Gamescom 2020 digital event confirmed for August 27-30

Gamescom 2020 will take place digitally from August 27-30, organisers Koelnmesse and the German Games Industry Association (GAME) have announced.

For the second year running the show will kick off with Gamescom: Opening Night Live, which attracted an audience of over 500,000 simultaneous viewers in 2019.

“We’re planning a spectacular show that will also be the grand finale of Summer Game Fest,” said Opening Night Live producer Geoff Keighley.

Also returning is the Gamescom Now content hub, which will be a central location for live shows, news and events.

There’ll be a new Awesome Indies show focused on announcements and news about indie games, plus a Gamescom: Daily Show expanding on the highlights of each day.

Gamescom 2020 will close with a Best of Show on August 30, which will include this year’s awards ceremony.

Last month, Gamescom‘s organisers officially confirmed the cancellation of 2020’s physical event, which had been scheduled to take place from August 25-29, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

GAME managing director Felix Falk said on Monday: “In a short amount of time and working in close tandem with some of the world’s most important gaming companies on the gamescom advisory board, we have been able to develop a powerful and focused concept for gamescom 2020.

“We are anticipating surprising shows, numerous world premieres, announcements and special promotions that will set the entire games world all abuzz about gamescom at the end of August.”

Koelnmesse managing director Oliver Frese said: “Our digital concept is showing the way forward in the event landscape and many of the innovations will become an integral part of gamescom in the years to come.”

Announced in early March, the initial Gamescom 2020 exhibitor list includes platform holders Xbox and Nintendo, plus Bandai Namco, Bethesda, Capcom, CD Projekt, EA, Sega, THQ Nordic and Ubisoft.