Way back in 2006, Microsoft gave Xbox 360 fans a chance to try a limited-time demo of one of their E3 offerings, Lost Planet: Extreme Condition, as part of their “Bringing It Home” marketing campaign. The campaign was such a success that the consolemaker repeated it in 2007 and in 2008. Now, more than a decade later, Geoff Keighley is bringing the concept back to coincide with this year’s Game Awards.
Dubbed “The Game Festival,” Steam users will be able to download more than a dozen limited-time demos this week, including highly-anticipated upcoming releases such as System Shock, SkateBird, Carrion, and more:
Demos Available During The Game Festival
- Acid Knife (Powerhoof)
- Carrion (Phobia / Devolver Digital)
- Chicory (Greg Lobanov)
- The Drifter (Powerhoof)
- Eastward (Pixpil / Chucklefish)
- Haven (The Game Bakers)
- Heavenly Bodies (2pt Interactive)
- Moving Out (SMG Studio / Devm Games / Team17)
- Röki (Polygon Treehouse / United Label)
- SkateBird (Glass Bottom Games)
- Spiritfarer (Thunder Lotus)
- System Shock (Nightdive Studios)
- Wooden Nickel (Brain&Brain)
“Six years ago I bet everything I had to create The Game Awards as a way to celebrate our passion for gaming,” Keighley said. “Now feels like the right time to take the next step with The Game Festival, a completely digital approach to the consumer event space. Let’s face it: Not everyone can attend a physical trade show or consumer event. The Game Festival is designed from the ground-up as an event without barriers, extending the benefits of a physical event to the global gaming community that watches The Game Awards.”
The demos included as part of The Game Festival will be available to play through Steam beginning on Thursday, December 12, at 1:00 PM (Eastern Time). The demo period will end two days later on Saturday at 1:00 PM (Eastern Time).
