Next Fest: Steam’s Multi-Day Celebration of Upcoming Games

Alex_Clark

For nearly half of a century, video games have skyrocketed in popularity. We’ve witnessed a rather insane evolution of video games in their scope, popularity, and ambition. Steam, a popular marketplace for gamers, has grown to be one of the most valuable ways for eager gamers to find, demo, and buy video games digitally. 

Steam has changed the way we play games with a ton of interesting features. One of its most notable contributions includes Next Fest, an event that allows gamers and developers to interact in a way that’s never been done before.  

 What began as a way for Valve, creator of the legendary “Half-Life” (among many other titles), to digitally update their line of games has grown into a phenomenon. Valve launched its first gaming showcase event in 2019. But it wasn’t called Next Fest yet. Unfortunately, the event in 2019 was their last live event due to the pandemic. With the shifting climate of all things, they moved the event online only.

What is Steam’s Next Fest?

This year’s event will take place online on this date. The next Next Fest is coming in June of 2023, and like others before it, will connect new games from publishers, small and large, to game enthusiasts through their love of gaming. Next Fest features upcoming and unreleased games from various developers and publishers, game demos, live streams, and developer Q&A sessions. Since 2019, Steam has been hosting these events at least once a year, sometimes multiple times a year. Next Fest is critical to the gaming world because it allows game developers and publishers to showcase their upcoming or recently released games to a huge audience across the world.

Gamers can access all of these select games on the Steam store during Next Fest. Eager fans can download and play game demos or watch live streams and developer commentary. Next Fest is a multi-day event that allows for lots of engagement between fans and game developers.

Before Next Fest was called Next Fest, it was called Steam Game Festival and had been showcased as part of their game awards. Originally, Steam Game Festival was launched as part of Valve's efforts to promote and showcase upcoming games on its platform. The festival, much like Next Fest, was created to give game developers an opportunity to showcase their games to a wider audience and get feedback from players.

The Game Award event was a major industry event that recognized all of the huge accomplishments in the video game industry. It featured all of the games that Steam users were playing and enjoying at the time. Though big game developers were prominent during the awards and showcase festival, Next Fast has become a popular platform for indie game developers and publishers to showcase their upcoming titles and gain exposure on the Steam platform.

Next Fest is a popular event because of everything it offers viewers. It appeals to a wide range of gamers who are interested in discovering fresh and soon-to-launch games. The festival features games of a diverse range of genres (including action, adventure, simulation, strategy, and more), so it draws a wide crowd.

Gamers who are interested in trying out new games before they are officially released are excited about Next Fest. By downloading and playing game demos, they can get a feel for the gameplay mechanics, graphics, and storyline of the game. In turn, they can provide valuable feedback to the developers.

Game developers and publishers are excited for this coming Next Fest because it gives them an opportunity to showcase their games to a wider audience and generate buzz and excitement for their upcoming releases. The festival can help them build an audience for their games.

What Steam’s Next Fest does for gamers and developers:

As a gamer, you can do several interesting things at the upcoming Next Fest. Some of these include:

Try out new games: Next Fest features an array of upcoming games across different genres. You can download and play some game demos for free and get a feel for what the game has to offer.

Interact with developers: Next Fest includes live streams, developer Q&A sessions, and other opportunities to interact with developers. Fans can ask questions, share feedback, and learn more about the development process.

Discover new games: The event is an excellent platform to discover new and upcoming games that you may not have heard of before. You can explore different genres and discover hidden gems from new and established developers.

Share feedback: Game developers look to Next Fest l to gather feedback on their games. You can share your thoughts and suggestions with developers, which can help improve the game before its official release.

Developers looking to launch their new games can do the following at Next Fest:

Showcase your game: Next Fest provides an excellent opportunity to showcase games to a huge audience. Developers can create a game demo, host live streams, and participate in Q&A sessions.

Generate buzz and excitement: Next Fest can help developers generate hype and excitement for their upcoming game release. They can start to build an eager audience and connect with potential players.

Gather feedback: Next Fest is an excellent platform to gather feedback from players on developers’ games. They can use this feedback to improve the game before its official release.

Connect with other developers: Next Fest is also an excellent opportunity to connect with other game developers, stimulate ideas, get inspiration, and learn from others in the industry.

How to attend Next Fest:

The upcoming "Next Fest" is from June 19th to June 26th, 2023. They usually do 3 Next Fests per year. The previous Next Fest was from February 6th to 13th of this year. There will be another one in October. This upcoming Next Fest will be virtual for now. As events return to normal, there may be in-person events in the future. Regardless, Next Fest will be a great opportunity for gamers and developers, whether that’s online or in-person.

For more information about June’s Next Fest, read more here.