Gamescom 2017 has been a quiet affair in the lead up to the event kicking off later this evening, with the likes of Microsoft keeping things rather low key compared to their E3 showing, and Sony staying away completely for another year in a row. That’s not to say it won’t be a great few days at the gaming convention, with Nintendo giving us two live streams, and a host of third parties in EA, Activision, Ubisoft and Bethesda all showcasing what they have to offer. Here are the show times for each, and what we can look forward to seeing.
Xbox Conference – Sunday 20th August.
8pm UK, 9pm Europe, 3pm US East Coast, 12pm US West Coast
Many of the games still due for release were already shown at E3, so we’ll most likely get a look at new trailers instead of major announcements for titles including Forza 7 & Sea of Thieves. In terms of hardware however, Mirosoft will be talking about the pre-order details for the Xbox One X, alongside additional hardware info and Windows 10. You can check out the stream on the Xbox Mixer Channel or on YouTube (link below).
EA Conference – Monday 21st August
5.30pm UK, 6.30pm Europe, 12.30pm US East Coast, 9.30am US West Coast
On the back of their latest, rather epic trailer, EA will no doubt be bringing us more details on space battles for Star Wars Battlefront 2. We also expect more details on content for Battlefield 1 and Need for Speed Payback, and then FIFA 18, giving us a better look at FUT Ultimate Team, Journey Mode and the FIFA Switch Edition. NHL 18 & Madden 18 may also get a viewing, the latter of which releases next week.
Blizzard Conference – Monday 21st August & Wednesday 23rd August
5pm UK, 6pm Europe, 12pm US East Coast, 9am US West Coast
We expect Blizzard to have plenty on offer given their recent strong gamescom shows, with the likes of Overwatch, World of Warcraft, Starcraft 2 & Hearthstone in attendance. Overwatch is due to receive a new map; Hearthstone a new Fireside Gathering feature allowing players to form raids to take on the Lich King; the new 7.3 World of Warcraft patch; a new co-op commander for Starcraft 2 and Starcraft Remastered; and hands on time Heroes of the Storm.
Nintendo Conference – Wednesday 23rd & Thursday 24th August
2pm UK, 3pm Europe, 9am US East Coast, 6am US West Coast
Nintendo kick off their shows with the first live stream for Super Mario Odyssey, and then the second for Metroid: Samus Returns. Alongside the new footage, they will also be presenting Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and Fire Emblem Warriors. On the show floor, Pokkén Tournament DX, Monster Hunter Stories, Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga, Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, ARMS & Splatoon 2 will all be playable. The only thing missing from the list is the new Pokémon entries Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon, which has had no mention up until now, so these will either be a last minute surprise, or will get their own reveal at a later time.
Other Announcements
Aside from the Blizzard conference, Activision will be bringing Destiny 2 and Call of Duty WWII to the conference, the latter of which should get new multiplayer details, and a livestream relating to the beta which launches worldwide on 25th August; that livestream is due at 6pm UK/10am US West Coast time on 22nd August. For Ubisoft it should be a case of more hands on time for their E3 catalogue, including the impressive looking Assassin’s Creed Origins, The Crew 2 and Far Cry 5, whilst Bethesda should have Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus, The Evil Within 2 & Death of the Outsider at the show.
