Geoff Keighley promises "announcements for pretty much all the major platforms" at Gamescom Opening Night Live

On a briefing call for international media, Keighley enthused about what to expect from this year's show (which will also be broadcast online, from 7pm UK time for anyone that hasn't travelled to Cologne, Germany, for the conference).

Keighley was keen to point out that Gamescom Opening Night Live is "platform agnostic", with the event being open to any game that is present at the conference, regardless of which console or platform it's on.

Whether you're rocking a PS5, an Xbox Series X, a PC, a mobile device and/or a Nintendo Switch 2, you should enjoy the show.

Keighley said on the Zoom call: "It all comes together really well. I mean, you got [Hollow Knight:] Silksong, apparently, playable at Gamescom. So that was the headline everyone got hyped about."

The affable host added: "There's so few consumer events left at scale that people can get [to] and go and play games. So yeah, we'll have some games that will showcase, even announce, at ONL, that I think will then be playable at Gamescom.

"So it's nice, that sort of connection between all the different publishers and events there. And yes, we definitely have some smaller independent titles that will be featured in the show.

"We also have some German-developed games that we're excited to have in the show as well, which I think is important as well to recognise. To recognise, you know, that sort of global nature of development.

"So, yeah, that's something we think about, right, is, 'How do we sort of balance all this out?' And really, you know, our shows are always cross-platform. They're platform agnostic. So no matter which platform games are coming for, we'll have, I think, news and announcements for pretty much all the major platforms inside of the show.

"So no matter where you play your games, tune in, and hopefully we will surprise you with something."

Felix Falk, the organiser of Gamescom, said of this year's conference: "This year, Gamescom is all about growth. For the first time in history, we'll welcome more than 1,500 exhibitors from 72 countries all over the world, here in Cologne.

"And that growth, in both numbers, really underlines how important Gamescom has become to the global gaming industry. We have, for example, once again, big names like Bandai Namco, Capcom, Ubisoft, Xbox, to name only a few, and we are excited to see first-timers like Atari and Roblox with their own booth at Gamescom for the first time.

"And also, some longtime partners are returning this year after a short break. Take Asus, take Calypso, Marvelous Europe, or Nintendo.

"So there is both a high amount and a high quality of partners and exhibitors at Gamescom, and so we also grow in space. And there's also a new record, because for the first time, Gamescom will cover 233,000 square metres of exhibition space. That is more than 30 football fields."

As Keighley noted, the presence of the hotly anticipated Hollow Knight: Silksong at the Xbox Gamescom booth has gotten a lot of attention for this year's conference — not least in our own Gamescom preview!

Tim Enders, another of the key execs behind Gamescom, said of the news: "Regarding Silksong, Microsoft also announced it, and that's, of course, great when Xbox is showing such a game at Gamescom. It draws global attention. It boosts audience excitement and engagement. So this is, of course, important.

"And that's also why it is big to see more than 1,500 exhibitors on the show floor, because of the stuff which they bring to the show floor. But Gamescom is more than this. It's hybrid. It's also about our shows, and it's also about community activation in different areas and fields.

"So Gamescom, this year, is going to be more diverse than ever before. But of course, it's important to have such games at Gamescom."

Gamescom takes place in Cologne, Germany, from Tuesday 19th August to Sunday 24th August. You can learn more on its official website.

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