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Everything announced at Gamescom Opening Night Live 2022

Summer Gaming Marathon Feature Image
This story is part of our Summer Gaming Marathon series.

Gamescom, the biggest gaming event in Europe, is here once again. Alongside it, we got another reveal-filled livestream organized by Geoff Keighley, the man behind Summer Game Fest Kickoff and The Game Awards. As the final big gaming showcase of the summer, Gamescom Opening Night Live gave developers another opportunity to highlight games they will release throughout the rest of 2022 and into early 2023.

Thanks to leaks and teases from Geoff Keighley, we knew a lot of what will show up at Gamescom Opening Night Live. We saw new footage of The Callisto Protocol, Hogwarts Legacy, High On Life, Gotham Knights, and more, and got official announcements for the new version of Dead Island 2 and the release date for Sonic Frontiers. There were still some fun surprises, though. As such, you should check out this list of every game announced during the Gamescom Opening Night Live 2022 showcase. 

2022 gamescom Opening Night LIVE (ONL): Official Livestream: Sonic, Hogwarts Legacy, Outlast Trials

Dune Awakening announced by Funcom

Dune: Awakening Announcement Trailer

The second announcement of the show was Dune Awakening. It’s an ambitious open-world survival MMO set in the universe of that popular sci-fi franchise. Players must try to survive on Arrakis by building bases, finding resources, and fending off enemy factions. While Funcom has teased for a while, it’s nice to have confirmation and a cinematic trailer for the game, finally. There’s no release date, but Funcom will hold a beta for Dune Awakening before launch. 

Lords of the Fallen 2 reemerges as The Lords of the Fallen

The Lords of the Fallen - Announcement Trailer | Wishlist on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S #DareToHope

This year’s Gamescom Opening Night Live was good for a game stuck in development hell. The Lords of the Fallen is a follow-up to a 2014 Soulslike that was announced then but stuck in development hell ever since. The new trailer narrated by Stranger Things‘ Joseph Quinn reintroduces us to the series’ universe and confirms that The Lords of the Fallen is in active development for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.

New Tales from the Borderlands is coming much sooner than you think

New Tales from the Borderlands - Official Announce Trailer

2K and Gearbox unveiled New Tales from the Borderlands, and it’s out in less than two months! The narrative adventure game set in the Borderlands universe is a successor to one of Telltale’s best titles and features a new cast of characters for players to get acquainted with and make choices for. It clearly has Borderlands’ trademark style and humor, and we won’t have to wait long to see it all in action. New Tales from the Borderlands launches for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch on October 21.

Sonic Frontiers will actually come out this year

Sonic Frontiers - Story Trailer

While divisive early looks at gameplay made some fans doubt whether or not Sonic Frontiers would release this year, we learned at Gamescom Opening Night Live that it will. A brand new trailer for the game was shown off that confirmed the leaked November 8 release date, which puts the game up against Skull & Bones and God of War: Ragnarok. At launch, Sonic Frontiers will be available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch.

Killer Klowns from Outer Space is getting a multiplayer game

Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Game — Official Reveal Trailer

The Director of Friday the 13th: The Game revealed that he is turning the cult classic horror film Killer Klowns from Outer Space into a multiplayer horror game. It launches for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S in early 2023 and is simply titled Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Game. Players can currently sign up for a bet on the game’s website.

Former Bethesda and Obsidian devs announce a new studio and game

WYRDSONG | Announcement Trailer | Something Wicked Games

Former Bethesda Game Studios developer Jeff Gardiner showed up to Gamescom Opening Night Live to unveil Something Wicked Games. This is a brand new studio made up of former Bethesda and Obsidian Entertainment RPGs, and they are making a brand new game called Wyrdsong. Wyrdsong is an occult RPG set in medieval Portugal. While it seems like the game won’t be released for a while, Wyrdsong certainly has an intriguing and spooky reveal trailer. If you want to learn more about the game, Jeff Gardiner revealed a lot of new details about Wyrdsong in an interview with Digital Trends.

Dead Island 2 rises from the dead next February

While a leak stole this announcement’s thunder, Dead Island 2 was shown off officially for the first time in years at the final announcement at Gamescom Opening Night Live. We were introduced to a brand new version of the game, which follows a group of six Slayers as they fight off the zombie threat in Los Angeles with customizable abilities and brutal combat. After over eight years of waiting, players won’t have to wait much longer as Dead Island 2 will be released for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on February 3, 2023.

Everything else

  • A developer diary and reveal trailer shared the first details of Everywhere
  • PlayStation unveiled the DualSense Edge, a customizable PS5 controller. 
  • The Callisto Protocol got new gory gameplay and affirmed its December 2 release.
  • Moving Out 2 was announced with a 2023 release window.
  • Hogwarts Legacy’s new trailer shows off the dangers (and the power) of dark magic.
  • We got a first look at the Dying Light 2: Bloody Ties expansion and its deadly arena combat. It launches on October 13.
  • Tortuga: A Pirate’s Tale announced. 
  • Marauders‘ early access release was confirmed for October 2022.
  • Destiny 2: Lightfall’s cinematic trailer was shown off. 
  • Parallel Studio and Quantic Dream unveiled the narrative game Under the Waves.
  • Goat Simulator 3 received a gameplay trailer highlighting co-op, customization, and the chaos players can create. It launches on November 17. 
  • Return to Monkey Island got a September 19 release date.
  • Unknown Worlds and Brandon Sanderson unveiled Moonbreaker, a new sci-fi video game inspired by turn-based tabletop games. It enters early access on September 29.
  • Friends vs. Friends, a card-based shooter, was revealed with a colorfully animated trailer. 
  • Soulslike Lies of P got a new trailer and was confirmed to be a day one Xbox Game Pass title when it launches in 2023. 
  • Haemimont Games revealed Stranded: Alien Dawn, which launches into early access in October 2022. 
  • Focus Entertainment and Deck13 unveiled a new sci-fi IP called Atlas Fallen, coming to PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S in 2023.
  • Homeworld 3 got a new gameplay trailer.
  • We got a look at what is coming to Genshin Impact as part of the 3.0 update. 
  • Honkai Star Rail got a new trailer that teased more of the game’s story.
  • High on Life’s latest trailer showed off the kooky weapons in action during a boss fight.
  • Oculus Quest 2 and Level Infinite’s game lineup got ads.
  • Hardspace: Shipbreaker’s PS5 and Xbox Series X ports got a September 20 release date.
  • Xbox Game Pass for PC released a sizzle reel highlighting available games.
  • The Expanse: A Telltale Series got a dev diary showcasing some traversal gameplay. It launches in Summer 2023. 
  • Scars Above got a new trailer.
  • Age of Empires IV gets the Ottomans and Malians on October 25.
  • Gotham Knights‘ new trailer showed some new villains and confirmed that the game will now release on October 21.
  • Where Winds Meet was revealed. 
  • Hideo Kojima will release a podcast on Spotify this September. It’ll be in both English and Japanese, and the first episode drops on September 8. 
  • Park Beyond got a new trailer, and a 2023 release for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S release was confirmed. 
  • Keighley showed off a concept car inspired by Pokemon. 
  • Warhammer 40K: Darktide got a gameplay overview trailer.
  • Focus Entertainment released a new trailer for the Baba Yaga game Blacktail, which will launch for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S this Winter. 
  • All In! Games revealed Phantom Hellcat, a Nier-inspired action game coming to PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
  • CrossfireX got a new update that addresses many issues that players have with the game and adds new content.
  • Dorfromantik comes to Nintendo Switch on September 29.
  • The Outlast Trials will have a closed beta from October 28 until November 1. 
  • Embark Studios released a teaser trailer for its multiplayer shooter The Finals, which will get a full reveal in September. 
Tomas Franzese
Tomas Franzese is a Staff Writer at Digital Trends, where he reports on and reviews the latest releases and exciting…
Gamescom Opening Night Live 2022: How to watch and what to expect
Biophage sneaks up on main character of The Callisto Protocol.

Continuing the summer onslaught of gaming events and showcases is Gamescom Opening Night Live 2022, hosted by The Game Awards' Geoff Keighley. This year's showcase marks the return of a live audience, and is set to feature plenty of game announcements over the course of two hours. So when is it going down and what can you expect from the show?

Here's everything you need to know about Gamescom Opening Night Live 2022.
When is Gamescom Opening Night Live 2022?
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Spongebob Squarepants riding a seahorse.

In a year when its parent company Embracer Group is making some major moves, THQ Nordic also clearly has some big plans for the future. The European publisher owns the rights to a lot of classic series like Alone in the Dark, Darksiders, and Gothic, and it has a reputation for reviving or rereleasing these classic franchises. As a result, it's always surprising to learn what the eclectic publisher has in the works.
Last year, THQ Nordic held its first digital showcase and announced follow-ups to Destroy All Humans, Outcast, and SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom. Its second annual showcase aired earlier today featured updates on titles we already knew about, like Outcast 2, confirmed a new Alone in the Dark reboot, and revealed some impressive new games such as Wreckreation. If you're curious about what THQ Nordic has in store, we've rounded up everything announced during THQ Nordic Digital Showcase 2022.
THQ Nordic Digital Showcase 2022
Alone in the Dark is back
Alone in the Dark | Announcement Trailer
Alone in the Dark was one of the first 3D survival horror games, trailblazing the formula that Resident Evil would popularize. While Resident Evil continues to be popular, Alone in the Dark faded into obscurity. During this stream, Pisces Interactive and THQ Nordic revealed a reboot of the franchise that looks and plays like the reboot of Resident Evil 2. Alone in the Dark is in development for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
Wreckreation gives players a giant racing game playground
Wreckreation | Announcement Trailer
Developer Three Fields Entertainment, which was founded by developers known for their work on Burnout and Need for Speed, announced Wreckreation. It will feature a gigantic 400-square-kilometer open world for players to explore. Players can also create wild-looking tracks that they can race on alone or with friends. It is in development for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. 
AEW: Fight Forever gives WWE 2K some competition
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SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake looks great
SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake | Showcase Trailer 2022
Purple Lamp and THQ Nordic shared more details about SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake at the end of the showcase. We saw some gameplay from various worlds showcasing different costumes and gameplay mechanics that players will encounter within them. The game will feature more than 30 different outfits for SpongeBob to wear and shares a voice cast with the show, unlike SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated. SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake will be released for PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.
Everything else

A HandyGames sizzle reel showcased the sister company's Gamescom 2022 lineup.
Destroy All Humans 2: Reprobed got a trailer ahead of its release later this month.
Space for Sale, a new base-building and resource-gathering simulation game, is coming to PC.
Gothic 1 Remake got a new trailer showcasing the mining colony.
Jagged Alliance 3 got a new trailer showing its turn-based strategy gameplay. 
The Valiant got a new trailer featuring its tactical RTS campaign and multiplayer modes.
3D Realms and Slipgate Ironworks announced RTS Tempest Rising, which launches in 2023.
Grand strategy game Knights of Honor 2: Sovereign got a new trailer.
Outcast 2 got a new trailer showing how players can fly through the air and explore.
Way of the Hunter got a launch trailer ahead of its release next week.
Stuntfest -- World Tour got a new trailer.
THQ Nordic is working with South Park Digital Studios on an unannounced game. 

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Everything announced at the June 2022 Nintendo Direct Mini Partner Showcase
Mario, Rabbid Peach, and more characters pose in Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope key art.

Lagging behind a strong State of Play from Sony and an excellent Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase from Microsoft, Nintendo has now held a presentation of its own. It's not a full-blown Nintendo Direct, though. Instead, this June 28 presentation is a Nintendo Direct Mini Partner Showcase, the first of its kind since 2020. As the showcase's name suggests, this is shorter than a typical Nintendo Direct and mainly focused on what third-party developers and publishers are bringing to Nintendo Switch in the coming months. 
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Nintendo Direct Mini: Partner Showcase | 6.28.2022
Nier Automata is coming to Nintendo Switch

In one of the most notable announcements of this Partner Showcase, we learned that the critically acclaimed Nier Automata is finally coming to Nintendo Switch. It's one of PlatinumGames' best titles and has an amazing story, so be sure to check this out on Switch if you haven't already. It's also a native port, and not a cloud version either. Nier Automata: The End of YoRHa Edition launches on October 6.
First look at Return to Monkey Island gameplay
Return to Monkey Island | Gameplay Reveal Trailer
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