Screenshot: Gamescom / Kotaku, Disney / Kotaku, Gearbox / Kotaku, Image: Moonana / Studio Pixel Punk / Jon Kristinsson / Kotaku, Western Digital, Blizzard Entertainment, PlayStation / Guerilla Games, The Pokémon Company, Microsoft, 2K Games / Gearbox Entertainment
This week, one of the three events each year in which we’re routinely graced with the presence of Geoff Keighley took place, with Gamescom Opening Night Live kicking off the week-long convention in Cologne, Germany. A host of World Premiere trailers and other announcements came out of that, including the first teaser trailer for Borderlands 4. We round up all the announcements, break down that trailer, and have lots more from the week for you in the pages ahead, including a chance to familiarize yourself with a whole bunch of indie games that may not have been able to afford exposure at Opening Night Live, but are very much worth your attention.
Screenshot: Gamescom / Kotaku
It’s time for Gamescom, friendos. Geoff Keighley is back to host another big video game showcase, and this time it’s the Opening Night Live presentation before Gamescom. The German event is taking place from August 21 to 25 in Cologne, but before fans, press, and developers explore the showfloor, we get to see a big ol’ preview of some upcoming games. If you don’t want to watch the two-hour presentation, we’ve got a roundup of all the big announcements and trailers right here. If you missed the showcase and want to just watch it, you can also do that below: - Kenneth Shepard Read More
Image: Moonana / Studio Pixel Punk / Jon Kristinsson / Kotaku
Gamescom is the biggest video game convention in the world and getting your video game trailer in the Gamescom Opening Night Live showcase is expensive, so a bunch of indie games are sharing beautiful GIFs or short videos of their games online for free instead. Here are 17 that look incredible and deserve your attention. - Ethan Gach Read More
Image: Western Digital
Few PlayStation 5 owners dare to dream of a day when all of their games can be downloaded and installed on the console at the same time. But thanks to a new 8TB SSD, that dream is becoming a little more real, and very expensive. - Ethan Gach Read More
Screenshot: Disney / Kotaku
Tomorrow, the next big update for Disney Dreamlight Valley arrives on all platforms. And while players will be happy with all the quality-of-life changes and new content being added to the cozy life sim, the characters of Dreamlight Valley probably aren’t happy to hear that they’ll no longer be allowed to sleep. - Zack Zwiezen Read More
Image: Blizzard Entertainment
Overwatch 2 has a lot of heroes on its roster. With Juno, the Martian support character joining the game in season 12, the hero shooter now has 41 different heroes for players to choose from. Spreading the love equally between all of them as far as skins and other cosmetics go is a tall order, one that would be unreasonable to expect. However, as Overwatch 2 approaches its second anniversary, the community is getting increasingly more frustrated with Blizzard, as the developer continues to to prioritize certain heroes each season with new cosmetics while others are left with crumbs—if they even get anything at all. - Kenneth Shepard Read More
Image: PlayStation / Guerilla Games
Sony has quietly updated its list of PlayStation Plus games leaving the service in September. According to the current list, 12 games will be gone next month, including the first-party open-world action game Horizon Forbidden West. - Zack Zwiezen Read More
Image: The Pokémon Company
The Pokémon World Championships isn’t just a both a gathering for all the best competitive Pokémon players across the globe, but also a pseudo Pokémon Presents showcase to talk about the future of the franchise. The event was held in Hawaii this year, so its closing ceremony took place late at night for many people around the globe. . The Pokémon Company made a few lowkey announcements at the end of the tournament, and spoilers: there was no news on the upcoming RPG Pokémon Legends: Z-A. But if you like the card game, the MOBA, or Pokémon Go, there were a few exciting announcements. - Kenneth Shepard Read More
Screenshot: Gearbox / Kotaku
Borderlands 4 is real and coming sometime in 2025. Gearbox Entertainment made the latest sequel to its hit looter shooter franchise official with a teaser at Gamescom Opening Night Live showing a literal collision of worlds. It arrives just in time to give fans something to look forward to after the recent movie bombed in theaters. - Ethan Gach Read More
Image: Microsoft
There are three new Xbox consoles coming out this fall featuring alternate colors and bigger SSDs. Microsoft announced pre-orders are available now with the hardware launching on October 15, just a day after confirming that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, its biggest game of 2024, will also be coming to PlayStation 5 early next year. - Ethan Gach Read More
Image: 2K Games / Gearbox Entertainment
Gamescom Opening Night Live kicked off with a surprise reveal: Borderlands 4 is real and coming in 2025. It’s been a long wait for the next numbered sequel in the sci-fi looter shooter series, and the teaser confirming the game’s existence didn’t give a clear idea of what to expect from it. Fortunately, fans have been poring over the brief video and have already come away with a bunch of interesting clues and theories about what’s coming next year. - Ethan Gach Read More