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Gamescom Is Coming!
Europe’s big game show kicks off on Tuesday with a string of press conferences.
Germany's Gamescom should fill next week with big announcements, interviews, and new looks at big games. The show floor opens to press on Wednesday and is open to the public from Thursday through Sunday and Jeff Cork, Adam Biessener, and myself will be delivering previews and impressions from the show floor. Read on for Jeff's sneak peek of what's coming on press conference day.
Jeff Cork’s Press Conference Breakdown
Gamescom is unquestionably my favorite conference of the year. It’s busy, but more relaxed than E3. And even though the crowds can get insane (it’s open to the public, and it’s the biggest show in terms of attendees), everyone seems to be having a great time. That enthusiasm is infectious, and it’s one of the reasons I look forward to every August.
I also get a big kick out of the press conferences. While many of the games have been shown at E3 or Comic Con, there’s also a focus on titles that may not get much attention outside of Europe. Codemasters isn’t likely to get much more than polite applause for an F1 racing presentation here in the states, but in Europe a few PowerPoint slides can keep a Q&A session going for 30 passionate minutes.
Here are the press conferences I’ll be attending next week, along with a few guesses on what companies will be showing.
Sony
Sony owns Europe. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons that Nintendo and Microsoft are choosing to stay home this year. Its press conferences have traditionally been used to showcase hardware news (the PS3 Slim in 2009, additional PS3 configurations in 2010, a PS3 price drop in 2011), which lends rumors of yet another PS3 revision a bit more credibility.
One of my favorite Gamescom moments was in 2008, when Sony revealed SingStar Turkish Party to a wildly receptive crowd. I’m hoping that Sony announces something that sounds equally bizarre this year. Perhaps it’s time to trot out Die Toten Hosen on stage again?
EA
EA’s another great example of a company that does a great job of tailoring its stage presentation for the European audience. Shooters like Medal of Honor: Warfighter, Crysis 3, and Army of Two: The Devil’s Cartel are probably going to get some love, but that’s not likely to be the thrust of the press conference. If previous shows have taught me anything, it’s that EA can’t talk enough about FIFA at Gamescom.
My completely safe bet is that FIFA 13 is going to take up a sizeable block at the presentation. My hunch is that we’ll be seeing loads of details on the game, including a deep look at the Wii U version. Even though I’m not the biggest football fan on the planet (at all), I’m more than happy to see Nintendo’s upcoming console in action. I’m also excited for an EA executive to confirm that some guy I’ve never heard of will be on the game’s cover. Like I said, the show’s enthusiasm is pretty infectious.
Ubisoft
Ubisoft has a solid roster of upcoming games, including Assassin’s Creed III and Far Cry 3, but I’m not expecting much from the company’s press conference. They’ve teased that the presentation will indeed showcase those two games, but that it’s also going to devote time on Ubisoft’s free-to-play and online gaming. That smells a lot like Shootmania and Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Online, both of which I’m completely ambivalent about. I always like being surprised, so I’m going into this thing with a completely open mind. Wow me, Ubisoft!
Capcom
Capcom hasn’t made any big game announcements in a while, and I’m hoping that they choose Gamescom for a venue instead of waiting for TGS. Their press conference is an hour, and I can’t imagine that Capcom thinks Resident Evil 6, Devil May Cry, and Lost Planet 3 can hold our attention for that long. Besides, is there anything left to reveal about Resident Evil 6 at this point?
Activision
The Call of Duty publisher is putting all of its weight behind the franchise this year, hosting a pre-Gamescom Black Ops 2 event. We’ll be getting our hands on multiplayer, and I’m expecting to see a few new maps, scary-looking guys in camouflage, and long lines of increasingly intoxicated Europeans. Another prediction? It will be loud.
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