If you felt a little underwhelmed by Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest Kick-Off event back in June, a replacement for the absence of E3 events that had historically filled the slot, you weren’t alone. The event this year was widely considered a bit lackluster, but if the host of both Kick-Off and the upcoming GamesCom Opening Night Live event, Geoff Keighley, is anything to go by, you won’t have to feel disappointed by the upcoming show’s slate of titles.
Geoff Keighley is doing what he does best–making big promises in the lead-up to the August 25, 2022 showcase. This time, Keighley is declaring to fans that they will get “some cool surprises and things that [he thinks] people wouldn’t expect”. The showcase is currently promised to feature over 30 games including one already confirmed title – the hotly anticipated Sonic Frontiers.
While Kick-Off has been a bit flakey in its quality, something that is consistent with what E3 has always been, the Opening Night Live event has always been very successful. In 2021, Geoff’s German platform played host to reveals for Saints Row, Marvel’s Midnight Suns, Death Stranding: Director’s Cut, Halo Infinite‘s December release date, and much more. In 2020, the event gave fans the first ever gameplay of Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, the return of Sam & Max in Sam & Max: This Time It’s Virtual!, the first look at DOOM Eternal‘s first piece of DLC, Mafia Definitive Edition, a look at Fall Guys Season 2, and our first glimpse of Respawn’s Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond for VR.
This year, rumors abound that Elden Ring DLC might present itself, that the long-rumored Goldeneye remake may appear at last, and even some very juicy morsels that suggest Alone In The Dark may yet find its way back into the light. Others are suggesting that Hogwarts Legacy may even arrive and share its release date, which is still currently listed to hit shelves in December.
This year, in a first for the show, Geoff has a co-host, with GameStar’s Natascha Becker sharing the stage with him to break all the biggest details on the games you want to know about. In a Twitter Spaces this week, Geoff revealed that there were “a fair number of new games. More than 20 games will be on stage: it’s going to be a big spectacle.”
Of course, it can’t be a Geoff Keighley job without there being celebrities who may or may not have a horse in the race. “We have some very cool guests that are coming to Germany to join us on stage as well to reveal their games and showcase new content.” Let’s hope that all guests are developers and not Hollywood celebrities shoehorned into the show. “We have a mix of games that have already been announced and a fair number of new games announced as well,” he concludes.
In the meantime, Microsoft has announced their presence at the event with a bumper slate that is sure to keep the Xbox fans excited. All up, 500 companies have signed on for GamesCom 2022.
