Gamescom 2023 is history. What remains are a lot of different impressions. We really liked that this year.
Gamescom 2023 ran from August 22nd to 27th in Cologne. The rush was enormous – our editors Adrian Mühlroth and Marlene Polywka, who were there for TECHBOOK, can confirm that. The highlights of Gamescom 2023 – from new trailers, games and impressions on site – are correspondingly diverse.
Gamescom is all about video games. Various new trailers were already shown during the Opening Night Live. And even if there were no big innovations this year, there were still many new impressions and highlights.
Starfield
In general, Microsoft and Xbox were very present at Gamescom. On the one hand in terms of area – the exhibitor had claimed a large area in both the public and the business area. On the other hand, one of the biggest highlights of Gamescom 2023 ran under the Xbox umbrella: “Starfield”.
The expectations of Bethesda’s first new franchise since the hugely successful “Elder Scrolls” games are also gigantic. So far everything looks like “Starfield” can withstand the pressure. At the opening night there was atmospheric live music and a trailer with real actors. Even developer legend Todd Howard was there at Gamescom.
There was no large, playable demo. However, those interested could complete a short section of space flight in a special gaming chair. The chair and cockpit were created in collaboration with mattress manufacturer Tempur and are to be auctioned off. Unfortunately, taking pictures and videos with the spaceship setup and the demo was not permitted.
Crimson Desert
One of the most eye-catching new trailers came for Pearl Abyss’ open-world adventure Crimson Desert. In the more than three-minute video for ONL you could see many elements of the game world with a medieval touch.
Sword fights, diverse interactions with NPCs, cool course elements and impressive magical abilities that promise varied gameplay were just a part of it.
The fact that you can interact with your surroundings in a variety of ways also caused enthusiasm. A short sequence in particular, in which the main character Kliff carries a cat, caused laughter and applause even during the presentation.
Little Nightmares 3
One of the biggest surprises of Opening Night Live was the announcement of “Little Nightmares 3” – TECHBOOK reported extensively from the location. Although there is a change of developer, it seems that the popular style of the game will remain true.
However, one important innovation is already known. Instead of one character as before, two of them should be available in the 3rd part. It remains to be seen how this will affect the mechanics and the story.
Mortal Kombat 1
The trailer for the Mortal Kombat reboot shown by Warner Bros. Games and NetherRealm Studios had a lot to offer. We’ve already been able to gather impressions of the new characters and moves – including some pretty gruesome cutscenes.
General Shao can be seen quite prominently. He is the mightiest leader of the Outworld army and possesses tremendous powers. Alongside this fights Sindel, the ruler of Outworld, with her whip-like hair and all sorts of other powers. The new backdrops also made an impression.
Assassin’s Creed Jade
In addition to the trailer for “Assassin’s Creed: Mirage”, which was eagerly awaited – also by our editors – but which could not be played at the fair, “Assassin’s Creed Jade” was available. This is actually a mobile game. The joy, but also the concerns, was therefore great in advance.
However, the allusion at Gamescom inspired many. The action is set in Qin Dynasty China. Despite the limitations imposed by the end device, “Assassin’s Creed Jade” is a genuine AC game with an open world and a wide range of game mechanics.
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
Three years after the bumpy launch in 2020, the first expansion for Cyberpunk 2077 is now coming. We weren’t able to play “Phantom Liberty” personally, in a one-hour live stream (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUTDCxt74iY) CD Projekt Red showed us all innovations in detail. In addition to the all-new “Dogtown” Exclusion Zone in Night City’s Pacifica district, Cyberpunk 2077 gets numerous gameplay improvements and additional content with the expansion.
Finally, the developer has revised the skill tree and perks so that the game can be better tailored to individual styles. New cyberware, weapons and clothing also contribute to this. In addition, it is now possible to fire from the vehicle while driving – and attach weapons directly to it. Best of all, the base game Cyberpunk 2077 also gets these improvements – as a free update. Only specific perks, content and missions that only affect “Phantom Liberty” do not come to the main game.
Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl
After a 14-year hiatus, the Stalker series gets a brand new title that takes players back into the Zone. A new engine and gameplay that is more accessible to beginners should help Heart of Chornobyl to be an AAA title. At Gamescom, developer GSC Game World, under the Microsoft umbrella, showed us the gameplay demo. Anyone who has played the first three games will feel right at home here. The graphics have received a significant upgrade, but the post-apocalyptic feeling comes back immediately.
Gamescom Awards
The Gamescom Award was also presented in various categories at the trade fair. The big winner of the night was “Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom”.
Aside from the big titles everyone is talking about, Gamescom has a ton of other things to offer. From great indie titles to retro gaming and hardware presentations, everything can be found at the fair.
Indie Arena Booth
The indie developers represented at Gamescom are of course much less “flashy” than the booths of the big studios. However, that doesn’t make their games any less interesting. TECHBOOK was able to try out a few titles, including Farewell North. But we were particularly impressed by “Pax Augusta”, a “one-man show” by a Swiss developer who is currently single-handedly reviving an entire genre. With painstaking detail work, he creates 3D assets for a city building simulator in the time of the Roman Empire – absolutely worth seeing.
You can find more from the Indie Arena here: The best indie games at Gamescom 2023! These are our highlights
Retro Area
If you are at Gamescom, you simply have to make a detour to the Retro Area – one of the highlights again in 2023. Look at the old consoles, pick up the controller, admire the old-fashioned graphics. Speaking of which, I’m glad how far console gaming has come. The old controllers either feel cheap by today’s standards or feel awkward to hold – who at Nintendo thought back then that making a three-grip controller was a good idea?
Entertainment Area
In addition to Rewe and Aldi, which were represented at the fair, streaming provider Netflix also had a huge stand in one of the halls. This was divided into several sections: “Stranger Things”, “Wednesday”, “The Witcher” and “Squid Game”. Especially the recreated places from Hawkins, the city in “Stranger Things” were a must-see. In addition to arcade machines and a photo booth, there was even a small pizza parlor that served real pizza. Unfortunately, the lines were very long and the pieces very small, so we had to invest our time elsewhere…
hardware ideas
Atari not only announced a new edition of the legendary Atari 2600 at Gamescom. US manufacturer AMD has even introduced two new graphics cards that are putting a lot of pressure on the competitor Nvidia in the mid-range segment. The cards show promise and could see prices drop significantly in this segment, making gaming accessible to more people. All details about the models can be found here: AMD is introducing new mid-range graphics cards – both models are good for that
Gamescom can still surprise
“When it was already clear in advance that big titles like “Starfield” and “Cyberpunk 2077” would not be playable at Gamescom, I was initially disappointed. However, Gamescom 2023 made up for the small setback with an excellent atmosphere, surprisingly good indie games and hits like “Stalker 2”. However, I would wish for the future that even more larger studios would be represented at Gamescom due to the elimination of E3. This year, with nearly a third of a million visitors, should have shown everyone that the community and interest is there.” – Adrian Mühlroth, editor
A big gaming festival
“For me it was the first Gamescom this year and I have to say that my expectations were quite high beforehand. Despite all the warnings – fair, full, hot etc. – I was actually very happy and wasn’t disappointed. Even the Opening Night Live went better and with more surprises than expected.
I was particularly happy about the announcement of ‘Little Nightmares 3’. I really enjoyed playing the first two parts, mainly because of the story and the graphics. I was also pleasantly surprised by the detailed gameplay trailer ‘Crimson Desert’. At least according to first impressions, the title seems to lump everything I like about games into one pot: An extensive, beautiful game world, interesting mechanics, nice details (like carrying cats) and much more.
Otherwise, after the first test of the still unfinished game, I’m also looking forward to it ‘Towerborne’. The first game by Stoic based on the “Banner Saga” that I love very much is very different, but I also really liked the style. And of course the Indie Area was another highlight. title like ‘closer the distance’, ‘Farewell North’ or ‘Moonlight Peaks’ I have very good memories.
Apart from that, I especially found them Entertainment Area definitely worth seeing. What Netflix and Co. did there was definitely fun. In addition, there were exciting eSports matches, there was a ninja course – which my colleague Adrian Mühlroth almost dismantled – and the Nintendo area was also great fun, without any innovations of its own.
Above all, the atmosphere was really good. Both in the business talks behind the scenes and in the large exhibition halls, we understood each other well and were happy about each other. For me, the days at Gamescom 2023 almost had the character of a festival. Although Sony and EA were absent again this year, other big names have returned to the fair. The clear entertainment focus also makes you less dependent on these big names and their new announcements. The audience seemed to like it – and so did I.” Marlene Polywka, editor