Gamescom 2014: what to watch and where to watch it
Gamescom starts this week. We've collated all the conference timings, to help you keep on top of what's happening, when, and how to tune in to it.
Tuesday, August 12 - Microsoft and Sony
Microsoft goes first with its Xbox media briefing at 2pm CET/1pm UK. Sony follows up later in the day at 7pm CET/6pm UK.
What we expect
We already know that Microsoft is going to show Remedy's Quantum Break, and we are also definitely going to see more of games that are coming out this year; such as Forza Horizon 2, Halo: The Master Chief Collection, and maybe, if we're lucky, some gameplay footage from titles that are pretty early in development, such as Platinum's Scalebound and the new Crackdown. We don't think Gears of War will make any appearances however, considering it's very much in the pre-production stage. Microsoft could always surprise us with a new, unannounced title, like it did with Phantom Dust back in June.
Microsoft will also surely double down on its indie-friendly ID@Xbox program, which means showing more footage of Below, Ori and the Blind Forest, and more.
Sony is in the same boat as Microsoft, albeit with fewer first-party exclusives. We expect to see updated looks at The Order: 1886, Bloodborne (which is going to be playable for the first time on the show floor) and possibly Driveclub, since it was strangely absent from the firm's E3 briefing.
There is a very good chance we're going to see Shadow Beast as well, considering the reveal was during last year's Gamescom. We also expect Sony to reveal whatever the hell it was teasing in the past few weeks, which is probably Until Dawn.
Third-party wise, the platform holders may showcase titles such as Ubisoft's The Division Far Cry 4 and Assassin's Creed: Unity. Sony will almost certainly show Destiny, if nobody else does, and likely Dead Island 2, too.
Where to watch
We're going to have a dedicated story for each conference going live just before any of them starts, so you can chat with your fellow VG247 readers while everything goes down in Cologne. But if you don't want to wait, you can watch Microsoft's conference on Xbox.com, or through the Xbox dashboard on any Xbox console.
An after-show event will follow Microsoft's conference on Twitch, with developer interviews and extended game demos.
Sony's briefing can be watched on PlayStation.com.
Wednesday, August 13 - EA and Konami
EA goes live at 10am CET/ 9am UK.
Konami will be hosting a Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain live event. Kojima will take the stage to reveal new gameplay footage from the game, and after that Geoff Keighley will host a Q&A with the designer. This event starts at 8pm CET/7pm UK.
What we expect
EA's E3 showing was slim at best, laughable at worst. The publisher showed very little footage from its upcoming portfolio of games, that being Star Wars: Battlefront, Criterion's new IP, Mass Effect 4. This probably won't change, as these early titles are likely still far from ready to show, but we are expecting a bit of a Dragon Age: Inquisition bonanza, and a reveal of Bioware's new IP, which may or may not be called Shadow Realm.
Additionally, Respawn Entertainment will show footage of Titanfall's third map pack, we also expect another look at Battlefield: Hardline; hopefully this time it's going to be singleplayer footage. FIFA 15 should also make an appearance, and an EA Access segment is also possible. I am personally praying to the galaxy gods that we see something of Mass Effect 4 (and no I won't stop calling it that until they subtitle it).
Where to watch
As with the previous day, dedicated stories will go up just before the event's start. But either way, EA's conference will be streamed through here and Kojima's Phantom Pain gameplay reveal can be watched through here.
Gamescom takes place in Cologne, Germany August 13-17. We'll be covering it both from the show floor and from our comfy desks.