Gamescom, the world's largest computer game trade show, has thrown open its doors in Cologne offering visitors a new blast of Star Wars and a new TV show game tie-in starring Love-Hate's Aidan Gillen.
With 800 exhibitors from more than 45 countries – up 14 per cent on 2014 – organisers are likely to break last year’s attendance record of 335,000 after the show sold out before it even began.
Since it opened on the Rhine in 2009, exhibition space has more than doubled to almost 200,000 sq m – as has developer attendance – while visitor numbers are up 82 per cent.
The German show – open to trade and the public – is now a key date in the calendar of a global industry forecast to be worth $100 billion within three years.
This year’s early trend was a growing merging between computer games and television, and a series of high-profile game titles to expand existing, familiar entertainment brands.
“Gamescom has been a true success story since it began to be held in Cologne, something that is reflected in all key figures,” said Gerald Böser, head of the Cologne trade fair. “Nowhere do so many developers, publishers and traders congregate as they do in Cologne.”
Wednesday's most-anticipated announcement was news of Star Wars: Battlefront with a "fighter squadron" multiplayer mode that allows up to 20 people join in the dog-fight fun, like in the movies.
Ahead of the upcoming seventh film in the series, Electronic Arts also previewed a new trailer for Knights of the Fallen Empire, an expansion of Star Wars: The Old Republic, due out in October.
Addicts of the popular Plants Vs Zombies games have a new treat to look forward to: PvZ: Garden Warfare 2.
Another focus of attention early on at Gamescom was Microsoft, which presented a new Windows 10 version of the popular Minecraft game it acquired for $2.5 billion last year.
It also showed a version of the new operating system for the Xbox One. In addition, the console is to get a new DVR mode to record television, a small “chat pad” keyboard for Xbox controllers and mouse support.
Xbox chief executive Phil Spencer announced plans for a new live-action show to run in parallel with its new game Quantum Break, starring X-Men's Shawn Ashmore as well as Ireland's own Aidan Gillen.
Gamescom runs until August 9th.
Trailer link here : youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=1bmyFFNhSbg
