We've had E3, and now the next best thing has arrived- all the latest and greatest news from Gamescom 2013, right here!More than ever, this year's edition of the Gamescom Germany event has turned out to be a stellar sequel to the Electronic Entertainment Expo, its roster of news and announcements every bit as impressive as that debuted at E3 in June. Microsoft, Electronic Arts and Sony each led their own press conferences with a plethora of reveals, and to make life simpler for you, dear reader, we've rounded up all of the key news in one encompassing article.
Here, then, is the definitive guide to (just about) everything you could possibly need to know on the future of video gaming, revealed fresh from the showfloor of Gamescom 2013:
MICROSOFT
SELF PUBLISHING ANNOUNCED- In the next instalment of their various policy reversals and updates, Microsoft opened their Gamescom conference by confirming that self-publishing will be a major factor of the new Xbox Live service on Xbox One. No longer will up-and-coming developers have to find a well-established publisher to help release their indie video game titles, instead publishing them of their own accord without any fee attached.
THE FIGHTER WITHIN ANNOUNCED- Ubisoft Studios were on hand to unveil their new Xbox One-exclusive fighting game, The Fighter Within. A spiritual successor to 2011's Fighters Uncaged, this Kinect-focused title will utilise the player's entire body in a dynamic brawler gameplay system which should hopefully differentiate itself from its competitors thanks to the use of motion controls. The Fighter Within ships exclusively for Xbox One on launch day (to be announced).
FABLE LEGENDS ANNOUNCED- Next up were Lionhead Games, who came along to reveal their next full Fable franchise instalment. Titled Fable Legends, the latest outing in the fantasy saga will allow up to four players to join the experience online, with three of them taking on the roles of heroes in select enviroments and the fourth utilising Xbox SmartGlass to take a top-down view on proceedings and cause havoc as an evil villain. Fable Legends ships exclusively for Xbox One in 2014.
THE DIVISION EXCLUSIVE DLC CONFIRMED- Finally taking the chance to combat Sony's exclusive efforts with Ubisoft, Microsoft were excited to reveal that Tom Clancy's The Division will ship with content exclusive to Xbox One. This Ubisoft-developed MMORPG takes place in a futuristic world, and was named one of the most anticipated games revealed at E3 2013. Tom Clancy's The Division retails on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC in 2014, its Xbox One-exclusive DLC set to be available at and beyond launch.
COBALT ANNOUNCED- Minecraft's developer Mojang Games took to Microsoft's stage to reveal their next project. The game in question? Cobalt, although other than it taking place in an altogether different world to its predecessor, the title is about as much as we know on the product at this precise moment. Expect more reveals later this year...Cobalt retails exclusively on Xbox One in 2014.
PEGGLE 2, PLANTS VS ZOMBIES TIMED EXCLUSIVES ANNOUNCED- In a rather shocking development, EA Games were able to announce yesterday that Peggle 2 and Plants Vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare will retail as timed exclusives on Xbox One ahead of their PlayStation 4 launches. Peggle 2 hits Xbox One on launch day, while Plants Vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare comes to Xbox One first in 2014.
FIFA 14 PRE-ORDER BUNDLE, EXCLUSIVE CONTENT ANNOUNCED- Perhaps the biggest news of the day from Microsoft was this- all pre-orders of the Xbox One this holiday will come free with FIFA 14. While perhaps not the biggest reveal for those of us who aren't footie fans, given the mass appeal of the sport in the UK and Europe, this could be a massive game-changer for all involved! On top of that, the Ultimate Team Legends campaign was confirmed as exclusive to Xbox One during the showcase. FIFA 14 retails on Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, Nintendo WiiU, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation Vita and PC on September 27th.
EA
THE SIMS 4 ANNOUNCED- Want more of the Sims franchise? Of course you do! As such, EA Games announced The Sims 4 at their own showcase, coming in the not-too-distant future. Just as fans would expect, there's upgraded emotions for the AI characters, more locations and social possibilities, and with any luck a product that actually works when it ships online. The Sims 4 retails exclusively on PC in 2014.
BATTLEFIELD 4 BETA ANNOUNCED- The other big announcement of the EA conference was that Battlefield 4 will be getting a multiplayer beta ahead of its release. This beta will include a variety of maps and soldier set-ups for players to experience fully for the first time, while also allowing fans to comment on the elements of the product that they feel still need work ahead of Battlefield 4's worldwide launch. Battlefield 4 bursts onto Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3 and PC on November 1st.
SONY
CROSS GENERATION DISCOUNT CAMPAIGN ANNOUNCED- Those fans of Sony consoles who would like to trade their PlayStation 3 hardware towards the PlayStation 4 now have an additional incentive- on a select number of titles, Sony and publishers will discount the PS4 version if players can prove they have already purchased the PS3 edition. This is likely to apply to titles such as Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, Watch Dogs and Call of Duty: Ghosts, but the promotion will run for a limited time this Winter.
PLAYSTATION 3 & VITA PRICE CUTS ANNOUNCED- Both the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita consoles will receive price cuts later this year. These two pieces of hardware will retail at $199/£130 as of November, allowing those Xbox gamers who perhaps wanted to try out Uncharted, LittleBigPlanet or The Last of Us this generation to do so before moving to the Xbox One or PlayStation 4 (or both, indeed) in the latter months of 2013.
MINECRAFT: PS4 EDITION ANNOUNCED- It was obvious that although Microsoft have timed exclusive deals with Mojang, at some point the developers would want to extend the Minecraft franchise to Sony consoles. Well, that time has come- Minecraft: PS4 Edition was announced last night, and descaled versions of this new product will hit PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita in 2014.
FEZ, BORDERLANDS 2 VITA ANNOUNCED- How do you throw PlayStation Vita a bone? By launching two hit cult video game franchises on the console, it seems- Vita versions of beloved indie wonder Fez and Gearbox's acclaimed sequel Borderlands 2 are on their way, with exclusive content in both instances being a part of the deal. Fez: Vita Edition and Borderlands 2: Vita Edition will ship this Winter.
GRAN TURISMO, WATCH DOGS MOVIES ANNOUNCED- As if it weren't enough this year to discover that Assassin's Creed will be converted into a motion picture adaptation in 2015, now we've been privy to two more game-movie reveals. Both the Gran Turismo and Watch Dogs franchises are due a conversion thanks to Sony Pictures and Ubisoft Entertainment- no more details than that were revealed, save that we can expect the two films after 2015.
PLAYSTATION 4 RELEASE DATE ANNOUNCED- Sony's final big announcement of the first day of Gamescom was a definitive pair of release dates for the PlayStation 4 console. PlayStation 4 will ship in the United States and Canada on November 15th, and in the United Kingdom on November 29th, with an Xbox One launch expected to be announced by Microsoft for some time inbetween these two dates.
Finally, check out this ace new gameplay demo for Titanfall, a Microsoft exclusive set to retail in 2014...
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