Geoff Keighley, host of Gamescom 2025’s Opening Night Live, welcomed the crowd on August 19 at Cologne’s Koelnmesse exhibition center.
COLOGNE, Germany, Aug. 20 (Korea Bizwire) — The world’s largest gaming convention opened with a barrage of new titles and trailers on Monday night, as publishers from the United States, Europe, China and South Korea used Gamescom’s Opening Night Live showcase to capture the global spotlight.
Crowds packed into the Koelnmesse exhibition center, underscoring the event’s growing stature since the demise of E3 in Los Angeles. “E3 isn’t dead. It just moved here to Germany,” quipped host Geoff Keighley, noting that Gamescom 2025 has drawn more than 1,500 exhibitors and is expected to welcome over 300,000 visitors.
Crowds of excited attendees gather at Cologne’s Koelnmesse exhibition center ahead of the Opening Night Live (ONL) event at Gamescom 2025.
The night’s first announcement came from Activision, which confirmed that Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 will launch on November 14. Sony followed with a new trailer for Ghost of Yotei, set in 17th-century Hokkaido and due October 2. Microsoft’s Obsidian revealed an October 29 release for The Outer Worlds 2.
Tencent introduced Honor of Kings: World — an open-world RPG based on China’s most popular mobile title — as well as Project Spectrum, a horror shooter inspired by Smilegate’s Crossfire. Blizzard unveiled the next World of Warcraft expansion, Nightfall, while Capcom showcased a story trailer for Resident Evil: Requiem, slated for release in February.
Crowds of eager fans queue outside Cologne’s Koelnmesse venue as they await the start of Gamescom 2025’s Opening Night Live.
The showcase also featured live music from Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, a French indie hit released in April, with singer Alice Dupot Percier and composer Lorian Testar performing the game’s theme song to rapturous applause. The finale belonged to China’s Game Science, which followed up its breakout success Black Myth: Wukong with a new title, Black Myth: Zhong Kui, inspired by Taoist mythology.
Korean developers marked their presence with high-profile reveals. NCSOFT premiered Cinder City, an action title set in a futuristic Seoul, alongside Time Takers, developed by Mistil Games and published by NCSOFT. Netmarble unveiled a trailer for The Seven Deadly Sins: Origin and announced a global closed beta. Krafton introduced new downloadable content for its life simulation game inZOI, released earlier this year.
Spectators at Gamescom 2025’s Opening Night Live gather to watch the debut trailer of ‘Cinder City,’ the latest title from NCSoft’s subsidiary, Bigfire Games.
The announcements confirmed Gamescom’s status as the gaming industry’s central stage, rivaling year-end awards shows in both scale and influence.
Image credit: Yonhap / photonews@koreabizwire.com
