The video game industry is in turmoil. Its workers are reeling from years’ worth of record layoffs and game cancellations. Entire video game studios shut down, “starved of both funding and support,” as Luke put it earlier this week. And yet, Summer Game Fest persists. I’ve been covering Summer Game Fest and E3 before it for years, but this year felt different: Largely because I had no idea what to expect as a reporter newly laid off and free from the responsibility of the yearly Everything announced at Summer Game Fest post. But there was one thing I was certain would happen: suits and sneakers.
I don’t think there’s anything inherently wrong with a suit with sneakers. But it has to be the right suit and the right sneakers. Geoff Keighley’s first big premiere of the night, as Kotaku’s Ethan Gach put it on BlueSky, was his new sneakers — a $750 pair of bright yellow Lanvin tennis shoes. Beyond the luxury price tag, I actually think these sneakers are quite good. I like yellow! In fact, it’s my favorite color. They’re an homage — or ripoff? — of a classic Adidas shoe, and I love the translucent rubber cupsole.
The problem is that the suit is totally wrong. The pant length needed to be hemmed. The dark gray suit should have been black — or some totally different color. (There’s a muted green version of these Lanvin shoes on the brand’s website, shown with a matching pair of green dress pants, and it looks great. I am not sure Geoff could have pulled off yellow pants to match with the yellow shoes, but I certainly could have!) Lastly, please, ditch the T-shirt.
The way the suit absolutely ruined the sneakers was made so clear by Geoff bringing the impeccably dressed Hideo Kojima on the stage (in record time?). Kojima opted for a pair of Acronym x MSCHF kicks he posted about in 2024, appropriately dressed in stylish techwear. His shoes are flashy, but they make sense for the event and, crucially, Kojima’s outfit.
The only other suit, T-shirt, and sneaker combo I recall on the Summer Game Fest stage was on Hakan Abrak of IO Interactive. (Co-host Lucy James was wearing sneakers, too, with a gorgeous blue dress. She looked great!) It was as non-offensive as the combination goes, but he and Geoff had the misfortune of standing next to Mads Mikkelson, who — while still wearing a T-shirt and a blazer — rightly chose a nice pair of dress shoes.
The world may be on fire, but perhaps we can all find comfort in the fact that the fashion at Summer Game Fest will never change.
