Gamescom 2021 is over, and we’ve got a lot of great trailers and announcements to go through. Microsoft’s Xbox live kicked off the week of gaming announcements, and while it was a lacklustre performance, there were some highlights. The next day, however, Geoff Keighley delivered like a blackjack dealer dealing players blackjack consistently – which is why people play blackjack, if you don’t know. Opening Night Live gave us a feast of excellent news, including numerous world premieres.
This year’s Gamescom was an all-digital event, similar to last year’s. Still, there were a few in-person interviews peppered in this time. Gamescom 2021’s centrepiece was the Geoff Keighley-led Opening Night Live, which lasted around two hours and featured a fair mix of independent and AAA announcements.
The most significant announcements have been the Saints Row remake and Marvel’s Midnight Suns. It was also interesting to see the report of a new football game named UFL; of course, only time will tell if UFL can genuinely compete with EA’s FIFA 22 and Konami’s football.
Jeff Goldblum appeared at the Future Games Show to talk about Jurassic World Evolution 2 – you can see the clip on YouTube. There’s also an exclusive interview with the game’s director, in which he discusses Goldblum’s immense charisma.
Here is a bite-size breakdown of some of the most significant gaming announcements made.
Call of Duty: Vanguard
Sledgehammer announced that it is working on the latest Call of Duty game. So naturally, Gamescom was the ideal venue for showcasing the gameplay. Online, you can see over 10 minutes of nonstop gameplay from the single-player campaign mode, which features more grounded WWII action in typical COD style. The game will be launched on November 5.
Halo Infinite
We’ve already gotten an early peek at Halo Infinite, so it’s no surprise that the game’s official release date is December 8, just in time for the holidays. In addition, a new trailer was published, showcasing the multiplayer content that will be available at the time of the launch. There was also some disappointing news for Halo enthusiasts. The game will not have the popular co-op story mode or Forge mode at launch, instead they will be arriving three and six months later, respectively. For any Halo enthusiasts who haven’t yet updated to the Xbox Series X, Microsoft is releasing a limited-edition system and controller designed specifically for Halo, which will set you back £479.99.
Midnight Suns
Firaxis, the studio behind XCOM, is working on a new Marvel game, just in time for Phase Four. Midnight Suns will be the title of the game, and it will be a tactical RPG in which players can construct and customise their own superhero to play in-game. The cast appears to be quite diverse and includes several well-known characters, so it should appeal to any Marvel fans out there. On September 1, a gameplay trailer will be released, and the game will be available for purchase in March of next year.
Horizon: Forbidden West
Horizon fans were disappointed to learn that Horizon: Forbidden West would be postponed until next year. During the Gamescom Opening Night, the rumours were proven, and the new release date was announced for February 22. The good news is that Guerrilla Games will now have more time to make a good sequel, and pre-orders will start on September 2. Furthermore, if you’re still playing the original Horizon Zero Dawn on the PlayStation 5, it recently received a patch that allows it to run at 60 frames per second.
Saints Row
The game Saints Row is receiving a makeover. Saints Row is the name of the open-world action game that will be released next year. We’re confident that this will not cause any confusion (not). Fortunately, it appears that everyone will be able to play the new game, as it will be accessible on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Xbox One S, and PC. The game is currently available for pre-order. On February 25, a lighter and more peppy version of Grand Theft Auto will be released.
Death Stranding Directors Cut
While this new instalment isn’t a director’s cut of the 2019 classic Death Stranding, it does appear to be expanding on themes from the first game while also adding next-gen upgrades, new content, and some quality of life enhancements. The extended preview trailer – which you can watch online – was shown off at Gamescom. It was revealed that Death Stranding Directors Cut would be released on September 24.
DokeV
DokeV had to be one of the most eye-catching announcements at Opening Night Live. DokeV is an upcoming open-world action-adventure from Pearl Abyss, the creators of Black Desert Online. It’s part Pokémon, part Jet Set Radio, with a dash of K-Pop thrown in for good measure. Players take control of a young boy who has access to ‘Dokebi,’ or nightmarish monsters. These creatures can assist you in combat against opponents who appear to be robotic. We’re excited to see how weird Dokebi can get in the final release, as their designs are equal parts adorable and bonkers.