Gamescom 2021 going all-digital, starts with Opening Night Live in late August

Gamescom will be keeping it digital once again in 2021 and kicking things off with Geoff Keighley's Opening Night Live this coming August.

TJ Denzer

May 5, 2021 8:25 AM

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Last year as the COVID-19 pandemic pushed events to cancel left and right, even gamescom – one of the world’s most popular gaming events – was not exempt from the issue. The event was forced to go digital and pivot heavily in a very short time frame. A year later, it has been announced that gamescom 2021 will be also going all-digital, and Geoff Keighley’s Opening Night Live will be kicking it off in August.

The all-digital gamescom 2021 and Opening Night Live were announced via Geoff Keighley’s Twitter on May 5, 2021. According to Keighley, his frontend showcase of gamescom will return to start the event on August 25, 2021. A free livestreamed event, Geoff Keighley’s Opening Night Live has become a staple addition to the usual grand festivities that go with gamescom since Keighley started getting involved with the event in 2019. As the event has been forced to pivot to digital format, Opening Night Live has also taken on an expanded role in gamescom as a whole.

This year @gamescom will once again be all digital.

It will kick off with Opening Night Live, which I am producing again on Wednesday, August 25 -- as a free livestream for everyone around the world.

Get more details at https://t.co/KRzKTQwi40 pic.twitter.com/r2uDZPiSS3

— Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) May 5, 2021

Further details on gamescom 2021 have also been revealed in a press release on the event’s website. Its organizers cited that although a physical event was considered, far too many developers and major forces in the industry were still dealing with the strain of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thusly, it was decided that gamescom 2021 would once again be an all-digital experience, free to all who want to experience it. After gamescom 2020 was forced to make this decision and pivot in just a few months, gamescom 2021 is expected to be an expanded event featuring some of the latest and largest game reveals and news in the industry.

With Opening Night Live once again kicking off gamescom 2021 in August, stay tuned for further details as we get closer to the all-digital event.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.