For the last 15 years, players, playtesters, and general gaming enjoyers have gathered at the Gamescom stage in Cologne, Germany. Considered to be one of the biggest events of the year– especially after E3’s unfortunate collapse- Gamescom stands as a beacon of hope to those itching for new gaming content. This year it was a 5-day event, from August 20th to August 25th, each day holding something new for those both in attendance and watching the event live.
The cornerstone of the event happened on opening night, where they streamed the announcements for all the new up and coming games. 131 minutes and 2.7 million views later, people had a lot to talk about.
Mafia: The Old Country
Although Hangar 13 has yet to provide a release date, many are looking forward to the game nonetheless, seeing as this will be the first title since 2020. Focusing on a more open world environment, Mafia is typically in settings akin to real world cities, based on real time periods. From the Great Depression to the 1960s, each world holds both a linear story and side quests to fill up the playtime. The newest installment is said to be set in 1900s-era Sicily, placed in a fictional town known as San Celeste. It is meant to be a prequel to the first Mafia game, being based around the origins of the mafia. Mafia: The Old Country is set to release for PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Set to be released in December of 2024, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is an action-adventure game developed by MachineGames. The game takes place between the Raiders of the Lost Ark and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. The game follows Indiana Jones as he sets out to thwart various evil groups from harnessing the power of the Great Circle, a set of mysterious historical sites around the world that form a perfect circle. Going through several real locations like Thailand, Egypt and Rome, the game is meant to make you feel as if you are truly playing through the eyes of Indiana Jones– heightened by the first-person perspective. With both linear and exploration based gameplay, players can expect a mix of combat, stealth, and puzzles throughout the playthrough.The game has been in development since 2021, with a small teaser trailer coming out the same year. Gamescom held the first official trailer, bringing more hype to the game. It will be released on all Windows/Microsoft devices in December, with a PlayStation 5 port coming in early 2025.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Easily one of the biggest game series of all time, Call of Duty welcomes a new game this year! It is the 21st game in the series as a whole, and the seventh entry to the Black Ops sub-series. As a series that’s been releasing games on a consistent basis since 2003, the dedicated first person shooter fanbase is more than happy for a new title. Published by Activision and developed by Treyarch and Raven Software, Call of Duty; Black Ops 6 is a both single and multiplayer game set in 1991, following rogue operatives named Troy Marshall and Frank Woods. Like previous Black Ops installations, there will be a cooperative, round-based Zombies mode– a very popular game mode among the community. The gameplay itself hasn’t changed much, but new mechanics have been added. Omnidirectional movement, meaning players can dive, sprint and slide in any direction, as well as added “Intelligent Movement” settings. Also new settings for HUDs and other visual aspects. The single-player campaign will feature several new ways to approach missions, including dialogue trees, safe houses between missions, and other new core mechanics. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is set to release on October 25th of this year for PlayStation 4 and 5, Windows, Xbox one as well as Xbox Series X/S.
Dune Awakening
Throughout the sands of Arrakis, the Spice must flow. In Dune Awakening, the seventh official Dune video game, players wander the open-world planet, attempting to uncover the mysteries of both your past, and the disappearance of the Fremen. You can learn the ways of the desert by crafting lasguns, stillsuits and stilltents, each having a different use under the burning sun. Infiltrate bandit camps, develop your character, and find out more about yourself by following 5 unique oaths within the skill tree. Explore the vastness using vehicles like ornithopters and groundcars, or band with other players, to explore deep into the ancient testing stations. Heralding gameplay of an MMO role playing game, players can also create guilds to organize attacks against other players. Developed and published by Funcom, creators of games such as Metal: Hellsinger and Conan: Chop Chop, Dune Awakening is a game set to be released some time in 2025. Keep your eyes and ears open for wormsign, and walk rhythmless as you look out for this game coming to Steam, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.
Sid Meier’s Civilization VII
Firaxis Games, a well known developer in the turn-based strategy community, announced their newest game at Gamescom– Sid Meier’s Civilization VII. A series that has lasted since 1991, Civilization is a turn-based strategy game based on the idea of overseeing the growth of human civilization starting from early settlements. With access to several different types of units, both military and civilian, and huge maps to explore, it’s obvious why Civilization VII is such a huge deal. Having not released a game since 2016, Firaxis’ announcement came with a wave of excitement from the close knit community the games have built over the last two decades. With no break from conventional gameplay, Civilization VII will be an excellent addition to the line. The game will release February 11, 2025 on all PC platforms, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and 5, as well as Xbox One and Series X/S. Marvel Rivals
Marvel Rivals is a 6v6 hero shooter, following in the footsteps of other games like Overwatch and Valorant. Developed by NetEase games, the same team behind Once Human and Diablo Immortal, Marvel Rivals has already built a large community. In recent years, other games within the same first-person shooter genre, such as the aforementioned Valorant, have exploded. Combining multi-person team gameplay with abilities that can shake up the game, it is rather obvious as to why Marvel Rivals has become so popular.
Gamescom 2024 was a massive success, with many games announced at opening night, as well as many more present within the actual convention. From Bethesda to Gearbox, Firaxis to NetEase, each studio is ready to give something we’ve never seen before. We also know other games, such as Valorant, League of Legends, and Fortnite, are ready to give us new yearly seasons like we’ve never seen before. From what we’ve seen– and with more to come at The Game Awards– 2025 is going to be an exciting year for gaming.
Black Myth: Wukong
Black Myth: Wukong is an RPG, derived from Chinese mythology, developed and published by Game Science. It is based off of a Chinese novel called Journey to the West, but it immediately starts off by showing it takes place after the novel.
In the novel, Sun Wukong has made a name for himself in the heavens, where he is known as the Monkey King. He was given a name while he was in the heavens, but soon after he figured out that the name he was given meant that he was the lowest rank. After he felt disrespected, he caused mayhem in the heavens. After this happened, the Jade Emperor was not happy with Sun Wukong leaving the heavens, but also was angry about him saying that he is as equally strong as them. After the Emperor had heard the news, he sent a bunch of soldiers to go capture him, but Sun Wukong managed to defeat them all. Buddha had appeared capturing Wukong and imprisoning under a mountain for 500 years. At the end of his imprisonment, a monk from the east had to spread the word of Buddhism by journeying to the west, grabbing the scriptures, and then returning home. On the way, the people knew he would face difficult challenges, so they gave him guardians. The guardians names were Sha Wujing, Zhu Bajie, the white dragon horse and Sun Wukong. The reason for this is because if a demon would eat the monk, they would be given the power of immortality. The journey was more important than the destination, because of what bad things these guardians have done. On the journey, they became better people and were seeing if they would stay faithful to the teachings of Buddhism.
Back to the game, the main story of the game is still about the novel. In the game, they have six chapters. One to five chapters were still about the novel, talking about the journey they took to the west to get the scriptures. The sixth chapter is about Sun Wukong and his passing. There was another monkey called the destined one, who is like Wukong, who had to fight these bosses that had the armor of Wukong on them. The destined one had to collect five relics to resurrect Sun Wukong. At the top of a mountain there is a stone, which is the same one Wukong was born from. When you touch it, you get greeted by an elder monkey, saying that you cannot resurrect Wukong. You go on to fight a version of Sun Wukong that is his six senses, and when you defeat him, you have to merge all the senses to become the Monkey King.
