Gamescom is only a few days away. The world's largest gaming convention which is also deemed to be Europe's largest business platform for the games industry, will be held at the Koelnmesse in Cologne, Germany between August 23-27. The five-day event is set to host game premieres, cosplay events, e-sports tournaments, stage shows, and creator interactions and will also drop some big titles.
This year's edition is bigger in scale with a 10 per cent increase in the number of companies and dedicated areas like cosplay village, social area (for speedruns and signings), retro area (showcasing over 200 old consoles, handhelds and classic equipment), a gamescom campus (for training and career opportunities), and an event arena. Besides Microsoft, Nintendo and Bandai Namco, studios like Bethesda, FromSoftware, Konami and 4A Games will also be present. The Gamescom Opening Night Live showcase was hosted and produced by gaming journalist Geoff Keighley. The show can be streamed on August 22 at 8p CEST / /2p ET / 11a PT.
Read More: Gamescom Opening Night Live May Not Announce As Many New Titles As You Think
Alan Wake 2, Starfield, Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty & More To Be Featured at this Year's Gamescom
Major Highlights/Announced Games
Microsoft has confirmed that the company will be showcasing 30 games across 150 gaming stations at the in-person booth, and will show presentations for Xbox & Bethesda’s largest release of 2023, Starfield, alongside Forza, and Ara: History Untold (Starfield will launch on September 6 and Forza Motorsport will release on October 10 for Xbox Series X/S and PC). Xbox has promised its biggest booth to date alongside third-party releases and ID@Xbox games and more. Stalker 2 will reportedly have a playable demo at the Xbox booth.
Nintendo is bringing a Mariokart Championship along with a Super Mario RPG remake, Super Mario Bros. Wonder, and the Untitled Princess Peach game.
Frontier's Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin will be featured in a showcase after a successful beta period. Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, featuring Idris Elba's Solomon Reed will be playable early at Gamescom.
Konami has announced it's bringing the popular Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG to Gamescom 2023 for a Master Duel. Participants can strengthen their collections with the latest Yu-Gi-Oh TCG products, take part in tournaments or step into the Photo Box to try out looks from the Dark Magician card. Remedy Entertainment's Alan Wake 2 is a major draw. Black Myth: Wukong, a 'next-gen' action RPG from Chinese developer Game Science will be reportedly fully playable at Gamescom.
Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon, Party Animals, Payday 3, Towerborne, Jusant, Persona 5 Tactica, The Lamplighter’s League, SteamWorld Build and Lightyear Frontier will be available for sampling. Some insiders predict Red Dead Redemption remake and The Last of Us Part II PlayStation 5 re-release may also be featured in some format at the event.
How And When To Stream Opening Night Live In India
Geoff Keighley, who is set to host the Opening Night Live (ONL) showcase on August 22, said that this year's opening night is less about the announcement of new games but will be more about the updates. The best bet for its live stream is the YouTube live stream from the Gamescom official page which will begin with a pre-show and will commence at 2 pm ET /8p CEST which is August 22, 10:30 PM (Indian Standard Time).