2023-09-12 08:45:00
More than 300,000 visitors were able to discover, at the end of last August in Cologne, the next big hits that will shake up the video game world in the months to come. ParisMatch.be was there, here are our lessons.
Xbox in the spotlight
Whether during the launch party or for five days at the show, the American company benefited greatly from the absence of its competitor, Sony. The green brand was simply everywhere, showcasing its many exclusives. Of course, the imminent release of Starfield (the test of which will soon appear on this site) was the central point of attention but many other licenses were displayed on the Xbox stand such as Forza Motorsport, STALKER 2, Payday 3 or even Armored Core VI. It was obvious that the Americans wanted above all to highlight the gargantuan catalog offered by Xbox Game Pass, which must become Microsoft’s number one selling asset.
The Xbox stand at Gamescom 2023, in Cologne. ©IMAGO/Manngold
The big ones with absent subscribers
PlayStation was not the only brand that forgot to attend this Gamescom 2023. It is even a massacre since many major publishers shunned the German meeting, although it had become essential since the end of E3. Thus, Electronic Arts, Activision or Take Two (Rockstar, 2K…) were not in the game, despite major releases in the coming weeks (EA Sports FC24 or Call of Duty MW3). Other publishers, although present, were cautious when unveiling their future hits such as Ubisoft (which preferred not to give the opportunity to play Assassin’s Creed Mirage) or Nintendo (which communicated very little about the future Super Mario Bros. Wonder). Unfortunate absences but which will at least have allowed smaller structures to show themselves.
Our favorites
Although few games have completely convinced us, some demonstrations had the merit of making our mouths water. This is particularly the case for two fighting games: Mortal Kombat 1 (WB Games) and Tekken 8 (Bandai Namco). The two games certainly do not reinvent the style but offer intense clashes while keeping their own characteristics and artistic directions.
Gamers were able to test Tekken 8 (Bandai Namco) at Gamescom 2023 in Cologne. ©Ina FASSBENDER / AFP
As for good surprises, we will also note Life by You (a Sims-like which promises enormously but which will still require a good amount of development time before competing with the juggernaut of EA Games) and the always very well-stocked Cities Skylines 2 which, if it mainly takes up the codes of the first, brings some new features which will reinforce the depth of budding civil engineers.
Even if this 2023 edition of Gamescom was not the best, the show was able to count on record attendance (probably helped by the end of E3). An ever-increasing audience which proves that the video game business continues to gain market share when certain entertainment seems to have suffered in recent years. In any case, we will still be here next year to keep you informed on all the latest gaming news!
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