Why is it Summer Game Fest and not Summer Games Fest (plural)?

If it’s a Geoff Keighley event, it’s got a straightforward name. I mean, come on — “The Game Awards” is about as upfront as it could possibly get. It’s exactly what it says on the tin. Same goes for Summer Game Fest, the name of Geoff Keighley’s E3-like event that has happened annually in June since 2020.

The title of the event matches what it is, especially when it was first announced back in 2020. At the time, COVID-19 was raging; in-person events everywhere were getting postponed, and E3 was no exception. As game developers and publishers scrambled to find virtual venues to showcase their projects, Geoff Keighley founded an event that served as an anchor to unite these disparate events that were, at that time, spread out over the summer. The title “Summer Game Fest” felt like something that somebody had written down real fast to solve a big problem that had come on almost as fast.

Check out Polygon's Summer Game Fest hub page for all the livestreams, trailers, previews, and game announcements from summer's biggest game event.

Here’s the thing, though. The name is just a little bit wrong. It should be “Summer Games Fest.”

It’s still grammatically correct as “Summer Game Fest.” Everyone understands upon hearing that title that there will be more than one game showcased in the titular fest. The meaning of it is clear. But nine times out of 10, when I’m saying the title aloud — or when anybody else I know is saying the title aloud — I say, incorrectly, “Summer Games Fest.”

Maybe it’s the mouthfeel. Maybe it’s the fact that there are always a lot of games there, plural, and my brain just wants to say games to emphasize that. Or maybe it’s the fact that multiple publications keep on calling it Summer Games Fest instead of the actual title (can you blame them?).

I realize this summer marks the fourth Summer Games Fest, and that’s been quite a few, but I don’t think it’s too late to change it. I emailed Geoff Keighley to ask if there’s any reason why he went with “Game” and not “Games,” and I’ll update this post if I hear back. I don’t actually think he’s going to change it. But I’m not going to be able to stop saying it wrong. It is what it is.