Gamescom 2024 Opening Night liveblog: How to watch and what to expect from Xbox, Capcom and more

That was a good show overall! Reanimal, Indy, Directive 8020 and Batman: Arkham Shadow were the highlights for me. Definitely looking forward to that Secret Level show too. Thanks for hanging out with us, folks!

That was a fun show! Plenty of spooks, cuteness and new game reveals. Mafia: The Old Country? Yes, please. Reanimal, Directive 8020 and Infinity Nikki are also standouts for me. Thanks for hanging with us, everyone! Now go play some games.

That's all, folks! Thanks for joining us for what was a surprisingly news-filled Gamescom stream. Be sure to check out our gaming hub for all the latest news from the event all week.

I recently saw a 30-minute hands-off preview of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle and found it to be quite charming. The first-person perspective feels right to me, and Troy Baker does a great 1980s Harrison Ford. Read that right here.

The show ended with one last surprise. The Mafia series is making a return with Mafia: The Old Country from Take-Two studio Hangar 13. We learned a couple of years back that another Mafia game was in the works, but there hasn't been a peep until now.

The next entry will take us to 1900s Sicily (which is a super compelling setting and have a deep, linear narrative, according to studio president Nick Baynes. More details are coming in December, possibly at The Game Awards.

One final game announcement for you, this is Mafia The Old Country! #OpeningNightLive pic.twitter.com/DfIlA5ISKF

— Summer Game Fest (@summergamefest) August 20, 2024

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle hits Xbox and PC on December 9, PS5 in spring 2025

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Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is coming to Xbox Series X/S and PC on December 9. It'll be available on Game Pass. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is also coming to PlayStation 5, but it's taking the scenic route to Sony's console: It'll hit PS5 in spring 2025.

It's been rumored for a while now that The Great Circle — a game developed by Xbox subsidiary MachineGames and published by Xbox — would also come to PS5. Just in February, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer said The Great Circle was not heading to PS5 or Switch, though a handful of other Xbox properties were making the cross-console leap. That hasn't stopped the rumor mill from spinning, of course.

Read the full story here.

And there we go, a release date for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. It's coming to Xbox and PC on December 9. My Game Pass subscription expires in November, but sure, I'll re-up for another month. I still think the game looks great, and I hope it'll fill a Nathan Drake-sized hole in my heart.

Also, the rumors were true: the game is also coming to PS5, but not until next spring.

:D

Floh-toh-pee-ah. Yup, that was soothing.

That sure sounded like Ben Starr's voice in The First Berserker: Khazan. His performance is one of the best things about Final Fantasy XVI. If that is him in this new trailer, it's great to see him picking up another leading role.

Regardless of what Floatopia actually turns out to be, I really love saying its name. Try it, it's nice.

Apparently it's The First Berserker: Khazan. And it's also now on my list. It's coming from Neople and Nexon, and it's due out in 2025.

Borderlands 4 is coming in 2025

Borderlands is back. Borderlands 4 is the next entry in the franchise from Gearbox Software and 2K Games. It's due to arrive in 2025.

There's no gameplay in the announcement video released today. While that's a touch disappointing, it isn't much of a surprise for a teaser trailer or for a release that is still likely at least a year away. (And that's assuming no delays.) But the Borderlands games are known for their polished first-person shooter experience, particularly in co-op, and for their sharp sense of humor. Hopefully both of those traits will be returning in full force with the new game.

Read the full story here.

I missed the setup for the game currently on screen, but I'm digging this blood-soaked warrior with a high ponytail very much.

Vessel of Hatred will introduce a new class, Spiritborn, but, this is Blizzard, so it's going to be a paid expansion at $40.

I thought this might have been when we learned that Overwatch 2 is coming to Xbox Cloud Gaming but nope. That's not necessarily a bad thing, though. Until it's on my phone, I will remain somewhat engaged with the world around me for the foreseeable future.

Diablo's creature designs are still top-notch. The Vessel of Hatred DLC hits October 8.

Overwatch 2 remains one of my most-played games, but Balatro is quietly sneaking up on its position.

Call me when Moira gets a Sorceress skin ty.

Overwatch 2 is getting a WoW skin for Widowmaker, which is vaguely dope.

I'll take any opportunity I can to tell everyone with a Netflix subscription and a phone to play Poinpy. It's perfect.

Here's Peter Molyneux talking about his new game with Geoff Keighley:

We have a very special guest joining us tonight, Peter Molyneux! He's here to reveal his new game, which he's secretly been working on for the past THREE years. This is Masters of Albion! #OpeningNightLive pic.twitter.com/6otYlm9BAp

— Summer Game Fest (@summergamefest) August 20, 2024

Netflix has fully entered the video game sphere, purchasing Oxenfree house Night School Studio and Alphabear dev Spry Fox in the past few years. That's on top of a growing library of great games that are free to play for Netflix subscribers. Kentucky Route Zero, anyone?

Servicable seems accurate, Jess: What if Fall Guys was Squid Game?

Here's your first look into Squid Game: Unleashed! @SquidUnleashed #OpeningNightLive pic.twitter.com/yfeQOhfmRj

— Summer Game Fest (@summergamefest) August 20, 2024

Yet again, Netflix itself has missed the entire point Squid Game was making about capitalism and greed (or just opted to ignore it).

Squid Game Unleashed looks perfectly serviceable.

Masters of Albion is an open-world god game, and he doesn't appear to be asking for money up front so... I'll give him a shot I guess.

He really does love playing god, huh?

Molyneux had an amazing career in games, creating series like Black & White and Fable. Then.. it all went a bit wrong. He made a game called Curiosity: What's Inside the Cube? and then crowdfunded Godus, which never went anywhere particularly good. One of my favorite moments in game journalism is Rock, Paper, Shotgun opening up an interview with him with the question: Do you think that you're a pathological liar?

Where's the cube, Molyneux?

He's got a new game coming up, called Masters of Albion.

For some reason, Peter Molyneux is on stage.

Here's that trailer for Batman: Arkham Shadow

Enjoy the first look at the gameplay of Batman: Arkham Shadow! @MetaQuestVR #OpeningNightLive pic.twitter.com/L4W0TRYf9Z

— Summer Game Fest (@summergamefest) August 20, 2024

And one for Little Nightmares III:

A chill mountain herding game? Yes, please.

It definitely looks like a Little Nightmares game! I'm kinda more into Reanimal though?

Okomotive is taking a break from the Far series to make Herdling, which is due out in 2025. It looks like a beast-companion sim and I'm going to play it.

So this answers that question — Reanimal is not Little Nightmares III, and LNIII is actually in development at Supermassive, the studio behind The Dark Pictures Anthology. Well, damn.

I'll admit to being tempted back to VR too. I got very into Tetris Effect back in the day, but my Rift ended up gathering dust. Balatro VR anyone?

Gamescom is a fun, busy show and this segment is making me miss being there in person! Great to see it expanding to other regions.

Between a virtual reality take on Trombone Champ and Batman: Arkham Shadow, I might be ready to make the leap into VR. Batman looks good! I just hope it doesn't induce motion sickness in anyone grappling around Gotham. It arrives in October.

"No, I am the Batman!" – me, playing Batman: Arkham Shadow probably

We have an ongoing joke when covering game events at Engadget: There's always a "Sea of Thieves break" between all the new exclusive trailer drops that gives you time to breathe. For this show, that break has been provided by Hoyoverse, who have paid Geoff for some lengthy segments on Genshin Impact and Zenless Zone Zero to give our typing fingers a break.

From this trailer, I assume Zenless Zone Zero is a music video in video game form. I don't hate it.

Every time there's a Kingdom Come Deliverance II update, it just makes me want to see more about Fable.

Now we're getting another update on Kingdom Come: Deliverance II.

Here's that trailer for Secret Level. Pretty hype!

Secret Level will hit Prime Video on December 10.

Secret Level is an anthology series coming to Amazon Prime, featuring shorts set in the worlds of popular video games like Armored Core, Crossfire, D&D, Spelunky, Warhammer, The Outer Worlds and Sifu. Hot! Thanks, Tim.

I was too lazy to go through the process of fixing the processor issue I was having during the Marvel Rivals open beta so, uh, I didn't. Fingers crossed those problems are all ironed out in time for the December 6 release date.

It's good to see that all of the characters will be unlocked and free at launch. It'll be the same for future hero additions. If only Blizzard had realized that was the way to go with Overwatch 2 from the jump.

Oh hey, Tim Miller! It's OK, buddy. We love an emotional boss.

We're currently hearing about Playing for the Planet, a UN program to get the games industry to burn less carbon. Tencent is on stage saying they're going to be net zero in 2030. Will believe it when I see it!

One thing we can all agree on: Environmentalism is hot.

Is it weird that I would be more into Marvel Rivals if it had nothing to do with Marvel?

lol, you are right.

I wonder if the world would've been kinder to Starfield if we didn't all spend hours trudging through samey landscapes to get to the... semi-good bits, and did some sick flips in a buggy instead? I certainly would've.

More like Carfield, amIright?

I've made my thoughts on Starfield perfectly clear and the addition of vehicles is almost compelling. Almost.

Civ VI never bit into me (didn't even reach 100 hours on Steam!) in the way Civ V and IV did, but I will very much give this new game a good try out.

Everyone, sit back, relax and take a nice look at Civ VII.

The most compelling thing about Mecha Break is that it's the first game that's using NVIDIA's generative AI tech for non-player characters. If it works as promised, you may be able to chat with an NPC using your mic and ask them for advice, such as recommending a loadout for your next mission.

It's coming exclusively to Netflix Games on December 10. The first two games are also coming to Netflix, on September 19 and October 29, for 1 and 2 respectively.

Now we're onto Monument Valley 3... which was announced.... literally five years ago:

ANNOUNCEMENT: We're starting work on Monument Valley 3! But with two exciting games already in development, we're looking for a NEW Game Director to lead the creative vision. Could it be you? Job spec and application page are now online: https://t.co/S3GLPS4kZM #gamedev #gamejobs pic.twitter.com/Dq6pr3ZeTX

— ustwo games (@ustwogames) July 31, 2019

No updates on Monster Hunter Wilds, but that was certainly a tasty-looking trailer. I love those giant flower spiders; very pretty, very spooky. That's the sweet spot.

Tarsier Studios caught many people's attention recently with a gross teaser featuring a pig that was sliced open but still alive, and the promise of more details about its next game at ONL. We just got our first proper peek at Reanimal and the vibes are suitably creepy.

You can play either single-player or in co-op as a brother and sister looking to rescue their friends and escape a horrifying island filled with giant monsters and what may be reanimated beasts. The gloomy visuals have me hooked already.

Congrats, Tarsier, on graduating from Little Nightmares to Much Bigger Nightmares.

Reanimal is filled with nightmare fuel — fitting, from the studio that made Little Nightmares.

Here's that Dune Awakening trailer:

Dune Awakening, if you've not heard of it, is a big new survival MMO from Funcom, the company behind the Conan Exiles survival game. This looks like a big step up from that game in terms of ambition and scope.

We're currently watching a trailer for Dune Awakening. I actually appreciate the slow drip of marketing for this one. They're being very modest with their promises and it feels like every time I see the game it looks better. I can't say for sure that I'm going to be picking it up but they're definitely putting a lot of time and effort into it.

Path of Exile 2 hits Early Access on November 15, nice.

Nikki! Nikki! Nikki!

.@InfinityNikkiEN is an open-world dress-up game by Papergames. Join Nikki on a fantastic journey! #OpeningNightLive pic.twitter.com/KLNv2s65ZP

— Summer Game Fest (@summergamefest) August 20, 2024

Is this... Smite? Ah no, it's Predecessor. Looks a bit Smite-y, impressive for an indie studio especially.

We just saw a trailer for the new Warhammer 40K Space Marine game that invited people to 'play early' ... I think people have been doing that already:

Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 has leaked online two months before release

Infinity Nikki is a spin-off of a dressing game that I have on my phone and it looks super cozy, super cute, super made for me. When I want a break from all these horror games, at least.

Hey, that's my sister's name! I'll need to show her this one.

And now here's my best friend, Nikki!

The No More Room in Hell 2 trailer reminded me a little bit of Redfall, back when I was excited for that game. Here's hoping this one turns out better.

Lost Records: Bloom & Rage is high on my "most anticipated" list. Don't Nod is returning to form with a game that can rival the new Life is Strange titles coming out from Deck Nine and Square Enix. Don't Nod is the studio that started this shit!

Here's a trailer for that Lynked game Jess is talking about:

Our very own Sam Rutherford got a chance to preview King of Meat before the show, and came away... impressed isn't quite what I'd say, but it's worth a read:

I still haven't fully decided how I feel about King of Meat. It's got an interesting premise and during my preview session, there were certainly moments where it felt like it was delivering on the spectacle while also scratching the grab-and-smash itch you tend to search for in hack-and-slash platformers. But at the same time, I wasn't totally hooked either, possibly due to not being able to experience dungeon-building myself or not having a bigger arsenal of weapons and attacks to play around with. That said, since Glowmade's founders previously worked at studios including Lionhead and Media Molecule and franchises like Fable and Little Big Planet, it feels like they should have the pedigree needed to properly bring King of Meat into the spotlight.

Read the full story: King of Meat is a monstrous mash-up of a co-op platformer

I love how many games nowadays add a home-building or base management aspect to the main action loop. Fishing really does make everything better.

Remember when I said Gamescom is perfect for discovering new underground games? Here's Lynked to prove that point.

King of Meat looks like someone turned Fall Guys into a dungeon crawler. If it's even half as fun as that game, it'll be a blast.

Black Myth: Wukong looks great and I know a lot of people are already enjoying it. Like, a lot of people.

Here's the trailer for Dying Light: Big Boy, according to Jess:

Dying Light: The Beast! I'm getting some serious L4D vibes from that big boy at the end.

I think this is that new Dying Light spinoff teased before the show.

OK this was a pretty memorable trailer.

Persona games are so damn stylish.

Goat Simulator Remastered! Coming 2024. Look at that little tongue, awww.

We seem to visiting the museum of busted games in this trailer... what's going on here?

Here's that Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 campaign trailer. Do you like bikes? I hope you like bikes:

Agreed, Kris. The newest Call of Duty looks pretty great and action-packed. The sound design does it for me, too. Pew pew!

Last year's Modern Warfare 3 campaign was so boring, it soured me on all things Call of Duty for a while. Black Ops 6 already looks much better (and hey, it'll be on Game Pass, so no need to shell out $70 for it).

While we're dreaming up new games, there is a big Blops reveal happening...

Yeah, Outlast is one of my faves.

I could definitely see someone adapting Civil War (the Garland movie, not the Marvel one) into a game. Playing a journalist in a warzone actually sounds like a great pitch for a game.

So.. Outlast?

OK, hear me out: Black Ops 6, but instead of guns, you only have a camera. Eh? Eh?

I also care about Blops 6, but I might just watch the trailer for Directive 8020 again right now.

Randy Pitchford has been hinting for a while that Borderlands 4 was in the works, so it isn't a huge shock to see it here. But a 2025 release date is sooner than I would have figured.

Borderlands 4! And it looks gritty gritty. Maybe they're taking a new direction after the movie flopped so ridiculously hard?

Here's that trailer for Borderlands 4. Very dramatic:

Monster Hunter and Indiana Jones are all well and good, but I'd be fine with some more random horror trailers, please.

Hi, Geoff!

I don't know about that, but I do know I'm excited to see Supermassive do something a little different. Here's the trailer:

Directive 8020 Coming to PS5, Xbox X|S & PC in 2025 – Wishlist Now!

In space, death takes many forms.@SuperMGames #OpeningNightLive pic.twitter.com/XIOjEjj8Cg

— Summer Game Fest (@summergamefest) August 20, 2024

Even more delicious-looking horror there with a first peek at Directive 8020, the next Dark Pictures game from Supermasssive. Is it just me, or did that character look like Lashana Lynch?

OK, we're officially one minute away from the pre-show being over and the real show beginning.

Directive 8020 is here to prove me right on the horror front. And it's from Supermassive Games? Hell yeah.

I feel like horror games are having a real moment right now and I'm very into it.

Cairn looks so good! That was one of my favorite trailers at Summer Game Fest, and the new one looks just as enticing:

Let's climb into a more in-depth look at Cairn from @TheGameBakers! #OpeningNightLive pic.twitter.com/ERN59bjnNP

— Summer Game Fest (@summergamefest) August 20, 2024

I interviewed David back in 2015 and we talked a lot about TS Eliot. I love to see how his style has evolved.

David Wehle is the indie dev behind Home is Where One Starts..., which was a well-received narrative adventure (walking simulator) a few years back.

We Harvest Shadows. Gimme.

What is this? A first-person farming horror allegory? Um, I'm in.

So many people.

I do miss going to Cologne for Gamescom each year. It's a beautiful city, the weather's always good, and there's fantastic beer on tap everywhere you look. It was always like a more relaxed take on E3, albeit with way too many people.

Gamescom isn't as mainstream as a show like The Game Awards or Summer Game Fest, but it's the world's largest video game convention and there are always weird surprises here. This is the place to discover new games that may not be on your radar. I love the show for that reason <3

Liquid Death + Balatro = me at 6PM every day

Cheers, Jess! I've never tried Liquid Death. I don't even think I've seen it on shelves here, so I'll need to track some down in time for The Game Awards.

A Dave the Diver crossover with Balatro isn't something I had on my bingo card, but that's a fun mashup of two indie megahits. Potion Craft and singer-songwriter mxmtoon are also coming to Dave the Diver in an October update.

Let's kick off the @gamescom #OpeningNightLive Pre-show with some new Dave The Diver crossovers! @DaveDiverGame #OpeningNightLive pic.twitter.com/1BQe5uJCP1

— Summer Game Fest (@summergamefest) August 20, 2024

All right, I just cracked a big can of Liquid Death (sparkling water, the black one) and I'm ready for the games. Cheers, Kris!

Hey there, fellow nerds (affectionate)! I am in position with two cups of tea and a large bottle of water. I'm ready to watch some fun video game trailers, even if Hollow Knight: Silksong won't be among them. The preshow's about to kick off, so here's hoping for a couple of surprises in there.

The stream has already started with some... very middling hold music. I currently have this in my headphones instead to get me in the mood:

We're expecting the show to begin at 2PM ET, but feel free to hang out with us in the meantime.

Hello there traveler! Welcome to our live coverage of Gamescom Opening Night Live.