Even before Gamescom opens its doors, the Opening Night Live takes place. Geoff Keighley, the host of the show, takes fans into the exciting worlds of upcoming gaming hits – including “Borderlands 4”, “Monster Hunter Wilds” and “Indiana Jones and the Great Circle”.
On August 22, Gamescom will open its doors to all visitors at the Koelnmesse. But before the big spectacle begins, the opening show, Opening Night Live, kicked off on Tuesday. More than 5,000 media representatives, content creators and game fans were there live. Several hundred thousand gamers insisted on watching the livestream of the show hosted by Geoff Keighley (45). On stage, he and his guests presented new material on games such as “Monster Hunter Wilds” and “Indiana Jones and the Great Circle”.
Shooter for the opening
Keighley didn't waste much time expressing his delight that the first game of the evening hadn't been leaked elsewhere: “Borderlands 4”. There was only a trailer for the latest entry in the role-playing looter shooter series, with no gameplay footage. However, fans did learn that the game is set to be released next year.
It went seamlessly from one shooter to the next: The producers from Raven Software came on stage to show an excerpt from the campaign of “Call of Duty: Black Ops 6” – surprisingly calm images for a game in the well-known series. It was all about espionage, infiltration and stealth, with the familiar shooter action only briefly appearing towards the end, which was particularly astonishing due to light and shadow effects and an unexpected tactical depth.
New “Dune” game features gigantic sandworms
Thematically, Opening Night Live took a leap into space when a fresh trailer for “Dune Awakening” was revealed. The game is based on Frank Herbert's books, but offers a completely original story. After a short action sequence, the gameplay was introduced. Players land on the desert planet Arrakis with one goal: to survive. Together with other players, they can build their own settlements or take over those of others. They can explore Arrakis by helicopter or try their hand at trading with other groups. Last but not least, the legendary sandworms that players can summon in battle were shown. The game is scheduled to be released for PC in early 2025.
After the gigantic sandworms, it was on to “Monster Hunter Wilds”. One of the producers came on stage with an interpreter and announced a new trailer in Japanese. This gave an insight into the story of the game and showed the fight against a beast. The material highlighted animal companions with whose help players go monster hunting. In addition, to the delight of many fans, one of the cooking scenes typical of the series was shown.
Netflix brings game to “Squid Game”
Netflix caused a surprise: The streaming service first announced a sequel to the indie game series “Monument Valley” and then showed a trailer for a game based on the mega-hit series “Squid Game”. The game includes the disciplines known from the series, but they are turned up to the craziness level. In “Squid Game: Unleashed” gamers have to save themselves from lava, circular saws and other players.
Moderator Geoff Keighley then invited “Black & White” creator Peter Molyneux (65) onto the stage as a guest. He unveiled “Masters of Albion” for the PC, which 20 developers have been working on for three years. The accompanying trailer begins with a tracking shot through a fantasy village. During the day, players can make food for the village's residents, manage it and design buildings. At night, the villagers have to defend their home against monsters.
Superheroes and movie icons
The show also had something for all the superhero lovers. Captain America and the Winter Soldier appeared in a trailer for the hero shooter “Marvel Rivals”. Doctor Doom also made an appearance and it was announced that the game will be released on December 6th. A new trailer also showed the VR game “Batman: Arkham Shadow” for the Meta Quest 3. The game allows players to slip into the role of the DC hero, glide through Gotham City and fight villains. Detective work is also an important part, because Batman has to find the so-called Rat King.
“Deadpool” director presents video game series
“Deadpool” director Tim Miller (59) also caused a big surprise. In collaboration with Prime Video, he announced the series “Secret Level”, which will be available on the streaming service from December 10th. The series includes 15 episodes based on different game universes – including “God of War”, “Ghosts of Tsushima”, “Armored Core” and “Dungeons & Dragons”.
Shortly before Opening Night Live came to an end, a legendary character from the world of film appeared on the screen: Indiana Jones. New material for the upcoming game “Indiana Jones and the Great Circle” was shown. It was packed with things that fans of the film series know and love – including exploring ruins, tracking down artifacts and fist fights. Of course, a rolling rock that the archaeologist has to run away from was also included. The game is scheduled to be released on December 9th for PC and Xbox platforms and will also be released on PlayStation 5 in spring next year.
The last announcement of the evening came in the form of a short trailer for “Mafia: The Old Country”. The material shown did not reveal much about the title. A developer explained that the new part of the “Mafia” series is set in Sicily in the 20th century.
By (ada/ki/spot)
