It has been announced that Gamescom 2020 will take place slightly later than initially announced, opening with Gamescom: Opening Night Live on August 27th.
Organizers had previously stated Gamescom 2020 was still being prepared despite the pandemic, with organizers monitoring local regulations and the virus’ spread. Later, they stated it would still go ahead “at least in a digital format,” with digital events being “significantly expanded.”
In April, the German government banned major events until August 31st due to the coronavirus pandemic, putting doubt on whether Gamescom 2020 will run. Gamescom organizers then stated that Gamescom 2020 “will definitely take place digitally,” and was later confirmed to take place on August 24th.
This has now been slightly amended, with Gamescom: Opening Night Live host and Summer Game Fest organizer Geoff Keighly announcing the new date on Twitter.
“Quick update: @gamescom Opening Night Live will now take place live on August 27 and kick off 3 days of @gamescom 2020,” Keighly tweets. “We’re planning a spectacular show that will also be the grand finale of @summergamefest.”
According to the official website, the Gamescom Now hub will collate news and premieres (and watch Gamescom: Opening Night Live). Gamescom 2020 will also continue interviews with developers, a daily show to highlight the day’s events, and a Gamescom: Awesome Indies section focusing on indie announcements and news.
Finally, Gamescom 2020 will conclude with a Best of Show closing event. Along with highlights, the Gamescom Awards will be awarded to the most highly anticipated games “evaluated and honoured by an independent international jury of experts.”
The Devcom Digital Conference will also run alongside the event, offering ways for developers and publishers to network with associates in the gaming industry, or catch up with old friends.
The ongoing coronavirus pandemic (also known as COVID-19 officially, or Chinese Flu to others) has affected many worldwide, from businesses to public gatherings and events.
This includes postponements of GDC, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, the physical events for EVO 2020 and Tokyo Game Show 2020, and cancellations E3 2020 (including digital events), the physical event for Gamescom 2020, and Comiket 98.
We also reported episode five of Pokemon: Twilight Wings being postponed to June 5th, and Square Enix offering face masks to Square Enix members for select purchases of over $100 on their store.
The Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering are mapping the virus’ spread [1, 2]. As of this time of writing, there have been over 4.829 million total confirmed cases worldwide, and over 2.709 million active cases. There have been over 319,000 deaths, however over 1.801 million people have made a “total recovery.”
Gamescom 2020 will take place digitally from August 27th to 30th. The Devcom Digital Conference will take place digitally from August 17th to 30th.
