Summer Games Geoff continues, this time from Europe, as Geoff Keighley hosts Opening Night Live at Gamescom 2023. Expect a ton of trailers and updates for games due out soon, like Mortal Kombat 1, Alan Wake 2, and Assassin’s Creed Mirage.
However, although the show is slated to run a whopping two hours, Keighley did warn fans not to expect too many world premieres. (And really, given how absolutely stuffed 2023 has been and will be in the coming weeks, we could all use a little break anyway.) Here are all the trailers, news, updates, and more from Opening Night Live 2023.
Aug 23, 2023
Ash Parrish
Mortal Kombat 1 reboots the bloody fighter with a focus on new players
NetherRealm Studios
The team at NetherRealm Studios is rewinding the clock on Mortal Kombat, starting the 30-year-old series back at 1. Mortal Kombat 1, out on PC, PlayStation, Switch, and Xbox on September 14th, offers fighting game fans the over-the-top gory kombat they’ve come to love and expect. And with Liu Kang resetting the cosmic clock, the game also gives beloved characters the chance to have a peaceful, kombatless life free from the worry of having their innards pulled out inch by bloody inch. But Mortal Kombat 1, more than being yet another reboot, will also offer players the chance to experience the seminal fighting game in a totally new way: as an RPG.
The Verge had the opportunity to have a hands-on experience with Mortal Kombat 1, talking with its developers and exploring the game’s new stories, the new Kameo fighters, and Invasion, the brand-new game mode just announced at Gamescom 2023.
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Aug 22, 2023
Antonio G. Di Benedetto
Diablo IV goes spooky season.
Did you drop off of Diablo IV shortly after its first season, Season of the Malignant, began in late-July? You’re not alone. But Blizzard is already announcing a vampire-filled season two, Season of Blood, complete with another round of fresh quests, items, and bosses — and even Gemma Chan voicing a new character named Aeris.
It’s due out October 17th. Though, someone should tell Blizzard that spooky season begins like a month before that.
Aug 22, 2023
Jay Peters
More about Alan in Alan Wake 2.
Remedy showed off a new trailer for Alan Wake 2 featuring more about the titular character. It’s a trippy and scary trailer — seems like the game’s tone will be perfect for its spooky season release date of October 27th.
Aug 22, 2023
Andrew Webster
And now for something cute.
Sandwiched in between some darker games like Mortal Kombat, Diablo, and Alan Wake was Thank Goodness You’re Here!, a comedy that looks like an interactive cartoon. It’s launching next year.
Aug 22, 2023
Ash Parrish
That’s really gotta hurt.
Even more fighters are coming to Mortal Kombat 1 with Sindel, Raiden, and Shao K — pardon — General Shao joining the roster with the centaur Motaro as a Kameo fighter. Be careful around Sindel’s hair tentacles — the scream I scrumpt when she pulled apart a fighter’s legs like cracking a chicken wing could be heard from space.
Aug 22, 2023
Ash Parrish
Get SNAPPED on Steam.
Marvel Snap, last year’s Mobile Game of the Year, and one of the best mobile collectible card games to come out in a while, is now officially available on Steam. Though Snap has always been available on PC, it was only in early access. With today’s Steam relaunch, the game’s now optimized for PC play with a revamped UI and new horizontal display.
Aug 22, 2023
Jay Peters
A lot will change with Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty.
CD Projekt Red showed off a new trailer of the major Cyberpunk 2077 expansion at Opening Night Live. The footage shows off things like a redesigned perks system and new vehicles coming alongside the expansion. Some of the improvements will also be coming to the base game on current-gen consoles and PC as part of update 2.0.
Phantom Liberty is scheduled to be released on September 26th.
Aug 22, 2023
Ash Parrish
*Extreme Molly Shannon voice* (Sonic) Super-STAHHHHS.
Sonic Superstars was my favorite surprise announcement of Summer Game Fest 2023. A 2D, side-scrolling Sonic game that’s not a re-release in this remaster / remake economy? Oh hell yes. I will be present and seated for Sonic Superstars launching on everything October 17th....proving yet again Sonic’s faster than Mario, launching three days before Super Mario Wonder.
Aug 22, 2023
Jay Peters
Get ready for Honkai: Star Rail’s “Technical Test Recruitment” for PS5.
The recently-launched game from the developers of Genshin Impact is set to launch on PS5 in the fourth quarter of 2023, and this “technical test recruitment” opens tomorrow, August 23rd. Honkai: Star Rail is currently available on PC and mobile.
Aug 22, 2023
Andrew Webster
Catch some ZZZs.
The team behind Genshin Impact revealed a fresh trailer for their new sci-fi action game Zenless Zone Zero, which is looking pretty slick, though it doesn’t have a release date yet.
Aug 22, 2023
Andrew Webster
A whole bunch of Call of Duty gameplay.
Fresh off the unveiling of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, here’s a lengthy 9-minute-long glimpse at campaign gameplay for the upcoming shooter. Unfortunately it’s age restricted, so you’ll have to check it out over on YouTube.
Aug 22, 2023
Andrew Webster
It’s a good time for fighting game fans.
First we had the excellent Street Fighter 6, and now comes word that Tekken 8 will be dropping on January 26th, 2024. It’s bringing an interesting new arcade mode, complete with customizable avatars.
Aug 22, 2023
Andrew Webster
Zack Snyder shows the first trailer for his Netflix movie Rebel Moon
Zack Snyder is heading far from Earth for his next film. The director of 300 and Justice League just revealed a teaser trailer for Rebel Moon, a sci-fi movie coming to Netflix in December. This is the first proper look at the film, though Netflix previously released a behind-the-scenes featurette at its Tudum event in June. Today’s trailer was revealed as part of Gamescom Opening Night Live in Germany.
Rebel Moon appears to be Synder’s attempt at creating his own sci-fi epic. Here’s the basic premise:
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Aug 22, 2023
Jay Peters
Assassin’s Creed Mirage is almost here.
Ubisoft debuted a new trailer for the game at Opening Night Live. The newest title in the series is set to release on October 5th, a week earlier than initially planned.
Aug 22, 2023
Emma Roth
Let’s get some Zeds!
Nearly seven whole years after the release of Killing Floor 2, I was about to give up on ever getting a third installment. But now its developers have confirmed that Killing Floor 3 actually exists — and there’s a trailer to go with it!
There’s no release date just yet, but hopefully, we won’t have to be kept waiting much longer.
Aug 22, 2023
Ash Parrish
“Bill Clinton wants to play GTA 6.”
That’s what one person said after crashing the Opening Night Live 2023 stage. The GTA 6 fan along with one other person bum-rushed the stage in the midst of Geoff Keighley’s opening monologue. The episode evoked a similar event during 2022’s The Game Awards ceremony when another fan snuck on stage to snatch the mic to also yell about Bill Clinton after Elden Ring won game of the year. Security!!!
Opening Night Live 2023 / The Game Awards
Aug 22, 2023
Tom Warren
Age of Empires IV arrives on Xbox consoles and Game Pass today
Microsoft is surprise launching Age of Empires IV on Xbox Series X / S and Xbox One consoles and Xbox Game Pass today. The latest game was announced for Xbox consoles last year with a 2023 promise, and Xbox Cloud Gaming players will also be able to stream Age of Empires IV.
Age of Empires IV originally launched in late 2021 on PC, and Microsoft added the title to its PC Game Pass service. Microsoft has added a tutorial to the console port of Age of Empires IV, which helps players get used to the controller layout. There’s also full keyboard and mouse support.
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Aug 22, 2023
Jay Peters
Little Nightmares III is coming next year.
Bandai Namco premiered a trailer for the new game at Opening Night Live. It’s set to release in 2024.
The first game in the series came out in 2017. The second launched in 2021.
Aug 22, 2023
Andrew Webster
Starfield IRL.
Kicking off the show was a live-action trailer for Starfield, which is just a few weeks away from launch. These launch trailers are something of a tradition for Bethesda, though this one has more Elton John than usual.
Aug 22, 2023
Andrew Webster
The Game Awards will be back in December.
Just ahead of another Geoff Keighley production (Gamescom Opening Night Live, which kicks off in two hours), comes the news that The Game Awards will return on December 7th. It’ll be streaming on more than 30 different video services and, if last year is any indication, will feature plenty of news and trailers.
Photo by JC Olivera/Getty Images
Aug 22, 2023
Andrew Webster
How to watch Gamescom Opening Night Live 2023
It has been a busy summer of video game events, but we’re not quite done yet. Gamescom is currently underway in Germany, and that means a new edition of the Opening Night Live keynote (or ONL for short). The event is hosted by Geoff Keighley, he of the Game Awards and Summer Game Fest fame, and like those streams, it’s going to be a lengthy deluge of video game news.
Based on early teases, it seems like the show will be primarily focused on games that have already been announced. But that does include some major titles, like Mortal Kombat 1, Assassin’s Creed Mirage, Sonic Superstars, Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, Zenless Zone Zero, and the recently unveiled Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III. There will also be some news outside of games, with a trailer for Zack Snyder’s sci-fi film Rebel Moon, which is coming to Netflix (and might also include a gaming component).
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