Since 2019, Opening Night Live has been a mainstay of Gamescom, the European version of E3, and we’ve grown accustomed to getting major game announcements during the preshow. Geoff Keighley, the host and organizer, has restrained those expectations this year.
Keighley told VGC that this year’s show is “less about announcing brand new projects, and more about giving fans updates on some of the biggest games due out over the next year.” So, if you were hoping to see a GTA 6 trailer, get ready to be disappointed.
This is unusual for Keighley, a born hypeman able to muster excitement for even the smallest of video games. Anyone who’s watched Summer Game Fest of The Game Awards will have gotten used to the phrase world premiere being plastered everywhere, so a more understand ONL makes for a drastic change of pace.
Of course, just because Keighley has told VGC that ONL will be “an exciting show with new looks at many announced upcoming games” doesn’t mean he’s telling the truth. This could be a ploy to sow the seeds of doubt so that if a big reveal does happen, we don’t see it coming. Whatever the case, we won’t be manning our news desk based purely on these words alone.
Gamescom’s Opening Night Live is set to air Aug. 22 at 1pm CT. It kicks off a long weekend of video game announcements, hands-on previews, interviews, and more. Dot Esports will have staff members reporting from Cologne, Germany, to bring the latest updates from the showcase.