems a little odd that the company isn’t at the show in any capacity.

But 2024 is a weird year for the Big N, and we’re right before the Directly where the developer will lay out its plans for the rest of 2024 for the Switch – probably the last time before the “successor” is announced.

And, arguably, if Nintendo had used Summer Game Fest as a platform, it could have simply dominated the event as it exists today. I love Nintendo games – there’s a reason I write for Nintendo Life, obviously – but Nintendo’s announcements would drown out all the cool indie and unique announcements the various expos offered this year. I wouldn’t want incentives like Innersloth’s indie fund, OuterSloth, to be overshadowed.

But the public reaction to Summer Game Fest Live has been somewhat judgmental. No matter how much organizer Geoff Keighley sets people’s expectations, people were still upset when Silksong didn’t show up, or that Square Enix’s presence (outside of the Xbox showcase, and for anything RPG-related) was minimal.

Maybe it’s because I was in Los Angeles for the event, but I thought the live show was pretty good. On offer was a nice selection of titles and surprises, such as the new Digital Eclipse Power Rangerswith beat them up (the crowd left nuts for that, and rightfully so), the new Sonic X Shadow Generations trailer, Boy and Deer, Neva and Civilization VII. At this point, I know that not every storefront is going to be for me, so I’m happy to just see a mix of things. But if you’re a Nintendo fan, it’s easy to feel let down.

And yet, I don’t think Summer Game Fest is the replacement for E3. It’s something completely different, and that’s okay! E3 was 20+ years old before closing its doors for good last year; Summer Game Fest is only in its fourth year. It still has plenty of time to improve, grow and maybe – one day – have Nintendo join.

Plus, that Switch successor? Next year could be the perfect time for Nintendo to debut at Summer Game Fest.

Missing Nintendo’s presence at the Big Summer Show™? Want to see something closer to the old E3? Vote in our polls below and tell us what you think in the comments.