Gamescom has moved to an all-digital event in the wake of coronavirus concerns, and as a result the show is getting a slight date shift. Previously scheduled to take place August 25-29, the new digital event will instead be held August 27-30. That also shifts the date for the Opening Night Live event held by Geoff Keighley, which will now be August 27.
According to the announcement, Gamescom will now serve as a “content hub” for news and publisher events. Unlike the standard Gamescom, the digital event won’t require a ticket since the events will be streaming. Opening Night Live will kick off the show, in addition to some other special events like Gamescom: Awesome Indies and Gamescom: Daily Show. The event will culminate in the August 30 presentation of Best of Show.
The annual Devcom conference will take place August 17-30, running partly concurrently with Gamescom.
“Although Gamescom will unfortunately not take place in Cologne this year, it will be impossible to miss it on the internet,” said managing director Oliver Frese in the announcement. “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.”
Geoff Keighley promoted the new Opening Night Live date on Twitter, and reiterated that it will serve as the end-point of the Summer Game Fest digital event.
