By Paul Pant
Before we get to the usual classification and enumerations, let us briefly dive into a special point in the cosmos „Gamescom“: In Hall 6, the stand of the Farming Simulator very bright. Not because it stands out from the other show-offs, or because there is a US tractor monster standing around for half a million euros. It is the fan base that fascinates. And that there is now even a E-Sports-League for the Farming Simulator game.
The Farming Simulator League has a good two dozen professional teams. Team Helm is currently at the top. From Austria, for example, Team Lindner from Tyrol is in the top 5, explains Christoph Stumpfer from Giant Games. The game is played over three rounds, and the goal is to mow a wheat field as quickly and accurately as possible. Six million players around the world are celebrating “trecking” – as they affectionately call it here in Cologne at Gamescom.
Paul Pant
On stage, the band is cheering for the upcoming release. Farming Simulator 25 (LS25) will be released on November 12th. The announcements from the stage: “There’s rice and spinach”, “new animals, water buffalo and goats” and also “young animals” are greeted with cheers by the crowd. A rousing rock concert. The band two stages further on is having a tougher time.
Back to the top view. There is no need to discuss Gamescom any more. It is the largest computer game trade fair in the world. E3 has finally and officially stopped its preaching service. More than 300,000 visitors are expected again this year. The Cologne trade fair is celebrating a record number of exhibitors (over 1,400). This does not disguise the fact that after the lockdown boom, there is currently a bit of sadness in the industry. According to the blog “Game Industry Layoffs”, around 11,540 jobs have been cut in the gaming industry so far this year.
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The indie world doesn’t have it easy either, you hear again and again. But the indie and retro area at Gamescom is still a highlight. Steampunk consoles, pinball machines and of course so many indie games that my wishlist on Steam has blown all my previous benchmarks apart. I’ll pick out just one discovery, completely unfairly and unqualifiedly: „Mars Attracts“. Simply because I like the cult film, as well as theme park management games.
Other announcements at Gamescom were the expected big announcements and surprises at the start: Big game series like „Mafia“, „Civilization“ and „Borderlands“ get sequels. The first trailers and sometimes the opportunity to test them are available right here at Gamescom.
Paul Pant
At the opening show with the cumbersome abbreviation ONL (“Opening Night Live”, or when a title wants to be a brand), game developer Peter Molyneux once again ‘surprised’ everyone. By saying that he wants to do what he does best: announce god-hand games and then (‘somehow’) make them. In addition, „Call of Duty: Black Ops 6“ and a new franchise for the zombie world „Dying Light: The Beast“ Also worth mentioning about the interaction between the cinema and gaming worlds: „Starship Troopers“ is being released as a game 28 years after Paul Verhoeven’s sensational film. And this time it is not hated but celebrated by fans. „Dune Awakening“ is in the starting blocks (beginning of 2025) and the Adventure „Indianer Jones and the Great Circle“ (December 9, 2024).
Gamescom 2024 will take place in Cologne until August 25th.
Amazon Prime is also trying to get involved in the mix of film and game with the series „Secret Levels“ (December 10, 2024). An animated anthology series where each episode is based on a classic video game. Including „Spelunky“, “PAC-MAN”, „Dungeons & Dragons“, “Mega Man” and „Unreal Tournament“. And Netflix still has its game „Squid Game: Unleashed“ presented. So there was and is a lot going on at Gamescom 2024. A nice highlight in the gaming year, even without Nintendo and Zelda rumors.
