Recap: Geoff Keighley, famous for hosting The Game Awards and Summer Game Fest, kicked off Gamescom 2024 with two hours of trailers and announcements. The presentation included updates on titles like Civilization VII, Path of Exile 2, Starfield, Dune: Awakening, the Mafia series, and more.
Gamescom 2024 runs from August 21 to August 25, but the opening showcase included numerous announcements and updates. Here is a brief rundown of some of the most notable ones...
Civilization VII debuts with a lengthy gameplay demonstration
Sid Meier's Civilization VII is one of the most highly anticipated games to break cover at this year's Gamescom. The latest entry in the long-running 4X strategy series is available for pre-order now, with availability starting on February 11, 2025.
Civilization VII makes drastic changes by segmenting the campaign into ages that can be played individually. Furthermore, players can switch civilizations between phases while keeping their original leaders. Firaxis hopes the new style will make the game more digestible for some players. Fans may also be pleased to hear that it won't require 2K's game launcher.
Peter Molyneux returns to the God Game genre with Masters of Albion
The famed designer of classics like Fable, Black & White, and Dungeon Keeper has returned to PC and console after over a decade. On the Gamescom opening stage, Peter Molyneux described his new strategy title, Masters of Albion, as a combination of his previous works.
Players build settlements by day with the ability to micromanage construction, food, and equipment for the inhabitants. After sunset, players must defend the settlement against monsters using magical powers and arming the inhabitants. However, characters are also directly controllable in a third-person action mode, which is unusual for strategy games.
Developer 22cans hasn't yet provided a release date for Masters of Albion, but system requirements are available. The game will support Windows and macOS. Incredibly, it will only require 10GB of storage space.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle launches on December 9… and arrives on PlayStation 5 next year
Microsoft and MachineGames have confirmed a December 9 release date for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle for PC and Xbox Series. However, a new trailer also confirmed recent rumors that the first-party game will receive a PlayStation 5 version next year.
Although Microsoft recently began porting titles to PlayStation and Nintendo like Hi-Fi Rush and Sea of Thieves, Indiana Jones will be the first new title the publisher has ended exclusivity for mere months after its initial launch.
With a new video preview, MachineGames noted that the first-person puzzle-solving action-adventure game will recall some aspects of the Riddick video games, which some studio members worked on while under Starbreeze Games. Furthermore, Nvidia confirmed that Indiana Jones will incorporate RTX path tracing on PC.
Starfield surface vehicles are available now, and the first expansion pack launches on September 30
Starfield players can now begin driving the new REV-8 buggy on planet surfaces by traveling to a ship merchant and installing a vehicle module onto their spaceship. The land cruiser, which should help players traverse Starfield's vast, sparse landscapes more quickly, automatically deploys upon exiting a ship.
The REV-8 includes a mounted turret, rocket boosters, and seats for Vasco and one other companion. The patch introducing the vehicle also fixes various bugs and includes new display settings.
Additionally, Bethesda confirmed that Starfield's first story expansion, Shattered Space, will be available starting September 30 for $30. It includes new locations and questlines.
Other announcements
Funcom released an extensive gameplay video of the upcoming online survival game Dune: Awakening, which launches in early 2025. As if to shrug off the film adaptation's historically bad opening, Gearbox Software confirmed that Borderlands 4 will come to PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series consoles next year.
Path of Exile 2, the sequel to the popular free-to-play action RPG, enters Early Access on November 15.
Hanger 13 also revealed a new entry to the Mafia series called Mafia: The Old Country. The prequel takes the open-world crime drama series back to Sicily during the early 1900s.