It's August, and that means that Geoff Keighley's Never-Ending Train Of Games is chugga-chuggin' into Cologne, Germany for the E3-of-Europe, Gamescom. Get ready for a bunch of announcements (maybe), reveals (probably), and free game promo T-shirts that are only available in one size (definitely) as Gamescom unfolds over five days, featuring most of the big publishers and developers, plus a ton of indies.
Whether you're heading to Gamescom or just watching from home, we've got the lowdown on everything you need to know, and what's worth keeping an eye on. As the Germans might say, auf geht's!
Everything You Need To Know About Gamescom
What is Gamescom?
It's the world's largest gaming event, with over 350,000 people in attendance (pre-pandemic). There will be fewer tickets sold this year, so the conference will not break the 2019 record of 370,000 attendees.
Fun fact: This year is the first year that Gamescom is hoping to hold a "climate-friendly" event, which will offer free local public transport, plant trees, and offsetting carbon emissions among other initiatives to make the conference as close to carbon-neutral as possible.
Where is Gamescom?
It's in Cologne (or Köln, if you're German), in the west of Germany. The actual location is Koelnmesse, a gigantic conference center that will be expecting to host over 300,000 visitors for Gamescom.
However, there will also be an online component for anyone watching from home.
When is Gamescom?
August 23rd — August 28th, 2022. The conference technically begins on the 24th August, but Opening Night Live will be taking place on the evening of the 23rd, hosted by Geoff Keighley.
Did you say "Geoff Keighley"?
Oh yes. He's hosting Gamescom's Opening Night Live, just as he did last year.
When is Opening Night Live?
August 23rd. See below for time zone info:
- Pacific Time: 11:00am
- Eastern Time: 2:00pm
- British Summer Time: 7:00pm
- Central European Time: 8:00pm
- Japan Standard Time: 3:00am (August 24th)
- Australian Eastern Standard Time: 4:00am (August 24th)
ONL will be two hours long, with over 30 games shown, both new and previously announced.
Should I watch Opening Night Live?
In 2021, ONL had a bunch of trailers, with announcements for around 30 games. Those announcements included news on the Ninja Turtles game, release dates for Horizon Forbidden West and Jett: The Far Shore, and a peek at Death Stranding: Director's Cut, so it's safe to say that 2022 will feature similar announcements — just don't expect Nintendo to feature too heavily.
Where can I watch Opening Night Live?
Keighley will be hosting and streaming from his Game Awards YouTube channel:
How do I access the online Gamescom content?
Most of the juicy stuff will be streamed, which we cover in the next point.
But there's also this thing called "Gamescom EPIX", which is an online adventure that rewards players with prizes and achievements throughout August. You play as AI EPI, a little robot on a quest to protect the vault of Gamescom from "the ultra-evil FEARTURE, leader of the bugs and glitches".
Quests in EPIX include exploring the Gamescom website to find hidden items and information, changing your username, solving a Captcha (yes, really), filling out a survey, and basically just performing a bunch of comprehension tasks to prove that you've read all the text on the website. Rewards include virtual features, like banners and avatars, as well as discounts on tickets and a chance to win a T-shirt or game codes.
What's the schedule?
General schedule
Monday, August 22nd - Tuesday 23rd is Devcom, a business development conference.
The evening of Tuesday, August 23rd is Opening Night Live.
Wednesday 24th August is the first official day of Gamescom, but is only open to trade visitors, the media, and select private visitors from 9am until 7pm (private visitors from 1pm onwards only).
Gamescom will then be open to the general public from Thursday 25th to Sunday 28th August, from 9am to 8pm.
Specific events
Date | Time | Event | Where to watch |
---|---|---|---|
Tuesday August 23rd | 11am PT / 2pm ET / 7pm BST / 8pm CET | Opening Night Live | YouTube, Twitch |
Wednesday August 24th | 11am PT / 2pm ET / 7pm BST / 8pm CET | Future Games Show | YouTube, Twitch |
Thursday August 25th | 5am - 11am PT / 8am - 2pm ET / 1pm - 7pm BST / 2pm-8pm CET | Xbox Booth Live | YouTube, Twitch |
Friday August 26th | 8:30am PT / 11:30 am ET / 4:30pm BST / 5:30pm CET | Awesome Indies Show | YouTube |
What is Nintendo showing at Gamescom?
Nothing! They've already confirmed they won't be in attendance. Sorry!
Here's what they said earlier this year:
Gamescom is a central event in the event calendar for Nintendo. This year, however, after careful consideration, we decided not to participate in Cologne.
Instead, players can try out the games for Nintendo Switch as part of numerous Germany-wide events. Previously firmly planned events include roadshows with our airstreamer and our bulli, for example at locations such as the SWR Summer and the Stuttgart Children's and Youth Festival. For the Japan and video game fans, we have decided to participate in the Main Matsuri Japan Festival in Frankfurt as well as the DoKomi in Düsseldorf and the Animagic in Mannheim. Further tour stops and promotions are planned.
We look forward to seeing our fans again at many regional events."
Which companies are exhibiting?
Over 500 companies will be at Gamescom. Some of the big names:
- Microsoft
- Ubisoft
- SEGA
- TikTok
- Warner Bros
- Bandai Namco
- 2K
- Tencent
- Embracer Group
And some of the small-to-medium ones:
- Team17
- THQ Nordic
- Raw Fury
- Humble Games
- NetEase
- Thunderful
Publishers not attending include Sony and Nintendo, as we've already mentioned.
Notably, Ukrainian developers have been offered free booth space this year, following on from the invasion of Ukraine in early 2022.
Do we know about any big announcements?
A couple! Geoff Keighley has tweeted out some sneak peeks already for Opening Night Live:
- News and a new trailer for Sonic Frontiers
- A look at Xbox/PC title High On Life, from Squanch Games
- A new look at Return to Monkey Island
- A world gameplay premiere of Goat Simulator 3
- Subnautica studio Unknown Worlds' next game (an all-new IP)
How do I buy tickets?
Leaving it a little late, aren't we? Well, you can buy tickets on the Gamescom website, for the following prices:
Ticket type | Wednesday | Thursday or Friday | Saturday or Sunday |
---|---|---|---|
Day ticket | - | 25 EUR | 30.50 EUR |
Discounted day ticket (seniors, schoolchildren, students, apprentices, severely disabled people) | - | 18 EUR | 23 EUR |
Family day ticket (max. 5 people, max. 2 adults + min. 1 child aged 7-11) | - | 40 EUR | 50 EUR |
Evening ticket (4pm onwards) | - | 9 EUR | 9 EUR |
Wildcard day ticket (1pm onwards) | 59 EUR | - |
Opening Night Live also has tickets, which cost 29 EUR, provided that you are over 18 and have a photo ID.
Eco-conscious attendees can also buy a Green Ticket, which adds one Euro on to the ticket cost to support the Gamescom forest.
Anyone who hates queueing can purchase a "Superfan Ticket", which grants the following boons:
- Secure 3 instead of 2 Fast Lane tickets (depending on availability)
- Get exclusive customization options for your gamescom profile
- Get bonus experience points at gamescom EPIX
All attendees will need the Gamescom Ticket App, as all tickets are digital-only. You can download the app here.
What is Gamescom's COVID policy?
Koelnmesse seems to be sticking to Germany's rules concerning COVID. There are currently no entry restrictions into the country, except for "areas of virus variant of concern" — and as of writing, there are none. Anyone exhibiting who tests positive at the conference must isolate "to the greatest possible extent", unless they have a booster vaccination, or have had previously had COVID and at least one vax.
Apparently, Koelnmesse is still attempting to limit access to indoor areas "in such a way that the minimum distance between persons is regularly ensured", but there are no guidelines on what that means. Also, participants are recommended to wear a mask "voluntarily", but not required.
From the Gamescom website:
"Koelnmesse will continue to apply its comprehensive hygiene policy, such as providing hand sanitiser dispensers and cleaning at regular intervals."
From their press release, the COO of Koelnmesse said:
"The comeback after Corona is challenging for many events and trade fairs. So it's all the nicer that gamescom will defend its status as the world's largest games event already in the first year after the break thanks to the numerous companies represented on site."
Will you be going to Gamescom? Have you got any more questions for us to answer? Let us know in the comments.
Comments 34
I can't stand Geoff Keighley everything he is involved with is garbage
I feel like THQ Nordic and Team 17 are pretty big names
Should be a good night in more or less. No presence from Nintendo or Capcom is a bit of a shame (though the latter is having their own panel at TGS so they get a pass) but a new Sonic trailer and the reveal of the new IP from the makers of Subnautica is always exciting to watch. I assume there'll be a watch party for it here similar to Summer Games Fest? Though with no direct Nintendo presence, I'd understand if you'd want to skip it.
One question: there is real thing called British Summer Time? Or is this a trick you are playing on us Yanks?
Oh boy! I am excited to not hear about any new Nintendo announcements and sit through hours of movie commercials because Geoff Keighly is such an unbiased and fantastic entertainment host for the gaming industry!
@Sonos it’s British Standard Time.
Edit- I’m wrong.
@Mattock1987 that aint what it says. It says 'British Summer Time'.
let it stay as is. Let the boy watch.
I might have watched it if Geoff wouldn’t host it. Now it’s one of many shows that are very much the same and all pretty boring.
I’ll instead look forward to the headlines on my favorite Nintendo website, nintendolife.com
@Sonos it actually stands for British Summer Time. I’m from Britain, I’m 34, and have only just found this out. I’m going to punch myself now.
@Friendly I feel like we won't have too many headlines, unfortunately. It's a very Nintendo-light show
@Mattock1987 it sounds like the title from. failed reality show. dont feel bad no one has heard of this strange name which could still be fake
@Sonos it's essentially just a different name for when the clocks change. From the end of October to the end of April is GMT - Greenwich Mean Time. And then after the clocks go forward an hour it becomes BST - British Summer Time. Similar to American clock changes only ours spring forward at the end of April, not beginning of March.
@Fizza Instead of there being a direct Nintendo presence, there really should be a Nintendo Direct presence... I'll even be willing to wait a week or two. The absence of an 'E3' NDirect has really got to me.
@LavaTwilight I'd be shocked if we didn't get one at the start of September, it's almost a tradition at this point.
event presented by keep-your-expectations-in-check-guy
I am expecting absolutely nothing from this. Also Geoff Keighley just straight up sucks, man.
@LavaTwilight @Fizza I hope so too but after what they did this summer, I can't discount the possibility that they do another Partner Showcase and a Bayonetta 3 Direct instead with stuff like MK8 Deluxe DLC wave 3 and XC3 DLC wave 2 being shadow drop trailers.
Sonos wrote:
Imagine if it actually stood for 'Bog Standard Time'
@Grumblevolcano @Fizza I know what you mean, but then again I thought the E3 Direct was pretty standard... even when they announced they weren't attending E3 we were all like "oh no" but then they said they would do the Direct and it was all like "ah that's cool, we can dig it" but this? THIS?!? Outrageous!
This will be the event where we learn if the rumours Goldeneye game exists or not.
I’ve heard that it is Nintendo holding it up and all other parties want to launch it.
Either way, I think we will know one way or another and that can end all speculation.
I doubt there will be anything for me (but.. I'm used to it, don't pity me ).
If anything it might something from Embracer Group/Nordic Games or maybe God Eater 4 from Bandai Namco (but I highly doubt the latter will emerge in a German game show).
The biggest game convention and no Nintendo?! Sadness. Nintendo should give us a September Direct to make up for it.
Overall Nintendo has excited me much this year. They don’t attend events and don’t do full blown directs.
I understand that a Switch Pro ain’t coming, and I am fine with that, but with the Switch aging I want Nintendo to show that there is exciting content in the way.
I am not much of a JRPG person so when you take those out the equation it feels a little barren
Most people: Ugh, Geoff Keighley...
Me: There's a town called Cologne???
Once again ill do what I normally do, sleep through it and later watch it at 2x speed for things I don't care. Though even if there isn't any Nintendo stuff there, I hope there is atleast multiplatform games.
@Knightrider1 the less Nintendo invests in their marketing, with revenue continuing to rise, makes investors happy - unfortunately.
@RickRau5 True. I guess I would have liked a response from Nintendo now that the Steam Deck is out and various other portable PCs are hitting the market I feel now would be the time to show off why the Switch is THE console to own for the next 2 to 3 years.
Like I said, I get why they aren’t releasing a new console now with sales still good and chip prices etc, but I am a little underwhelmed and looking at those aforementioned portable devices with some envy
@Knightrider1 same. Nintendo may feel invincible in their handheld market. But they need to be careful.
E3, the game awards, gamescom, summer games fest and many other shows. I really don’t get why there can’t just be one show to announce all these things. Well, I know it is about money, but I really think all these showcases are unnecessary.
"A new look at Return to Monkey Island"
This is all I need to know
I think we’re getting more AEW Fight Forever updates, so I’ll be watching out for that! Also, Thimbleweed Park was a blast so I’m also somewhat interested in Return to Monkey Island.
I wouldn't be able to watch, even if I wanted to. I've got work. And if Nintendo is a no-show, it's frankly not worth watching, anyway. As it is, Nintendo is the only reason why I ever really watch E3.
Oh boy, can't wait to watch a recap on YouTube and discover that none of the games are any interesting to me
@KateGray that’s a shame
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