The annual Gamescom 2021 event, is a mere stone's throw away, being this year even easier to reach, being an online event free for everyone. With Xbox, Bethesda, Activision, EA, Ubisoft and Bandai Namco confirming their attendance, Gamescom 2021 has an esteemed line-up which we cannot wait to watch. Microsoft Xbox is even hosting their own pre-show the day before the opening night live event, which Electric Games is streaming on our website. So, keep tuned in to our social platforms for all the latest and be sure to join us on each evening.
When is Gamescom 2021?
Gamescom begins officially in a gaming news conference called Opening Night Live, which takes place, you’ve guessed it, on the first night of the event, Wednesday 25th August Hosted by Geoff Keighley, Opening Night Live is streamed online globally so anyone from Fiji to Finland with a WiFi connection can get involved in the action. Gamescom then continues for the rest of the week with an assortment of events lasting until Friday the 27th. Geoff Keighley has stated that Opening Night Live will feature new sneak-peeks at "this holiday's biggest upcoming video games” as well as “what lies beyond.” Exciting, right?The initial showcase on Wednesday is scheduled for two hours and will feature a slew game announcements, gameplay demos, trailers, and news amongst other things.
Gamescom Epix
A feature new to Gamescom 2021 is a “joint quest journey' called Gamescom Epix, which we know looks like a platform fans will be able to engage with prior to the launch of the event. Epix looks to involve the completion of interactive quests and earning prizes, so if you have a few minutes spare it might be worth checking that out.
What will Xbox be announcing?
While Xbox has said that we will not be privy to any new exclusive game releases during their xbox Live Event, they should be showcasing some updates regarding some previous first-party titles as well as news surrounding third-party partners. For the most part, Xbox’s focus looks to be homed in on the upcoming releases coming to GamePass, even though we know their studios have been operating day and night. Patience, as they say, is a virtue. We’re hoping that we might see more footage regarding Halo Infinite and Forza Horizon 5, or even an announcement of Wolfenstein 3, but the likelihood is that the people down at Microsoft will stay true to their modest word. We aren’t exactly sure why Xbox and Bethesda are still two distinct bodies, but whatever happens, we are excited to see what comes from both studios. Who knows - maybe, just maybe, we might get to finally hear more about The Elder Scrolls 6 after a three-year hiatus. Either way, don’t get your hopes up.
Is there any news on Ubisoft?
This year we are vying for a few teasers of Ubisoft games that are set to release close to the event: the despot-destroying Far Cry 6, Just Dance 2022 and Riders Republic. Other Ubisoft publications stated to launch in the near-future that we anticipate updates on include Avatar: Frontiers Of Pandora, an almost 18-year-on remaster of The Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (which is a huge deal), Rainbow Six Extraction, and even Mario and Rabbids Sparks of Hope - the Ubisoft team have really had their hands full. Who knows, we might even get to peer into the Star Wars project. We are also keen to learn more about the free-to-play title The Division: Heartland, developing on the renowned The Division series. As engrossing as full game reveals can be, we are also looking forward to hearing the various updates surrounding Ubisoft’s ongoing developments, like Tom Clancy’s X Defiant and Rainbow Six Siege too. We will be reacting to the news during a livestream hosted on our website.
Will EA talk about Battlefield 2042?
The talented humans at Electronic Arts have been pumping out best-seller after best-seller for years now, and the incipient FIFA 22 and Battlefield 2042 titles coming out on the 1st and 22nd October respectively look to stray little from the trend. We have had bucketloads of information chucked our way about FIFA 22’s HyperMotion features throughout July and August, but Battlefield 2042 remains enigmatic in many ways. Madden 22 and its new Dynamic Gameday focus, though released mere days before Gamescom 2021, may well feature in EA’s Opening Night showcase too. Elsewhere, EA could also leak the gossip on next year’s Skate 4, Dead Space and GRID Legends titles, or EA could bring us up to date on the progress of Dragon Age 4 or the next Mass Effect project Either way, we are feeling electric (if you pardon the pun) for Wednesday’s Opening Night, where EA will likely bring us up to speed.
I heard a new Call of Duty game is coming out. Is that true?
What have Bethesda been up to?
Bethesda last kicked off their stage-time with Xbox exhibiting a Starfield teaser trailer, so we’re hoping that we get to see a bit more of Starfield and it's Starfield Dev Diary, especially seeing as the game is being marketed as we speak, despite being over a year away (Nov 11th 22) from release. Otherwise, there's a good chance that Bethesda could guide us around Redfall, an open-world co-op title set to release Summer next year, at Gamescom as well. We aren't exactly sure if Bethesda will tag-team with Xbox on Tuesday's Xbox Night, but we are confident that all branches of the Bethesda publishing arm will flaunt their creations; Arkane Studios, Bethesda Game Studios and Zenimax Online Studios may make announcements and update us with more information on upcoming games.
We know that Bethesda pays quite a lot of attention to what the community says in regard to trailers and content released, so we can expect a lot of concept art for the games they present us, including Starfield. Additionally, the Deathloop release date is just around the corner, and we are almost certain that we will be given the low-down on what to expect from this tite. This fast-paced assassination multiplayer game is likely to dominate the sphere of Bethesda's presence at this year’s Gamescom, which is understandable as the game is set to release on September the 14th, three weeks away.
Many may be waiting in anticipation for Ghostwire Tokyo, an action-adventure title looking to publish in October 2021. There is a good chance that Fallout 76 and Elder Scrolls Online will be given some kind of attention this year, but perhaps most thrilling news relate to the now 10-year-old Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim which is said to be receiving a re-master. Many of us at Electric Games look at Bethesda with eagle eyes sheerly because of the calibre of their games, and with that I will leave Bethesda talk for now by giving you one last thing to think about: it has been three years since the announcement of The Elder Scrolls 6 - wouldn't Gamescom 2021 be a perfect time to drop a release date?
Will Konami be at Gamescom 2021?
Since Konami has been operating in the shadows for the past year, were expecting some rousing news from their end. So far, Konami has informed us of this year’s eFootball title, a game supplanting the standard Pro Evolution Soccer, only this time it is free-to-play and runs on the Unreal Engine. Announced earlier this summer, Konami has called the Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel title the most complete game of the series to date, which many of us hope to learn more about on Gamescom’s Wednesday Opening Night.
Though Konami have shut down several times these various pockets of rumours, we have heard through the grapevine that Konami has been working on a Silent Hill reboot. Do we take that as the final word, the nail in the coffin, or do we continue to conjecture and speculate the ulterior motives behind Konami’s rebuttal? It has been 9 years since the release of Silent Hill: Downpour, and seven since the unexpected release and subsequent termination of a teaser demo of what looked to be a future title. Will Gamescom 2021 prove decisive in this regard? Time will tell.
Bandai Namco's Scarlet Nexus was fantastic, what else is arriving?
Following another successful year for Bandai Namco with their release of Scarlet Nexus, it is safe to say that the majority of the anime-style RPG community is stirring, keeping put for Gamescom 2021 where Bandai Namco will lay out a good deal of the work we are all hoping to see. An example of one of these well-hyped games (and for good reason) is Elden Ring, an open-world title arising from a collaboration between George R. R. Martin and Soulsborne which we can expect to play by January 2022. We are also on the look-out for any final news regarding the impending Tales of Arise title, which we have seen little footage of despite its arriving on the 9th September. I am personally keen to hear more of the retro-styled survival horror game Dark Pictures: House of Ashes, the 3rd title in the DP Anthology which I have already lined up in my gaming to-do list.
Be sure to attend the Xbox Live night on Tuesday from 6pm, Wednesday's Opening Night from 7pm and the Indie title-themed Future Games show from 9pm on Thursday. The most obscure of the three shows may well be Thursday's Future Show, where Indie games with underdog status will feature. One of these underrated games might be Away: The Survival Series, a game set epochs back in a world without humans wherein we take the perspective of a fructose-gulping species of possum named a Sugar Glider. The arboreal nature of a Sugar Glider grants the animal the height advantage using trees, allowing it to avoid dangerous predators, opening up new opportunities for food whilst providing additional movement options from the canopy, which is ultimately what the game focuses on. Indie titles, as Away suggests, are not to be ignored, so be sure to check in with James and Will from Electric Games who will livestream the Future Show on Thursday at 9pm. Otherwise, meet Joel and Tom as they react to the 6pm Xbox Live Night on Tuesday, or Miguel and Jordan as they cover the Opening Night on Wednesday from 7pm. See it all on the Electric Games website.
Images sourced from Bandai Namco, Bethesda and Activision.