Yet Another Gaming Blog

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Long time readers of the blog will know I’ve been chasing a reality that probably died when the COVID pandemic hit. The video game event space is barren. E3 kicked the bucket in 2023, but it’d been in a coma from 2020 onwards. My relationship with EGX, formerly the Eurogamer Expo, is well storied on this site. When you look at the calendar, it’s just not great. 

Sprouts are appearing, mind. Geoff Keighley’s “Summer Games Fest” occupies the space left by E3, and both Nintendo and Xbox tend to hold some sort of presentation around that time, but the in-person event pales in comparison to what stood before it. Similarly, The Game Awards has become a home to breaking big announcements, but there really is no hands on element to it whatsoever. 

Those smaller shows do a good job filling the gap, I think. I visited New Game Plus earlier in the year, and hope to again next. PAX had a bit of a dip in the US, but it’s done a great job of surviving and coming back. But that big event that demands all eyes on it remains elusive.

The crown in Cologne

But then there’s gamescom. The German games expo has been a staple of the gaming calendar since it opened in 2009, and is one of the only instances of an event growing post-lockdowns. In 2025, it played host to 1500 exhibitors, up by 100 from 2024, and saw over 27000 more attendees than 2024 as well. And that’s not to mention the online content produced around the show, which also saw a balloon in viewing figures. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say there’s an appetite for gaming events from its audience. 

A large part of that has to do with the presentations surrounding the show, and this is what excited me the most. For the first time since 2019, it felt, to me, like the games medium had its showcase week, Geoff Keighley’s (that man again) “Opening Night Live” was probably the strongest this specific show has been since it launched. Much of the show’s big hitters (Resident Evil Requiem) were known in advance, but I still came away with a few surprises (Lego Batman is definitely for me). 

Showcase Szn

Where things got exciting, though, were in the days following. The “Future Games Show” gave us a nice collection of games presented by David Hayter and Maggie Robertson (Solid Snake and Lady Dimistrescu respectively), and now all I can think about is Wild Blue. And then there was the “Awesome Indies” showcase. Wasn’t so keen on this, personally, but did at least come away with one game on the list to watch.

Tucked in there, too, we had an official Silksong release date announcement, and a Nintendo Direct dedicated to Kirby Air Riders. I spent the week deep in the Subreddit, picking up bits from those in attendance. Eurogamer’s new daily live blog (which is incredible, by the way), kept me fed with nuggets of new information throughout each day. By the time its doors closed, I felt sad. This was something that felt proper. For the first time in a long time, it felt right.

Now, back in my day, we’d only have to wait a few weeks before this show came rumbling down our way. The bulk of this show should be taking up the ExCel at EGX. Sadly, we’ll likely get a miniscule fraction in a corner next to a hot dog stand (yes, sorry, grumble grumble). But there’s real momentum here, and, from the sofa, at least, I felt a real sense of optimism for what might happen next year and beyond. 

Comeback of the decade

Because you can see it, can’t you. Swap out that Air Riders Direct for a more traditional one, add an Xbox showcase here or a State of Play there, and squint a little…well, boy howdy, you’ve got yourself the currywurst E3. The success of gamescom should be noted, and seen as a statement of interest from the gaming public. If you build it, they will come. And 2026 should be extremely positive for the show.

With that in mind, this is my pledge to you. In 2026, we will be there. Or, rather, we will do everything we possibly can to be there. We all need a goal, don’t we? This site will be built towards gamescom 2026. And, if we can’t (or are skint), we’ll aim for 2027. You know what, by the end of the decade, we’ll be in Cologne.