It’s that time again! Everything that has to do with video games is once again gathering in Cologne for Gamescom 2023. TECHBOOK will also be there – that’s what we expect from the games fair and that’s what we’re looking forward to the most.
There are many exhibitors and games to see at Gamescom 2023, one of the largest games fairs in the world. In addition, the organizer advertises with other offers such as its own cosplay area, the retro area and much more. TECHBOOK provides an overview and will also report from on site in the coming days.
We generally expect that
In August, the Who’s Who of the games world will meet again in Cologne. The largest games fair in Europe, Gamescom 2023, will take place from August 23rd to 27th. The event will traditionally open again this year with the Opening Night Live on Tuesday, August 22, 2023 – TECHBOOK will also be there and will report.
In general, the fair should be bigger than last year. Some bigger names have been announced for Gamescom 2023, although it has to be said that the indie area was also a complete success last year. We are very much looking forward to this again this year.
Otherwise, however, some large exhibitors have already confirmed their presence on site. And some new games that can be examined on site are already known. Surprises, on the other hand, are not expected for this year’s event.
As already mentioned, more of the larger studios are participating again this year. After Gamescom 2022 was still struggling a bit after the corona-related shift to digital, the list of exhibitors (hall in brackets) is really impressive this year.
- Aerosoft (8.1)
- Astragon (6.1)
- Bandai Namco (6.1)
- CI Games (9)
- Frontier Development (6)
- Giant’s Software (6.1)
- HoYoverse (6.1)
- Level Infinite (6.1)
- Microsoft/Xbox (8.1)
- Nintendo (9.1)
- Plaion (9.1)
- Sega (8.1)
- Ubisoft (6.1)
In addition to the big names mentioned, there are of course numerous smaller indie studios at the start again this year. So if you prefer to browse away from the mainstream titles, you should take a closer look at the Indie Arena Booth.
It is of course noticeable that Sony or Electronic Arts will be missing at Gamescom 2023. Microsoft has already indicated that they want to fill this gap with a particularly comprehensive stand.
You should keep an eye on these games
More than 150 game titles await visitors at Gamescom. So that no one loses track of this sheer number, we have picked out a few highlights.
Astragon:
- Construction Simulator: Airfield Expansion
- Bus Simulator 21 Next Stop: Official School Bus Expansion
- The Smurfs 2: The Green Stone’s Prisoner
- Police Simulator: Crime Scene Update
Bandai Namco:
HoYoVerse:
Level Infinite/Tencent/Ubisoft:
- Assassin’s Creed: Codename Jade
Microsoft/Xbox/Bethesda:
- Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
- Forza Motorsport (presentation only, not playable)
- Microsoft Flight Simulator
- Mortal Kombat 1
- Overwatch 2
- stalker 2
- Starfield (presentation only, not playable)
- Towerborne
Nintendo:
- Fae farm
- Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
Sega:
- Endless Dungeon
- Total War: Pharaoh
Starfield
Gamers are eagerly awaiting “Starfield” – Bethesda’s first new game brand in 25 years. The action RPG is set in the year 2330 and plays in the “Settled Systems” – an area of about 50 light years from our solar system. About 20 years before the start of the story, a bloody war took place between the major factions over the colonies in the Settled Systems. While United Colonies and Freestar Collective are at peace, life is still dangerous – with mercenaries, pirates, spacers and religious fanatics roaming space.
As one of the newest members of the Constellation organization, players must unravel the mysteries of the galaxy. More than 1000 planets and other moons and space stations are for players to explore – most of them procedurally generated. The game creates a planet’s flora and fauna based on the sun in the system and the atmosphere. As players explore the galaxy, they will encounter NPCs that they can recruit as a crew.
As usual for an RPG, the character can be customized – both in appearance and in skills. One of the three pre-made backgrounds sets the starting skills, where players can unlock new abilities as they gain experience. Also, players have the option to set up outposts on planets to extract resources. There you can also install laboratories to develop new items or upgrades.
Buying or constructing spaceships is also part of the game mechanics. The ships can be modularly expanded in spaceports – for example with additional rooms and facilities as well as weapons. Even boarding and taking over – or destroying – enemy ships is part of the game.
By the sheer scale of the game’s content, Starfield promises to be one of the biggest titles of the year. It is scheduled for release on September 9th for Xbox and PC. On TECHBOOK you can read all Gamescom news about the game.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage
Ubisoft is one of the big names at this year’s Gamescom. And one of the studio’s most famous series is, of course, Assassin’s Creed. The series currently includes 14 titles, which shaped the stealth genre like hardly any other franchise. With “Assassin’s Creed Mirage” one would now like to return to the roots after the youngest representatives of the series took place in other areas and times. The action is set in Baghdad in the 9th century.
It is true that “Odyssey”, which is set in Greece at the beginning of the Peloponnesian War, was a great success. And “Origins”, which is set in ancient Egypt and deals with the founding of the Assassins’ League, is considered one of the best AC games ever. Nevertheless, the somewhat new old setting was welcomed by large parts of the community.
We remember: The first part of the series, published in 2007, took place in Jerusalem in the 12th century. The much-praised second part, on the other hand, was set in 15th-century Italy. What the two parts have in common is a concentration on the cities implemented in detail. Of course, this also enables a completely different handling and weighting of the various stealth mechanics. On the other hand, the open-world titles with large maps that appeared later had other advantages.
“Assassin’s Creed Mirage” would now like to orient itself more clearly to the first parts of the series. This should also focus more on the main story of the game, also by probably reducing the number of side quests. With the planned smaller scope, we are now particularly looking forward to the impressions of the game that Gamescom 2023 will hopefully give us. Because despite the reduced scope in terms of map and game time, Ubisoft will probably not go down in the price of the title, which is supposed to be officially launched on October 5, 2023.
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
After the bumpy start in 2020, numerous patches, updates and free DLCs such as “Edgerunners” have brought “Cyberpunk 2077” much closer to the original idea of the developer CD Projekt. However, “Phantom Liberty” represents the first major expansion for the base game in three years on the market. The studio is also charging for the new content for the first time since the start of the franchise. The game can be pre-ordered for just under 30 euros.
For this, the expansion adds a complete district to Night City: Dogtown. There’s also a new campaign that appears to involve the President of NUSA whose Air Force One crashes in Dogtown – did we mention V has a ticking time bomb on his mind and there’s only one person who can save us?
After all, “Phantom Liberty” should do some things better than the base game. These include, for example, significantly revised police chases and the underwater mechanics. Another piece of good news: along with the expansion, the base game will also get the revamped skill tree and other expansion improvements.
With just about a month to go before launch on September 26th, Gamescom is likely to give us a good glimpse of what the finished expansion will look like in the end. In any case, we’re curious to see how big the scope actually is and what improvements CD Projekt will bring to the base game.