Hype, hype and more hype. As with the build up to E3, speculation around potential announcements has been going into overtime ahead of Gamescom this year. Will we see more of Project Scarlett? Will we finally see some Halo: Infinite gameplay? Will Splinter Cell 7 get confirmed? That last one is top of my wishlist, by the way.
Sadly, however, we got answers to none of these questions. There were plenty of smaller announcements but a lack of big time reveals, which left me a little disappointed after opening day.
On the plus side, we did get treated to gameplay, and lots of it. This did feel like it was on purpose, due to one of E3’s main criticisms around the severe lack of gameplay at the expo. I’m pretty sure at one point during the Opening Night Live show Geoff Keighley made an indirect dig highlighting this very issue.
Still, there was a steady stream of reveals throughout the day and just in case you missed anything, here are the 7 biggest announcements from Xbox and opening night at Gamescom 2019.
X019 London
The gaming calendar feels busier than ever, and the kind folks over at Xbox are throwing a party, X019, in London from November 14th – 16th 2019.
The celebration of all things Xbox promises news, reveals and other surprises, as well as special guests. Tickets will be available for £19, and all proceeds will go to charity.
Sounds like a good deal all round – and we’ll certainly be there.
Blair Witch
Not only will it be here very soon, but it will also launch on Game Pass.
Blair Witch is coming to Xbox on August 30th and is based on the found-footage hit horror flick of the same name.
We were treated to a new single player trailer, and it’s safe to stay it looks scary as hell.
Xbox Game Pass Updates
It seems that no Xbox event or briefing would be complete without some new additions to the Xbox Game Pass service. The impressive catalogue continues to grow, and Gamescom is not about to break that trend.
Available now for Xbox One are Stellaris: Console Edition and Devil May Cry 5 and for PC Age of Empires: Definitive Edition has been added. By the end of August, Ape Out for PC will be available, and Kingdom Come Deliverance, Bard’s Tale 4 and Blair Witch will be added for both Xbox One and PC.
Of course, you can still take advantage of the excellent offer of your first two months of Game Pass Ultimate for £2, especially as you’ll get the opportunity to play Gears 5 four days before general release.
More about that later.
Destiny 2: Shadowkeep
Destiny 2 has been through some major changes recently, and it’s clear the team at Bungie are just as committed as ever to supporting the game. More RPG elements are being introduced to the action, with a focus on personalisation and teamwork for players.
On October 1st, a new season titled Season of the Undying will launch. The Vex are returning, and bringing all out war with them.
There is still more to be revealed ahead of Shadowkeep, but it’s clear that Bungie are looking to keep loyal players invested in the game, whilst at the same time creating the perfect opportunity for newcomers to get stuck in.
Little Nightmares II
A sequel to the cult 2017 indie hit, Little Nightmares II looks to expand on the original in every way. The trailer featured a new playable character, Mono, as well as new outdoor locations.
The same dark, moody vibe remains and there was certainly some teasing that combat will feature in the game this time round – kitchen utensils you encounter can be used as “weapons”, but we haven’t been told exactly how just yet.
Little Nightmares II is pencilled in for a 2020 release on Xbox One.
Disintegration
As soon as I heard the words, “from the co-creator of Halo”, my interest immediately peaked. Disintegration is a brand new FPS from V1 Interactive, and is coming to Xbox One in 2020.
In order to survive an increasingly harsh environment on a future Earth, humans have had to “integrate” with technology to survive. You end up fighting against a regime hell bent on integrating all of humanity. The game will feature both single and multiplayer gameplay options, and promises to be something special.
Definitely one to watch.
Gears 5
I mean, so close to release, it had to be didn’t it? Gears 5 featured heavily at both the Inside Xbox show and right at the top of Opening Night Live, spilling into hype overload. We discovered more details around horde mode, which is an evolution of the same mode from Gears of War 2. In the new incarnation, each character you play as has individual ultimate abilities ,and you can even play as Jack, who is described as a “jack of all trades”. If that wasn’t enough, it was also revealed that Kat and Emile from Halo Reach will also be playable. A cool idea, but also feels unnecessarily harsh at the same time given we are all salivating at the mouth for more details on Halo: Infinite.
“But what about the campaign?” I hear you cry. Thankfully those shrewd folks at The Coalition have decided they have held off long enough, and treated us to a brand new single player campaign trailer. A very familiar COG soldier seems to be back in action, and Kait is taking centre stage after revelations about her lineage in Gears of War 4. As well as this, as The Swarm return a sinister and somewhat familiar enemy looms in the shadows.
It’s all very exciting stuff, and a relief for those who may have thought Gears 5 was going to go half measures on a single player campaign. The game launches on September 10th, or if you have Game Pass Ultimate you can get your hands on it from September 6th.
And there we have it, some of the very best moments from the Xbox Gamescom 2019 show. What were your favourite announcements from the conferences? Let us know in the comments below.
