Earlier this month, the organizers of Gamescom announced their plans for the show later this year. With the coronavirus pandemic derailing numerous events throughout the year, many were wondering what was going to happen to Gamescom, one of the bigger game shows. The organizers said that while they were planning for a digital event, it didn’t mean that they would abandon the possibility of a physical show as well. Now, the organizers of the event confirm that Gamescom will be a digital event exclusively after the German government banned public events through August 31. Gamescom takes place August 25-29.
Even though no physical event will take place, the organizers already said that they had plans for expanding all digital formats and further expansion of their digital strategy has been ongoing since this update. The event will have Gamescom: Opening Night Live which will be “significantly expanded” with “new modules added.”
The pandemic has caused many developers and publishers to shift gears after the usual events such as E3 have either been canceled or adjusted in a way so it can be done digitally. Ubisoft and Microsoft announced their plans for digital event following the cancelation of E3 2020. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Bethesda announced that they will not be doing anything to make up for the lack of E3. In lieu of E3’s absence, IGN announced the Summer of Gaming event. It will include publisher presentations, remote developer interviews, hands-on demos, preview impressions, and gameplay so developers have an opportunity to showcase upcoming games and the next-generation of consoles.