With this year’s motto “The Heart of Pop Culture”, the Gamescom organizers, Koelnmesse and the industry association game e. V., want to focus on the cultural significance of computer and video games. This has long been evident: more and more game worlds are being made into films, books in turn serve as inspiration for games, and many a major game title such as The Witcher is successful across the media.

Those who develop games themselves can visit Devcom, which will be held from August 22 to 26 at the Koelnmesse East Congress Center. The program includes practical aspects of game development, from animation and programming to organizing a game studio – and, of course, making contacts in the industry.

Acceptances & Cancellations

Many well-known publishers such as Bandai Namco Entertainment, Ubisoft, THQ Nordic, Kalypso Media and the XBox manufacturer Microsoft will participate in Gamescom. But by no means all the big players in the industry will be represented: Electronic Arts, Activision Blizzard, Sony, Take Two and CD Projekt Red have canceled, for example; Square Enix only wants to organize a merchandising booth. Some of the AAA titles announced for the fall, such as “FIFA 23,” “The Last of Us 1 Remake” or “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2,” will therefore be missing from Gamescom. Some huge booths and events from previous years, which had attracted a lot of visitors, will also fall flat as a result. This year at Gamescom there will be cosplay on site again for the first time, like here in 2019 with the promotion team of Minute of Islands.

Publisher 505 Games, known for “Control” and “Death Stranding,” for example, will not offer game stations in the Entertainment Area, but will host a community meeting space called “505 Games Meet and Greet Space.” Cosplayers who represent a character from the 505 universe can have their picture taken by a professional cosplay photographer.

What exactly will be on display and, above all, playable at Gamescom is still vague in many cases. However, a few publishers have already announced more details. Bandai Namco, for example, plans to present three playable titles: the theme park construction game “Park Beyond” from Limbic Entertainment, the horror game “The Devil in Me” and the action adventure “One Piece Odyssey”. The Prime Matter brand, which belongs to Koch Media, will be showing a remake of the classic “System Shock,” the action adventure Gungrave G.O.R.E., the action role-playing game “The Last Oricru” and another, as yet unnamed game at Gamescom. Ubisoft, on the other hand, will provide a glimpse of its pirate adventure “Skull and Bones,” the dance game “Just Dance 2022” and provide play stations for the roller derby simulation “Roller Champions.” THQ Nordic is treating itself to a 1000-square-meter booth and plans to show nine games, including some not yet known.

Gamescom newcomer Level Infinite (Tencent) is jumping right in: Announced are a 360-degree stage, live demos, trailers and “experimental activities” around the mobile game “PUBG Mobile.” The game studio also wants to show news about “Warhammer 40,000: Darktide”, “Metal: Hellsinger”, “Tower of Fantasy”, the open-world survival game “V Rising” and the multiplayer shooter “GTFO” from the Swedish indie studio 10Chambers. Indie publisher Humble Games has a whole bunch of titles in the bag, including the sci-fi adventure “Ghost Song,” the rhythm game “Infinite Guitars” and the horror game “Signalis.”

Digital & on site

Since 2019, Gamescom starts with the English-language “Gamescom Opening Night Live”. After two years without an audience, the event is to take place this year with up to 5000 fans on site in Cologne; Moderator is again the game journalist Geoff Keighley. You can watch the livestream from your sofa on the web, which has brought the trade show significantly more international attention in recent years.

Those who can’t make it to the cathedral city can watch livestreams for free, roam the virtual world of the Indie Arena Booth with an avatar, watch trailers or try out demo versions of games. Those who participate online can also take comfort in avoiding the crowds in Cologne. Because despite a hygiene concept with more distance between the booths, there will undoubtedly be crowds and queues again.

As in previous years, the Gamescom feeling is to spread beyond the exhibition grounds – with free concerts in Cologne’s old town at the “Gamescom City Festival”. From August 26 to 28, national and international bands will play at Rudolfplatz.