Gamescom 2024 has kicked off with the Gamescom Opening Night live show. Two hours of debuts, reveals, and gameplay trailers gave gamers a look at upcoming projects by iconic studios. Unfortunately, there were two big problems.
Measuring up to the hyped game release schedule of 2023 hasn’t been easy. After hits like Baldur’s Gate 3, Starfield, Remnant 2, and Tears of the Kingdom, 2024 isn’t packing the same heat.
While I was hoping Gamescom Opening Night would solve the bleak outlook on upcoming releases, two major issues plagued the showcase – not including the dead silent live audience that filled the auditorium.
Two hours of similar trailers turned into white noise
After Geoff Keighley stepped out on stage to start the Opening Night events, viewers of the first Gamescom showcase of 2024 were met with back-to-back trailers for a selection of titles set to release in the near future.
While updates for Marvel Rivals, Monster Hunter Wilds, Call of Duty Black Ops 6, and Starfield DLC were all exciting to see, only the Borderlands 4 announcement stood out as a truly shocking moment throughout the entire show – and it was the first thing viewers saw as they tuned in.
Between these anticipated titles, however, players were greeted by a slew of dark, gritty shooter games with horror elements. Each looked fairly similar, and most seemed to be there to drag the show to its intended two-hour length.
More than once, I found myself zoning out as a trailer for something interesting faded into grimy, low-lit rooms filled with dark ghouls and gunfire. Dying Light: The Beast, The Dark Pictures Anthology: Directive 8020, and No More Room in Hell 2 all bled together, eventually becoming white noise as gunfire peppered the background music.
The short of it was that the showcase was far too long, and held very little between big titles to stay interesting. Additionally, a lack of diversity made the two-hour showtime feel even more arduous and only appealed to a small selection of fans.
An hour would have been more than enough time to cover the big news and would have removed the possibility of trailers becoming repetitive and easy to tune out.
Gamescom Opening Night Fell Into The Game Awards Rut
Any time Geoff steps out on stage, I know it’s going to be a grit fest. While there was plenty to love about the FPS games, gorey RPGs, and bleak survival horror settings, there was a distinct lack of diversity in the reveal lineup was is incredibly disappointing.
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Just like with The Game Awards, a lack of brighter, more upbeat titles creates a monotone showcase experience that just isn’t fun to watch. With exciting titles like Visions of Mana, Farmagia, Metaphor: ReFantazio, and Harry Potter: Quidditch World Champions all slotted for this year, it was a shame to see them missing.
While there were a few pops of color thanks to Infinity Nikki, Genshin Impact, and Floatopia, staple JRPGs aimed at a more diverse audience were tragically absent, and the live stream would have benefitted from their inclusion simply to provide viewers a different texture and color pallet.
Bloat to hide a bleak release schedule
My big takeaway from Gamescom Opening Night is that showcases have become much too long. To hit the desired air time, trailer stuffing of similar games becomes problematic and dull.
These live shows are meant to get gamers excited about what is coming out next, but it’s hard to be excited when you are bored or stop paying attention because it all blends together.
It is clear that Geoff is trying to make the most out of what has become an exciting experience for everyone who loves gaming. However, the effort falls a bit flat when players eagerly wait for announcements on favorite franchises outside of FPS staples and they are never mentioned.
The bloat took away from big reveals like Borderlands 4, Little Nightmares 3, Civ 7, and Monster Hunter Wilds.
The showcase would have held attention and left a much bigger impact if Gamescom had decided to stick with the biggest games, letting the AAA Titles normally highlighted stand in the spotlight. Longer isn’t always better, and in this case, concise would have been the recipe for success.
While gamers have a few key releases to begin ramping up for in the coming months, the Gamescom Opening Night showcase highlighted that nothing earth-shattering is likely to drop before the end of the year and that the market is in for a large number of mid-tone, creepy shooters while we wait.
If you’d like to know more about the biggest gaming event in the world, check out our Gamescom schedule to stay up to date on all livestreams, events, and reveals.
