Although NVIDIA and Microsoft made their Gamescom 2021 announcements yesterday, the convention officially started and will run until next Friday. So, yesterday was the opening day, which already promised to come quite loaded with news in the form of announcements, dates, and so on. And no doubt they wanted to be up to the task because, throughout the no less than two hours, the pace of announcements has been constant. So much so that we confess that we have even lost count of the titles that have been present. To prevent this news from becoming eternal, we will make a selection of the highlights.
Highlights from the Gamescom 2021 opening day
What did Gamescom 2021 start with? With nothing less than a reboot of Saints Row, which after several episodes, aims to return to its origins. We have been able to see a trailer and, after the subsequent interview, a small glimpse of the gameplay. Its expected release date is February 25, 2022.
When we were still recovering from the pace of Saints Row, The Avengers has made an appearance at Gamescom 2021 with Marvel Midnight Suns, a tactical RPG in which you will have the ability to customize your superheroes. Behind its development is the veteran studio Firaxis and it will hit the market in March next year.
If a little over a week ago we could see the teaser of Call of Duty: Vanguard, which as we could see in its presentation will take place in World War II. Today at Gamescom 2021 we were able to see the game in action. It will hit the market on November 5.
The following announcement has been somewhat puzzling. And is that yesterday took place the Microsoft event at Gamescom 2021 and, in everyone’s opinion, the great absence was Halo Infinite, a key title for the company. Today, however, it has been present, with the announcement that the campaign and multiplayer modes will arrive next December 8. And, along with them, special editions of Xbox Series and Xbox Elite wireless controller.
After four triple-A titles, it’s time for a more humble development, Cult of the Lamb, from Devolver Digital and Massive Monster, a flashy roguelike that combines a pretentiously sweet aesthetic with a rather darker storyline. It is, of all the titles they have presented, one of the ones we most looking forward to trying. It is scheduled for release next year.
Next, we saw Midnight Fight Express, an action title published by Humble Games, coming to market in summer 2022 and developed by a single person. And then came a sensational moment of this Gamescom 2021, that of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge, a beat’em up with 90s aesthetics in which the turtles will have a fighting partner, none other than April O’Neal.
Next, we saw the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba game, and the following was big news: to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of Super Monkey Ball, Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania will be released on October 5, a title as exciting as its predecessors, with 12 games that, at least at first glance, promise to be as exciting as the previous titles.
The next announcement at Gamescom 2021 was Splitgate, a free-to-play first-person shooter that brings a very interesting twist by including portals. And after this, we have been able to see Riders Republic, a game of descent at full speed in multiple sports disciplines. It is in open beta, from today until August 28. And again another free-to-play, Century: Age of Ashes, in which the absolute protagonist will be the dragons.
A very striking surprise has come with the announcement of Strikerz Inc, a soccer game with the ambitious aim of turning around a sector dominated by FIFA. Something that is even more surprising if we take into account is that it is a free-to-play game that, it says, comes to bring fair play. If it manages to gain a foothold, this Gamescom 2021 should be remembered for this.
Here has come a long-awaited moment since at the beginning of this Gamescom 2021 event this game was mentioned. We are talking about Lego Star Wars The Skywalker Saga, another tremendously ambitious project, because from what we have been able to see it covers all nine films of the saga. Yes, from Episode I to Episode IX. It looks very promising, and its arrival is scheduled for spring next year.
The next game to jump into the limelight was Synced: Off-Planet, a post-apocalyptic multiplayer shooter from Tencent Games, and after it came The Outlast Trials, a game only suitable for players with nerves of steel or who enjoy being very scared. It will arrive in 2022.
The next thing that happened at Gamescom 2021 we still don’t know how to explain well. Well, we don’t even know how to explain it badly, so we do better leave you the trailer with what seems to be the real gameplay of Dokev, this pop fantasy that, by far, has been the most surprising thing of this Gamescom 2021. we would say that we can’t wait to play it, but we still have no idea how to play it.
Next up is the eagerly awaited Jurassic World Evolution 2, which already has a release date of November 9. And we continue with dates of highly anticipated titles, with October 7 as the date for the arrival of Far Cry 6. And we close this block with Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodhunt, which will enter early access on Steam on September 7.
Fans of amusement park managers can rejoice, as Park Beyond, which will be released sometime next year, promises to revitalize the genre with impossible rides. We also already have a date for Jett: The Far Shore, an interstellar adventure, which will debut on October 5. And then there has been a strange moment because in the space reserved for Horizon Zero Dawn Forbidden West has only served to confirm an already more than expected delay. It will finally hit the market on February 18, 2022.
New World, the Amazon Games game will enter open beta between September 9 and 12, so if you’re curious, you can take advantage of those days to try it out. And if you thought you had not had enough of Marvel in this Gamescom 2021 with Midnight Suns, you’re in luck, because from today is already available for Android and iOS Marvel Future Revolution, a free-to-play open-world RPG.
The next point has been very interesting and is that to show Tales of Arise, the popular violinist Lindsey Stirling has musically enlivened this Gamescom 2021 event. The moment after which has come as a surprise for Nintendo Switch users: Jumanji: The Curse Returns.
Lost Judgment, the sequel to Judgment, from the Yakuza universe, will be released on September 21. And the next thing was to meet, by surprise, DJ Deadmau5, who personally presented Oberhasli, a game inside Core, the game that allows you to create games inside it. And if you wanted even more rhythm, the next thing was the announcement of The Jungle Book, for an event that will take place between September 3 and 12. Then we were able to see the gameplay of Replaced, a 2.5D platformer with a very apparent pixelart.
And then came another surprising moment from Microsoft. Remember at their event, when they talked about Age of Empires 4, they showed us a small report about siege weapons, and left us wanting images of the game? Well, yesterday we got to see some gameplay of Microsoft’s long-awaited RTS, but why at the opening of Gamescom 2021 and not at their event? That’s what we do like to know.
The launch of Valheim, a few months ago, was particularly successful, with up to seven million copies sold at present. Its users are in luck, since its first expansion, Valheim Heart & Home, will arrive on September 16. After that, we have been able to see some gameplay of CrossfireX, a free-to-play shooter that will arrive soon and exclusively on Xbox.
Did you succumb to the many charms of Genshin Impact? If so, you’ll be pleased to know that starting September 1, you’ll be able to get your hands on Aloy, a new character. And the almost closing off the opening of Gamescom 2021 has come with Sifu, a somewhat peculiar and quite attractive fighting beat’em up, of which we have been able to see some gameplay, and which will arrive on February 22 next year.
It was known that the closing of the opening of the Gamescom 2021 would star Death Stranding Director’s Cut, and see what we have seen it does not surprise me at all. And is that the revised and expanded version of the game brings new elements that will make travel much more comfortable (and that those who played the original will pull their hair out) as a jetpack for controlled falls, a catapult that will launch you in the desired direction and a robot that can carry your load, or even you if you want. We will also find new missions, jumps of the most spectacular and circuit races. Yes, you read that right.
In addition, during the event the winning games of Gamescom 2021 have been announced, they are the following:
- Best Xbox Game: Halo Infinite
- Best Switch Game: Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope
- Best PC Game: Syberia: The World Before
- Best PlayStation 5 Game: Elden Ring
