Geoff Keighley says to expect ‘cool surprises and things you wouldn’t expect’ at Gamescom

Geoff Keighley has outlined what to expect from Opening Night Live 2022, including “some cool surprises and things that I think people wouldn’t expect”.

Opening Night Live is The Game Awards producer’s regular pre-show for the German expo, which is set to take place in Cologne as an in-person event for the first time since 2019.

The event will kick off on Wednesday, August 23, with a showcase including over 30 games, the German Games Industry Association previously said.

This year, for the first time, Keighley will be joined by a co-host from Germany, with GameStar’s Natascha Becker sharing the stage.

Speaking during a Twitter Spaces session on Thursday (transcribed by VGC), the journalist and presenter said that fans can expect “a fair number of new games,” to be part of the presentation which takes place live from Germany.

“More than 20 games will be on stage: it’s going to be a big spectacle,” Keighley said. “We have some very cool guests that are coming to Germany to join us on stage as well to reveal their games and showcase new content. ”

Keighley also revealed that certain games that weren’t ready to be shown as part of Summer Game Fest will be shown at the German show.

“We have a mix of games that have already been announced and a fair number of new games announced as well.”

He added: “We’ve got some good stuff. We haven’t really announced the line-up of companies that will be there, but I think we’ve got some cool surprises and things that I think people wouldn’t expect to be there… There are a lot of games. We’re going to have 2 hours of content to show you [including] gameplay clips, trailers, and announcements.

“This year is a lighter year for releases that are coming out later this year, so a lot of stuff will be about what’s coming in 2023 and beyond. But yeah, I think people will be hyped and I’m very excited for fans to see stuff and be in the room.”

Geoff Keighley and Sega have announced that a “new look and news” about Sonic Frontiers will be a part of Gamescom Opening Night Live.

Keighley has also confirmed the first gameplay footage of Goat Simulator 3 will be shown at the show.

Every day leading up to the event, new games that will be included in the show will be revealed on Twitter, ahead of the show on August 23.

Opening Night Live will start at 10.30am PT / 1.30pm ET / 6.30pm BST / 7.30pm CEST with a half-hour pre-show, followed by the main event, which will last for two hours.

Gamescom 2022 is set to take place from August 24-28 and will be a hybrid event held on-site in Cologne and simultaneously online.