Just when Geoff Keighley had started to fade from your memory, he comes rubber-banding back with a vengeance – snap! It’s Gamescom week and it kicks off with Opening Night Live this evening from 7pm UK time (other Opening Night Live timings here). A pre-show with additional announcements will begin at 6.30pm UK. We’ll be watching and reporting on it live, as always, right here, so you can either keep abreast of announcements while you do something else, or you can join in with your thoughtful and amusing comments. Please keep us company. Please.
What do we expect to see today? Well, probably Geoff Keighley, but also the new Indiana Jones game, Monster Hunter Wilds, and Dune Awakening. We’re also expecting Little Nightmares creator Tarsier to unveil its new project, which could be exciting. On top of that: Diablo 4 expansion Vessel of Hatred, Civilization 7, hero shooter Marvel Rivals, Lost Records (the project made by the creators of Life is Strange), Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 (which was recently delayed), and Black Ops 6. Keighley’s best pal Hideo Kojima has also been tweeting enigmatic silhouetted pictures of actors who are presumably playing roles in Death Stranding 2.
And before you ask, “Yes, there will be new game announcements,” Keighley said on X.
The show is expected to run for two hours. Maybe go to the toilet before it starts.
Our live coverage of this event has finished.
Sorry.
This Way Out says: There is also a pre show event with Delayed Input’s Kyle Bosman starting half an hour before the main show. Even if the games are main show worthy, I’m sure Kyle will find a way to make it entertaining.
That is a good point. I shall swiftly amend – swoosh!
Earl-Grey says: Just like how the near-mythical beast Michael Bublé’s traditional emergence from his cave signals the imminent arrival of The Festive Season, Keighley’s appearance signals that Summer will give way to Autumn and the Season of Hot Chocolate and Comforting Spices will soon be upon us.
Haha I love this.
Meanwhile, from the Gamescom show floor…
What ho! Good evening – is it evening yet? What have I missed? Wait, I’m supposed to tell you that aren’t I. Well I’m here now. I’ve had a bit of bread and cheese and some chocolate, and I’m in.
Ah, that was Sniper Elite: Resistance that we just saw – a resistance-themed take on World War 2, I think it was. I like a resistance-themed game – it reminds me of school.
Kami says: Evening Bertie! Hope you’re having a lovely evening so far 🙂
Oh thank you! And to you too.
I am now we’re seeing Enotria and a GIANT CRAB. I thought those were extinct.
Let’s see what you’ve all been talking about…
ChrisTapsellEG says: speaking of giant crabs I went to the Crab Museum in Margate recently and it was brilliant. They had a giant crab section with a lengthy story about the Giant Margate Crab, and also several disclaimers around the room saying not everything in the museum is true, as a kind of post-modern lesson on learning how truth works. It was good.
I have to work with him!
I quite like Kyle Bosman and this whole intro bit. Nice cat: check – I assume it’s not a robot. Nice luminous Twitch streaming name on the wall behind. Depressing bookshelf: check.
Bosman’s doing a good job of filling the slot without sounding like he’s been paid to fill the slot. He’s funny without trying too hard, and it’s not loud and overbearing. I think that’s a win.
“A first-person farming horror allegory” did that say?
What in the absolute world are we watching? A young person, masculine sounding, has found themselves in control of a farm. It’s first-person, as expected, and you do menial chores, but you also have – oh my god! – monsters jumping out at you.
We Harvest the Shadows, it’s called, and it’s a solo-dev game made by David Wehle. And there’s a demo on Steam now. I’ll play that tomorrow.
It’s an “anti-cosy game”. I love that. I love made-up terms.
Ah, maybe there’s a tinge of mental illnes going on in the game, so perhaps some of these monsters are imagined.
This character apparently wants to be alone all the time but is being watched. Intriguing!
On to a super-scary trailer with Biblical undertones now. Fireshrine Games.
It opens with some skulls, static on a TV, an abandoned police car, lights still flashing. A person’s hand staked to a headboard. A mansion. Barbed wire, a gun. Dark corridors. A knight? Monsters. Broken jaws. A.I.L.A.
Ah! This person had a VR headset on. Or did they?
Coming 2025.
Now we’ve zoomed onto to a kind of comedy colony management game in space. Ah! Revenge of the Savage Planet – a sequel. There’s a full gameplay reveal tomorrow in the Xbox stream.
Now we’re onto a life sim that’s a lot like The Sims but in much higher fidelity it looks like, and more zoomed in. This looks really impressive. People are throwing food at each other, arguing, watering their garden, chopping food, putting out pan fires, driving, playing music, sitting on the beach. It’s called Inzoi. There’s a character creator going up on Steam… now, I think.
Another game announcement now and we’re not even into the main show. I’d quite happily watch this for another couple of hours to be honest. It’s much calmer.
This seems like some kind of sci-fi horror game. We’re seeing space suits and some stressed out character running from something, and exploring a space station. Oh, they’ve seen themselves!
We’re seeing a montage of the game now – Directive 8020 – and people’s faces are bulging out all hideously. It’s coming 2025.
A look at Terry in Street Fighter 6 now. He looks very Terry-ish. There, eat your heart out Wes – I know my fighting games!.
The show begins
And the show begins! Geoff Keighley walks onto the stage, desparately hoping for the celebrity status he graves. Although, well, he kind of is a celebrity now isn’t he?
“Guten abend, Gamescom!” he shouts, all smiles.
This is the first time there’s a live, signed version of the show by the way. I didn’t embed the signed stream but you can find it easily on YouTube if you need it.
Apparently we’re going to see some game announcements we’re not expecting. Big words, Geoff, big words.
I wonder if he talks like this when he goes to the shop, announcing his way around the aisles.
Borderlands 4 announced for 2025
A world premiere now that hasn’t leaked. 2K Games. Gearbox. Spooky music.
We’re seeing a planet with purple lines cracked into it. It’s not a stealth showing of the terrible Borderlands film is it?
The planet has crashed down through some icy barrier. Flaming missiles of some kind are hitting the planet. There’s a fiery crater – is it Gandalf? No, it’s a robot of some kind picking up a mask. It is Borderlands.
Borderlands 4. 2025.
Kami says: and Call of Duty, so scheduled loo break has already arrived! XD
Haha, quite.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 segment now to talk about the game’s campaign as the Cold War comes to an end.
We’re about to see gameplay showing a rogue team that’s targeted a senator at a fundraiser. You’re in that team. This mission is Most Wanted.
There’s a nice spy vibe going on here. You have to take photos, you have to find objects hidden in clocks. There’s a bit of choking people out too, obviously, and some shooting, but it’s not a fire fight. It’s more like Hitman or James Bond, and damn that camera is fancy – it’s got a lot of functions.
It looks, as you can imagine, great.
Oh dear, things have gone to shit now and we’ve reverted to gun-toting Call of Duty gameplay. It is a COD game after all.
There’s a VHS fast-forward and rewind effect going on, as if someone is watching the footage somewhere and then you’re playing it to experience it. Maybe it’s just an effect done for this trailer. It’s quite nifty. Maybe I’m just nostalgic for VHS.
Gavvie says: I’m excited for 4derlands.
Hah – very good!
Kami says: Quality a bit high for VHS. Maybe Betamax? XD
BRB paging Digital Foundry for the official verdict!
Ooh, now we’re on a motorbike inside the building. Now we’ve wheelied out of the fundraiser and we’re in a car chase, which is a really irresponsible thing to be in, frankly. Helpfully, our enemies have the back doors to their trucks open so we can shoot them. And then it’s over! That’s the end of COD! Until the game comes out of course. End of August, early Sept for the open betas.
Back to Geoff, who’s announcing his co-host Sjokz – Eefje Depoortere. There’s a feminine presence on stage!
We’re seeing a strange trailer that’s a kind of mash-up of video game memes. It’s staged in a prison and we are a warden of sorts walking through it.
There’s a goat.
It’s…
No.
Malek86 says: Goat Simulator…. I think?
Ding ding ding!
Goat Simulator Remastered, specifically.
Dying Light: The Beast announced
Another new game announcement coming.
We’re in a forest with modern day soldiers walking through it. It’s Techland, the Dying Light studio.
There’s some kind of beast in the trees looking down on them. It’s breathing heavily – maybe it’s got a cold?
The soldiers are swearing in British accents. “Bloody hell,” they say. There are a few corpses.
The beast rushes them. Screams. Blind gunfire.
Now we’re seeing a montage of the soldiers being hunted. Now a sunrise.
“Every man has an animal within. If you push too much, you might release the beast.”
Dying Light: The Beast. No date.
Geoff adds that it’s got 20 hours of gameplay. It seems like it’s an expandalone – a standalone expansion.
A Black Myth: Wukong moment here – a debut of the launch trailer. It’s very pretty, as you well know by now.
An Xbox date perhaps? Nope.
A brief King of Meat animated section there, before we hop to a world premiere trailer. Trap places, play with up to three friends. Cypress Hill bopping in the background. This is a wild-looking hack and slash party game.
Geoff’s going to introduce us to a brand new game and team. The game is Lynked: Banner of the Sparked – it’s got bright Overwatch art vibes. The studio is FuzzyBot.
It’s a co-op action hack and slash. Brawl, build and befriend robots. You’re one of the last remaining humans and you have to fight a robot army.
The first trailer now. It’s Skylanders bright. It’s got a sheen of casual and free-to-play about it. You build your own town in the game.
Kami says: Wow it went quiet, not flagging already are we?
This segment has gone on a wee bit long.
Early access coming 22nd October this year.
A first look at gameplay from Lost Records now – the game made by the creators of Life is Strange.
A roadside diner. A garage where a teenage band is rehearsing. Handycame footage. It’s got a lovely sundrenched look, as you probably expect. The friends have gone Stand By Me hiking in the woods. They’re coming up with a band name.
Oh now something strange is happening. Back to the roadside. Your friend is telling you their mum found a package on their doorstep. That’s it, I think.
Pivot to zombies. Baseball bats to the face. Dark roats, shambling hordes, crazed tannoy announcements. No More Room in Hell 2, whatever that is. It’s 8-player co-op from Torn Banner, the Chivalry developer! But that’s all we’re seeing.
Zombie-Hamster says: There was a No More Room In Hell 1?!
Haha, touché! (But also: I concur.)
Super-brief look at action survival game Arc Raiders there, which is coming next year. It’s one of those stylish but stingy trailers that sets a tone but doesn’t really show anything. Getting strong The Last of Us vibes from it though.
The deliriously bright and colourful Infinity Nikki swoops by, somewhat literally. Now we’re seeing a launch trialer for Space Marine 2.
Now it’s Omeda Studios and some kind of multiplayer team-based shooter. I feel like I’ve played this. It’s called Predecessor and it’s already available. A third-person, over the shoulder MOBA.
Ah it was made from the ashes of Epic’s Paragon! That’s where I remember it from.
The deliriously bright and colourful Infinity Nikki swoops by, somewhat literally. Now we’re seeing a launch trialer for Space Marine 2.
Now it’s Omeda Studios and some kind of multiplayer team-based shooter. I feel like I’ve played this. It’s called Predecessor and it’s already available. A third-person, over the shoulder MOBA.
Ah it was made from the ashes of Epic’s Paragon! That’s where I remember it from.
Path of Exile 2 early access release date
Ooh ooh ooh, Path of Exile 2 now and we’re going to get a release date for the early access release it sounds like. I can’t wait to get stuck into this.
It’s a CGI trailer showcasing some of the gloriously strange enemies. Now we’re getting a montage of gameplay and it looks great.
November 15th 2024 early access.
Dune Awakening debut gameplay, comes to PC early 2025
Dune Awakening now, from Conan Exiles studio Funcom. We’re getting a first look at gameplay and a release date, it sounds like. Or maybe it’s a beta date.
We’re seeing character customisation. Now we’re onto the orangey sand and we’re alone out there, hunted by sand worms. I guess they’re used to this kind of desert gameplay after Conan Exiles.
Oh here’s another player on some kind of quad bike. They’ve got a fancy suit on and a gun that they’re giving us. You can climb up sheer walls and then shipe down from above.
There are swordmasters who are upfront fighters, there are assault troopers who fight at mid-range. There are jetpacks. Then you loot enemies. Nothing is wasted here.
You can build huge and impressive looking bases. It’s a bit more high tech than I was expecting. There’s a blueprint system that lets you create designs and then sell them to other players – so it sounds quite modular.
You can make an ornithopter. There’s an in-game radio that will clue you into events happening around the desert.
There are settlements here where we can pledge allegiance to the great houses of Dune. We’re in the dark shady buildings you remember from the film, providing you’ve seen it. It looks impressive this – there’s the suggestion of lots of other players and their war machinery coming together in big battles.
No sign of worm-surfing.
Coming to PC early in 2025. Console release dates TBA.
Little Nightmares dev Tarsier reveals Reanimal
Ooh ooh Tarsier’s new game now – the creator of Little Nightmares.
It’s a dark world a lot like Little Nightmares. In fact – it looks a lot, lot like Little Nightmares – the same characters and perspective and general vibe.
Reanimal it’s called, and PC, PS5 and Xbox are all mentioned.
Was it just me or did that look exactly like Little Nightmares?
I mean, it looking like Little Nightmares is a good thing. Tarsier do great work and its LN games were great – I don’t know how good LN3 will be. But I don’t see an obvious difference in this new one.
Genshin Impact Xbox release date
A short one: Genshin Impact is finally coming to Xbox on 20th November.
Monster Hunter Wilds time now. A new trailer. Some deliriously wild screams from the audience there.
Ooh we’re in the nest of some kind of gigantic spidery cotton plant. It just grabbed a huge bear! Wilds certainly looks wild.
Now we’re in camp. Now we’re on mounts. It’s a very montagey look at the game it seems. There’s lovely character and equipment detail, as you’d expect. The monsters look great too. We’re seeing a kind of metallic dragon that can channel lighting and roll up into a metal ball.
A selection of smaller enemies now and that brings us to the end of the trailer.
No it doesn’t! A quick shot at some oversized meat in the game.
It’s coming 2025.
Kami says: Wait, Mai what are you wearing? Where’s the red dress?!
Some real-time panic in the audience there. I wish the costume and character design wasn’t quite so ridiculous though.
Monument Valley 3 coming to Netflix on 10th Dec
A multiplayer mech game called Mechabreak whisked past there. Now: Monument Valley.
Monument Valley 3 specifically. A trailer. There was an open vield section there. More mind-bending perception puzzles to solve but also some plesant-looking sailing now. It looks great, albeit like more of the same.
It’s coming exclusively to Netflix Games on 10th December.
Zombie-Hamster says: Only on Netflix…
Yeah. Has anyone played any games on Netflix?
Civilization 7 time! Psst, Chris went to see this recently at Firaxis, and will share his thoughts soon.
We’re getting our first look at Civ 7 now.
Ooh a hurricane! Gorgeous detail on settlements, but the nice chunky player pieces still remain. It’s obviously hard to get a sense from a sizzle reel like this what’s new and how the game plays of course. But it looks nice.
There’s a proper gameplay showcase coming after Opening Night Live.
A segment for Starfield: Shattered Space there. It’s coming 30th September. We got to see a new space buggy. We’ll be seeing this at Gamescom by the way, so expect our thoughts soon.
Marvel Rivals launches 6th December
I was watching DF’s Tom Morgan play Marvel Rivals the other day, and it gives me massive Overwatch vibes, which is a good thing. Melee Overwatch. I’m keen to give it a go.
It’s coming 6th December.
Apparently Gamescom runs entirely on renewable energy, which is cool. There are some other sustainability initatives as well. And here’s Lisa Pak from Playing 4 the Planet to announce the winner of this year’s green initiative.
I’ve worked with Lisa Pak on the Green Game Jam – she’s very nice.
Winner of the Gamescom Sustainabilty Award is Tencent. That’s an interesting winner – it shows intent at least.
Kami says: @Zombie-Hamster goodness… wonder if we’ll ever see a new Prototype game in the future. Probably not but whew…
Running Up the Building 2!
Back to Geoff. Here’s Deadpool director Tim Miller. Okay…
He’s talking about Blur Studios which has been making cinematics for games for years. “We do this because we fucking love video games,” he says, and everyone cheers.
Fans ask for full movies, and, well, it sounds like they listened. A collaboration with Amazon Studios and game publishers. He’s getting choked up on stage – I love it! “I cry a lot.” The audience cheers.
They’ve been working on this for three years. It’s called Secret Level. He pauses again for emotion. The audience cheers. He tries to compose himself. “It is our love letter to games,” he says, voice cracking. It’s coming out 10th December.
That was very endearing!
Love Death and Robots people making animated anthology based on games
From the people behind Love Death and Robots, a new anthology series themed around video games, it seems like. I don’t recognise the games yet though. Was that Cyberpunk? That’s Space Marine. That’s Sifu. Dungeons & Dragons in there.
perfect_organism says: Lmfao that transition
Ha yes – quite!
A few fillery games here, whizzing by.
Oh is this Delta Force: Hawk Ops? We wrote a very positive piece about this the other day – you might have noticed.
It is. It’s coming to PC early access later this year. It’s coming to Steam Next Fest later this year too.
Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 now. I’m looking forward to this.
It seems to have a much livelier tone now. We’re once again Henry, riding around Bohemia on our horse. The sword fighting looks similar but a bit less slapstick – there’s more linked animation to it now, with things like killing blows.
Short trailer, but it’s on show this week. It’s coming out in February.
Billhickswasright says: Poland is sweltering at night atm 😭 my Irish skin after 5 years canny take it..
On other note Delta Force I remember playing the demo over and over on P.C
Ooh how hot is it out there at the moment? And I remember that Delta Force demo too!
I’m not going to pretend to know what was going on in that Hoyoverse segment there. Lottie and the guides team will hate me for saying that. Sorry Lottie!
A first look at gameplay in Meta Quest 3 VR game Batman: Arkham Shadow now.
Batman’s knee pads! They look very padded. We’re seeing combat, it looks… steady. There’s the suit! We’re scanning the area, zipping around. We’re choking someone out. We’re running around. It doesn’t seem to be free movement but subtly on-rails, I guess to help with the sickness.
This looks quite good.
A first look at gameplay in Meta Quest 3 VR game Batman: Arkham Shadow now.
Batman’s knee pads! They look very padded. We’re seeing combat, it looks… steady. There’s the suit! We’re scanning the area, zipping around. We’re choking someone out. We’re running around. It doesn’t seem to be free movement but subtly on-rails, I guess to help with the sickness.
This looks quite good.
perfect_organism says: Alright let’s fight it out. Would you rather find yourself in the Gamescom forest or the Gamescom street festival?
Haha. Very good. Um – forest?
Hold that thought – it’s another world premier!
It’s Little Nightmares 3, being developed by Supermassive – the Until Dawn bunch. Weird seeing this and Tarsier’s new game in the same conference. I think Tarsier’s looked weirder and more intriguing.
This looks fine.
I’m reminded of an interview I did with Tarsier ahead of Little Nightmares 2, where we talked about the nature of fear. It was a good chat.
Herdling there, a furry herding game – furry not in that sense. Seemed very cool! One to catch up on as we race ahead.
Peter Molyneux announces new game Masters of Albion
It’s Peter Molyneux! He’s showing his new game Masters of Albion. Oh god he’s not going to promise an acorn growing into a tree is he again. He’s talking about Dungeon Keeper and Black and White and taking things from those games – and from Fable.
Tom Phillips went to go and see Molyneux recently to write about this, by the way, so expect to see much more on this and in much more detail momentarily.
I’ve got a soft spot for Molyneux.
We’re flying over a chonky fantasy world. We’re at a kind of god’s eye view as if it is acity building game. Build it by day, defend it from monster by night.
We can zoom right into the town and into shops to make pies and sandwiches. There’s a hand cursor a bit like Dungeon Keeper.
We can design and customise all of the buildings and it looks tactile and easy to do. It’s a small walled town.
We can possess characters, again as in Dungeon Keeper, and we can fight the creatures that are attacking. Back in god mode, we can unleash spells.
It’s pleasant looking but it definitely has a lower budget look to it. It’s a sandbox game. And that’s it. No date.
perfect_organism says: Nice of the Thing to stop by for this trailer.
Haha – this made me laugh!
There’s a Squid Game game coming to Netflix.
Ooh now we’re onto something Bandai Namco and that’s the Yennefer actor from The Witcher Netflix series – Anya Chalotra I think it was.
She’s zipping around with some fancy teleporting abilities, and punching and kicking. It’s a third-person action adventure in a deserty fantasy world, part mixed with science fiction. Unknown 9: Awakening.
18th October.
We’re moving onto Blizzard now. This is the company’s first time back at Gamescom since 2019 apparently – I didn’t know that.
President Johanna Faries is on stage, reminding us that World of Warcraft: The War Within launches on August 26th, with early access opening a couple of days earlier. Will anyone be playing?
Remember, this is the start of a three-game story arc that Blizzard is aiming really high with.
There’s a Warcraft Direct that’s coming, apparently. Another company doing it’s own thing.
An Overwatch 2 x WoW collab is coming. Widowmaker is getting a Sylvanas Windrunner skin. That looks very cool.
Diablo 4 is of course getting an expansion in Vessel of Hatred in October. It’s playable at Gamescom. We’re going to see the mercenary companions in a trailer.
2much says: Blizzard bum me out. The high of Overwatch in 2016 feels like a million years ago and with all the stories that came out about that company, it’s really hard to have any positive feelings towards them
I hear you. I was just writing about Overwatch 1 earlier today. It was such a revitalising time for Blizzard.
But. I think a lot of important work has probably been done behind the scenes during all of this turmoil. It’s really nice to see Faries on the stage representing Blizzard, for example. I hope it’s a significantly differnet company now, and the rot has been cleared out.
We’re getting a bit more detail on mercenaries in the game. We can hire them to fight with us – I guess they’re like stand-in friends?
There’s a co-op PvE dungeon coming in the expansion too. I’m quietly excited. I really like Diablo 4, and the team has done some really good work making it even better since release.
Kami says: I think Overwatch was also bolstered by the idea they’d recycled the content of a cancelled MMORPG (Titan, was it?) to make OW. It felt like pulling a win from surefire defeat.
Yeah, another reason it was such a big win. It’s a bit like how battle royale saved Fortnite, in a weird way.
The First Berserker now, which looks like a very dark and handsome third-person action role-playing game. There’s a cel-shaded look to the skin beneath all of that fancy armour.
The world looks somewhat empty besides the boss your fighting.
It’s coming early 2025 with a closed beta from 11th-20th Oct.
Dark and Darker Mobile?! I don’t see how this would translate. I don’t think we’re going to see it either – this is all CGI. It’s an energetic trailer though; someone spent a lot of money on it.
No release date. You can pre-register for it.
NetEase now, and a life simulation. Floatoapia, it’s called – floating islands that you manage and that you can travel between. It’s got strong Animal Crossing vibes.
We see sevral characters all working together on gardens and, I assume, having fun in the process. Now they’re all floating on beds in the sky and it’s making me realise how tired I am.
It’s coming 2025. You can pre-register now. What even is pre-registering?
Indy time now. Victoria saw this for us recently and will have much more that you can read about it.
We’re seeing Troy Baker in motion capture and he’s narrating this trailer, saying how much of a dream it is that he’s going to be Indiana Jones.
Zombie-Hamster says: I really want this Indy game to be good.
Me too, me too!
Indiana Jones gets December release date and PS5 version
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle comes out 9th December 2024. That’s on PC and Xbox.
It’s coming to PlayStation 5 in spring 2025.
Mafia: The Old Country announced
One final game announcement now. A husky voice in a 30s-style office talking about commitment to family. They’re looking over a vista now.
Mafia: The Old Country.
We’re going to see more in December 2024.
This is set in Sicily in the 1900s. We’re going back to the Mafia’s roots.
Show closes
That’s it from Geoff and team. It was a tame night. Some new announcements but they didn’t have much substance to them.
It’s just the start for our week of Gamescom coverage though, and Tom, Ed and Lottie have got a packed few days at the show seeing everything we think you’ll care about. Keep an eye on the site this week for more.
A big thank you to all of you who joined us for the show. Thank you for your jokes and your observations! Have a lovely night and I’ll see you in the comments soon.
Heads up here’s Tom’s interview with Peter Molyneux about his new game, Masters of Albion.
And here’s Victoria’s preview of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.
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