Come watch Gamescom's Opening Night Live stream here
Some good stuff being announced tonight, or so I hear
Tomorrow sees the start of Gamescom 2019, the German public games show that's usually a little more low-key and less marketing-y than E3. We've sent some of the gang out there (including two of our most precious resource, Alices) to play and chat and report back, but a wee taster is coming tonight. Gamescom's organisers have drafted Geoff Keighley (the fella behind the ghastly Game Awards) to host Opening Night Live, a livestreamed show with devchat, videos, and the promise of "world premiere content." Look, it'll likely show some cool stuff and have a few cheeky announcements. The stream starts at 7pm, so come on in.
The stream starts at 7pm UK time, which is 2pm Eastern, 11am Pacific, and 8pm CET. It'll be two hours long. The stream is also up on Twitch and Mixer.
Opening Night Live promises "an appearance by Hideo Kojima, and world premiere content on Death Stranding, Gears 5, Predator: Hunting Grounds, Call Of Duty Modern Warfare, Need For Speed Heat, Borderlands 3, and more to be announced." I've heard whispers of some of that more, and it's better than anything mentioned by name there.
It is interesting to see Gamescom dip its toes into more E3-y waters. Gamescom has kinda been seen as Europe's E3 equivalent, with a fair spread of announcements and things more aligned with European interests in PC gaming and deadpan simulators, but it's still a public show rather than mega-focused on the industry. While E3 is losing steam as big publishers and platforms start running their own marketing events on their own schedules (Sony notably skipped E3 this year), mid-tier publishers still seek the increased exposure from being part of something larger. Gamescom bringing in Keighley with his banal and uncritical chatter might indicate they're more interested in stepping up as such an alternative.
I have read that Opening Night Live is "bringing the industry together" so that should be nice. Long overdue, if you ask me. How wonderful it'll be to wake in a united industry tomorrow.
Do see our page of Gamescom 2019 streams for more marketing blasts.