Woah de Cologne

It was great to be back in person at Europe’s biggest gaming event, even if there were few surprises

This has been a sweltering summer, but it’s been a good excuse to get outside to touch some grass. In PLAY’s case, though, we’ve been hitting concrete and braving crowds, armed with only a face mask, hand gel, and enthusiasm, as we found ourselves once more in Cologne, Germany for Gamescom. Europe’s very own ‘heart of gaming’ was back and in-person. Even with the now-traditional Opening

Night Live hosted by Geoff Keighley to kick things off, Gamescom has always had fewer big reveals than the likes of E3. That’s largely owing to it taking place later in the summer, although given the absence of E3 this year, with only the modest Play Days (also organised by Keighley) to fill the gap, you might have thought of this as an open goal. Well, if you have an appetite for self-important CG trailers with barely a glimpse of in-game footage for games that probably won’t be out for at least another three or four years, then goals were indeed scored.