GameCentral recaps the major reveals from Gamescom Opening Night Live 2024, including Dying Light: The Beast and Reanimal from the team behind Little Nightmares.
Gamescom Opening Night Live isn’t usually packed with major announcements when compared to The Game Awards, but this year’s line-up was better than the average in terms of compelling reveals.
The event, hosted by Geoff Keighley on Tuesday, had a bulk of its slate announced ahead of time but there were still some surprises wedged between the expected big names, between the return of Peter Molyneux and Borderlands.
The majority of the time, however, was spent giving updates on games we already knew about, as Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6 showed off its campaign and Indiana Jones And The Great Circle was confirmed for PlayStation 5. You can check out all the biggest trailers and takeaways from the show below.
Borderlands 4
Despite it leaking almost a year ago, Gearbox Software finally confirmed the existence of Borderlands 4. The teaser trailer doesn’t give away anything except a 2025 release date, but it’s coming in as a franchise lifeline following the dismal failure of the movie adaptation.
Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6
After showing off Zombies earlier this month, Activision highlighted the campaign mode from Black Ops 6. The level shown, titled Most Wanted, is set in Washington D.C. in 1991 during an event for soon-to-be president Bill Clinton, as you infiltrate using a modified camera. It looks like Call Of Duty at maximum spectacle, with guided throwing knives and a motorbike chase sequence.
Directive 8020
The next instalment in Supermassive Games’ Dark Pictures Anthology is a cinematic survival horror set in space, which involves a creature reminiscent of The Thing. It stars Lashana Lynch, who is best known for playing Maria Rambeau in The Marvels, and is set to come out in 2025.
Reanimal
Tarsier Studios, the creators behind Little Nightmares, revealed their next game which shares the same creepy platformer DNA. This horror adventure, which follows the journey of a brother and sister across an island, can be played either solo or in co-op. It is set to be released on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S/X and PC at an unspecified date.
Civilization 7
The first look at Sid Meier’s Civilization 7 debuted at Gamescom, which is set to be released on February 11 next year. After the presentation, Game Of Thrones actor Gwendoline Christie was announced as the in-game narrator, who follows in the footsteps of Sean Bean, William Morgan Sheppard, and Leonard Nimoy.
Monument Valley 3
Another sequel to puzzle game Monument Valley is set to come out December 10 exclusively on Netflix. The previous two games are also set to hit the streaming service on September 19 and October 29 respectively, with more promised at Netflix Geeked Week next month.
Starfield: Shattered Space
The first expansion for Starfield was given a release date of September 30 in a brief horror-inspired trailer. A new Rev-8 ground vehicle was also shadowdropped in a free update, which comes with the ability to float across planets with Rocket League-like thrusters.
Little Nightmares 3
At the same event where Little Nightmares creators Tarsier Studios showed off their new game, the next instalment by Supermassive Games was also given a new trailer. In an odd coincidence, Little Nightmares 3 adds co-op too as you control characters Low and Alone. It doesn’t look quite as nasty as Reanimal, but it looks to have its own distinct flavour with desert and fairground environments. It’s set to come out on PlayStation, Xbox, PC and Nintendo Switch in 2025.
Mafia: The Old Country
Set in Sicily in the 1900s, Mafia: The New Country served as the big closing announcement, although very little was revealed about the title. ‘Uncover the origins of organised crime in Mafia: The Old Country, a gritty mob story set in the brutal underworld of 1900s Sicily,’ reads the description. More news is promised in December, most likely at The Game Awards.
Monster Hunter Wilds
There’s been a bunch of trailers already, but Capcom showed off another glimpse at Monster Hunter Wilds which is set to come out next year. It looks like the true sequel to Monster Hunter World everyone has been hoping for, complete with a new terrifying spider.
Dune Awakening
The open world survival MMO received a five-minute gameplay blowout, which jumps from the character creator, the sandworms of Arrakis, and base-building tools. It looks like it takes many cues from Mass Effect, but the desert itself might be the biggest star here. Dune: Awakening is set to debut on PC in early 2025.
Indiana Jones And The Great Circle
Troy Baker’s performance as Indiana Jones takes centre stage in a new trailer for The Great Circle. It doesn’t show off much new (you can check out our preview for more details), but we now have an official release date of December 9 on Xbox and PC, and spring 2025 on PlayStation 5.
Dying Light: The Beast
A new standalone Dying Light game was officially revealed, set in a ‘tightly-crafted rural region’. It has the same parkour movement and combat as other Dying Light games, and it brings back original protagonist Kyle Crane. Developer Techland has described it as a ‘slightly more compact’ open world adventure which is ‘very similar’ to other entries in the series.
Batman: Arkham Shadow
If you’re desperate for something VR related, the event showed off the first gameplay for Batman: Arkham Shadow. It’s set between Batman: Arkham Origins and Arkham Asylum, as Bruce Wayne takes on cultish villain, the Rat King. It’s set to be released in October on Meta Quest 3.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
After being delayed to February next year, a brief trailer of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 was shown at Gamescom. This was followed by a 25-minute gameplay showcase after the event, embedded above, which shows off the recreation of 15th century Bohemia.
Lost Records: Bloom & Rage
The creators behind Life Is Strange showed off the first gameplay for its new narrative title, which follows four high school girls in the 1990s. It will be released in two parts, with ‘tape one’ set to be released on February 18, followed by the second on March 18 across PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5.
Masters Of Albion
Peter Molyneux debuted his studio’s new god game (check out the trailer here), which looks like an amalgamation of Fable, Black And White, and Dungeon Keeper. It doesn’t exactly look original, but with many of the developers behind those games returning, there’s perhaps reason for some optimism.
While these were the biggest announcements, there were other titles shown too, including Revenge Of The Savage Planet and King Of Meat.
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