Gamescom 2021 has finally arrived, bringing a number of big announcements along with it. Like most events held in recent years, Gamescom was once again entirely digital this year, with a live stream hosted by Geoff Keighley and a pre-show hosted by Kyle Bosman. The opening night live show itself had plenty of big announcements for gamers to get excited about, with a range of titles from the AAA to indies developed by a single person. The show also featured announcements and details about games that players were expecting to see, such as a new Saints Row and a look at Halo Infinite, but it also featured many world premieres that fans had never heard about.
However, the show's reveals truly kicked off during its pre-show, where seven world premieres were showcased before Gamescom proper even began. The pre-show was quick to deliver the trailers, with most only separated by brief interludes or comedic moments. It included a new entry in a massive series of fighting games, a new look at a highly anticipated Soulslike, and some entirely new indie titles across multiple genres as well. The pre-show and Gamescom Opening Night Live announcements also come after Xbox's showcase revealed a dozen new titles coming to Xbox Game Pass on day one.
King of Fighters 15
The pre-show kicked off with King of Fighters 15, showcasing some high-octane fighting action. The newest entry in the series will feature 3v3 fights that allow players to team up their favorite King of Fighters characters from the game's cast of 39 fighters that includes every character from the series. King of Fighters 15 had already revealed some characters before, but this trailer was the first look that players have gotten at the game's new faster style of gameplay.
Nine to Five
King of Fighters 15 was followed up by the reveal of Nine to Five at Gamescom 2021, a new tactical shooter shown off with a trailer filled with office worker flavor. The game features three teams of three facing off against one another across close quarters maps with a variety of different weapons to choose from. Nine to Five will be free to play when it launches and has an interesting structure to its matches that split them into shifts that impact one another based on the performance of players on every team. The game also features matches that last only 15 minutes so that they can be fit into any gamer's schedule while also promising to feature progression systems that will reward players without forcing them to spend hundreds of hours in the game.
Bus Simulator 21
The release date of Bus Simulator 21 was revealed back in May to be September 7, but the trailer at Gamescom's pre-show gave fans a look at gameplay that featured more than just a Mercedes Benz bus. For anyone who doesn't know, Bus Simulator is largely what one would expect, with players having to run bus routes to keep with their schedule and provide good rides for their passengers in a timely manner. Players are also able to customize their buses, with the trailer from the pre-show featuring a Gamescom Opening Night Live branded bus.
House of Ashes
The Gamescom pre-show also showed off a new look at the newest entry in the Dark Pictures Anthology, House of Ashes. Following United States soldiers deployed in the middle east, the game features a story of a terrifying creature that blurs the line between who is human and who is a predator. House of Ashes also pulls extensively from Pazuzu lore to provide a deep and fleshed-out story filled with real-world mythology. The game once again features a variety of choices for players to make that impact the game's story and can lead to massive consequences so players will likely want to play through its story multiple times to see for themselves what is all possible.
Dolmen
The Gamescom ONL pre-show also gave players another look at Dolmen, the new science-fiction themed Soulslike from Koch Media. Dolmen wears its Dark Souls influences on its sleeve, and the newest trailer gave fans a look at some of what they can expect to run into throughout the game. It featured a look at some creepy crawling enemies as well as an ominous laser-sword-wielding foe that looked like a possible antagonist for the title. The trailer also showed off some of Dolment's environments, which featured high-tech science fiction areas being invaded by organic growths that were reminiscent of the work of Hans Ruedi Giger.
Nobody Saves The World
Nobody Saves The World was also revealed and is a brand new action RPG from the developers of Guacamelee. The game features a gorgeous art style and allows players to switch between multiple different forms to adapt to any situation and defeat enemies. The trailer showcased some forms such as horse, mouse, ranger, egg, and guard. The trailer also showed that gamers can play through Nobody Saves The World entirely through online co-op so that they can team up with their friends for the journey as well.
Soundfall
Soundfall was also revealed to be an isometric rhythm-based co-op looter shooter. The game definitely has quite a lot going on, complete with some gorgeous colorful visuals and a trailer filled to the brim with frantic action. The game features five separate characters that can all be played together, using music-based combat abilities to fight off the enemies of the land of Symponia to create music throughout combat. Soundfall is also the first game from the studio Drastic Games and aims to bring an interesting new take to the looter genre by mixing it with rhythm gaming.