Blood Message confirmed as the first announced game for Summer Game Fest

Instant Gaming reported on June 1 that Blood Message is the first announced game for Summer Game Fest 2026’s main showcase, putting one named title on the board four days before Geoff Keighley’s live event. The Summer Game Fest website lists the show for June 5 at 2 p.m. Pacific time, 5 p.m. Eastern time and 9 p.m. GMT from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Blood Message is not a new project. NetEase Games and 24 Entertainment Lin’an Studio unveiled it on June 19, 2025 as a cinematic single-player, linear action-adventure in development for PC and consoles. NetEase described it at the time as its first AAA single-player title. ### How was Blood Message tied to Summer Game Fest? (news.instant-gaming.com) Instant Gaming’s June 1 post said Blood Message had been confirmed for Summer Game Fest 2026 and called it the first game announced for the showcase. The outlet said the title would appear during the opening ceremony on June 5, adding that more reveals were expected at the event. (neteasegames.com) Push Square separately reported on June 1 that Blood Message was the first game confirmed for the Summer Game Fest livestream scheduled for Friday, June 5. That matched Instant Gaming’s characterization that the game had secured an announced slot before the broader lineup was disclosed. (news.instant-gaming.com) ### What is Blood Message? NetEase Games said in its 2025 announcement that Blood Message is being developed by 24 Entertainment Lin’an Studio and is set in ancient China. The company described it as a story-driven third-person action-adventure centered on a nameless messenger and his son during the Shazhou Uprising of 848 A.D. (pushsquare.com) The official game website says Blood Message is a linear single-player action-adventure for PC and console platforms. The site also says the game follows an eastward journey across a late Tang Dynasty setting. ### Why does this confirmation matter before June 5? Summer Game Fest’s official event page still does not list a public slate of games for the main June 5 show. (neteasegames.com) The site says only that Keighley and Lucy James will host a live look at what is next in video games. That leaves Blood Message as one of the few named projects publicly attached to the main presentation ahead of time. (blood-message.com) Other schedule roundups published in recent days have focused on dates, start times and surrounding events rather than a detailed list of titles for the flagship show. ### Is the start time settled? (summergamefest.com) The Summer Game Fest website gives the start time as June 5 at 2 p.m. PT, 5 p.m. ET and 9 p.m. GMT. Instant Gaming’s report said the opening ceremony begins at 10 p.m. BST, which is one hour ahead of GMT and aligns with the same live window in the United Kingdom during daylight-saving time. Windows Central and Polygon also listed the June 5 broadcast at 5 p.m. (polygon.com) Eastern and 10 p.m. BST, matching the U.S. and U.K. timings cited elsewhere. ### What should viewers watch for on June 5? June 5 is the next concrete milestone. Summer Game Fest says the live show will be held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles and streamed worldwide, while Instant Gaming said more game announcements are expected during the presentation. (summergamefest.com) NetEase has not, in the materials reviewed, said what form Blood Message’s appearance will take at the event. (windowscentral.com) The official game site and the 2025 announcement continue to list the project for PC and consoles without a release date. (blood-message.com) (summergamefest.com)