For many, it appears that the pandemic era of gaming events, where physical audiences were not allowed for the vast majority of occasions such as E3, is beginning to come to a close. While E3 2022 was canceled as both a physical and digital event, Summer Games Fest was able to take its place, giving fans a look at some of the major upcoming releases for 2022 and beyond. Now, another major gaming event has been set for August 23 of this year, as Gamescom returns with a fully physical audience.Gamescom announced its big return back in March, stating that not only would this count as one of the first major in-person gaming events in the past two years, but it would also aim to be climate-friendly, marking a first for the show. Since the reveal that Gamescom was returning, many gamers have been eagerly anticipating the major announcements that are likely going to come with the event. To add to that hype, Summer Games Fest and The Game Awards host Geoff Keighley has recently posted a video to his Twitter where he discusses Gamescom Opening Night.In the short video, Keighley talks about how excited he is for the return of Gamescom. He also states that he will be involved in the show's opening night, where fans can see "first looks, world premieres," and other big announcements for the gaming world. This, of course, caused the internet to wonder what those announcements could be. Considering Summer Games Fest was also full of world premieres, like a first look at Starfield gameplay, it is likely that Keighley will again have access to some interesting trailers and details about upcoming releases.
It is interesting to speculate on what could be revealed at the event. With PlayStation skipping out on this year's Gamescom, it is unlikely fans will see anything about God of War: Ragnarok at Gamescom, but this leaves space for other titles to make headlines at the show. Ubisoft declared it would appear at this year's Gamescom, though it isn't known what the publisher is likely to display, as it has an Assassin's Creed event already lined up for September and delayed Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora to a vague 2023-2024 release date.
With a lot of 2022's major releases having already been revealed in one way or another, it is possible that Gamescom could have a focus placed on titles coming in 2023 as well. Some new games have already been announced to be making an appearance at this year's Gamescom, including a title from the developers of Owlboy and Savant: Ascent.