GamesIndustry.biz attended the eighth edition of Gamescom’s Opening Night Live on Tuesday, a fully digital showcase that filled the venue to capacity. Every seat was taken, and a parade of well‑known gaming personalities roamed the aisles – Xbox’s senior leader Asha Sharma even struck an "X" with her arms as the cameras swept past her. The evening began with Geoff Keighley delivering a surprisingly personal introduction. He spoke about returning home after last year’s event to be with his ailing father, who passed away shortly thereafter.
Keighley also took a moment to acknowledge the broader challenges facing the industry, noting that “the video‑game landscape is shifting and evolving,” with mass layoffs and rising hardware costs tied to the AI‑chip shortage. Despite those headwinds, he emphasized that developers worldwide continue to press on, crafting new experiences for players.
The opening trailer lit up the screen with the word "Hoyoverse," prompting audible gasps from the crowd – a clear reminder of the global reach of titles such as Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail. The first game spotlighted was Nodusfall, a slick cooperative action title that bears a strong resemblance to Capcom’s Monster Hunter series, tasking teams with hunting down draconic beasts in a richly rendered world.
From there, the program signaled a trend that would dominate the night: a pronounced presence from Chinese and Korean studios. Highlights included NC’s cyber‑punk‑flavored Cinder City and the intense survival game Like or Die, Krafton’s PUBG: Ded.Net, Netease’s Ananta and Sea of Remnants, Ti Games’ quirky Zoopunk, and Eclipse Glow Games’ sci‑fi shooter Tides of Annihilation.
The lineup also featured another Hoyoverse offering – the life‑simulation title Petit Planet – underscoring the publisher’s expanding portfolio. Naoki Hamaguchi took the stage to unveil Final Fantasy VII: Revelation, slated for a spring 2027 launch. Notably, the game will release on every platform at the same time, a departure from the previous two entries which were PlayStation‑first exclusives.
The night also welcomed Jon Bloch and Pavel Ulmer of 4A Games, who presented the trailer for Metro 2039, scheduled for February 2027. Bloch described the project as “a dark, demanding experience that requires passion, discipline, and a team accustomed to working under irregular conditions,” while Ulmer added that development had been “pretty rough, trust me.” The trailer opened with a proud declaration: “Proudly made in Ukraine.” Undoubtedly, the show’s climax belonged to The Witcher 3.
The audience erupted when CD Projekt Red announced a comprehensive remaster, featuring overhauled combat, ray‑traced lighting, and a host of quality‑of‑life upgrades. Even more exciting, the remaster will be offered as a free upgrade to anyone who owns the original game as of September 29.
In addition, the two original expansions will be released at no cost to base‑game owners, paving the way for the third expansion, Songs of the Past, slated for 2027. Level‑design lead Miles Tost explained that the studio had long wanted “one more story” for Geralt, and a brief glimpse of the upcoming expansion showed the famed monster hunter wielding a new chain weapon. Wizards of the Coast used the platform to promote the space‑adventure Exodus, arriving on April 7 2027, and delivered an extensive gameplay trailer for the Dungeons & Dragons title Warlock, expected next year though without a firm release window.
Other notable reveals included Behaviour Interactive’s Exterminauts (co‑produced with Level Infinite), a lighter‑hearted spin on Helldivers 2; Lego Skylines, a city‑building simulation published by Paradox Interactive; and Ontos from Frictional Games and Kepler, billed as a spiritual successor to Soma. MBC Game Studio, funded by Saudi Arabia’s MBC network, debuted its first project, 1001 Threads of Mizan.
The more eccentric entries also earned applause. Showa American Story, featuring a protagonist wielding an American flag and an arm‑mounted drill, drew a modest cheer, suggesting 4Divinity’s gamble on off‑beat AA titles may pay off.
RedOctane’s Stage Tour provoked genuine whoops, hinting that a revival of rhythm‑guitar games is overdue. Nostalgia moments arrived with Sega’s first look at Crazy Taxi World Tour and the confirmation that Saber Interactive’s Turok: Origins is slated for spring 2027. Heroes of Might and Magic 3 will finally receive a remake, arriving 27 years after its original 1999 launch.
Among indie offerings, Unrelated Studio’s atmospheric Lofsöng, Airship Syndicate’s Dust: Origins, and Daniel Mullins’ wildly imaginative Pony Island 2: Panda Circus (due April 27 2027) stood out. Pre‑show announcements added further excitement.
Team 17 revealed Worms: Galactic Tactics, an isometric turn‑based strategy game arriving in 2027. RollerCoaster Tycoon Wonderworks is heading to Early Access, preserving the pixel‑art charm of its classic predecessor. Dlala Studios secured legendary comedian Bob Mortimer to voice‑over their eerie title Murals.
Indie studio Duck Reaction teased Perceptum, a haunting experience set for 2027, with a trailer showing an elderly woman closing her eyes to commune with the beyond. Finally, Amplitude Studios announced Humankind 2 for 2027, noting that the original 2021 release remains the studio’s most successful title both financially and in player count, a claim made by studio head Romain de Waubert de Genlis last year after Amplitude’s split from Sega in 2024.