This year, Gamescom made a large impact on the video game industry. Whilst digital shows have been the norm since 2020, entertaining, exhibiting, and announcing has continued through global hardships. But 2023 is different with the official show floor in Cologne, Germany opening back up alongside Gamescom Opening Night Live doing the same then too.

During the introductory showcase this month, we’ve picked up on major reveals then. This includes the shadowdrop for Age of Empires 4 for Xbox, the release date for Persona 3 Reload being revealed, the announcement for Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster, the first glimpse at Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, and the unveiling of Little Nightmares III – all at the one show.

Now with Gamescom 2023 officially behind us, it is revealed that the Gamescom Opening Night Live show met even better response with a 60+ percent YoY increase in viewership; counting 20 million viewers tuning into the showcase.

With past Geoff Keighley-hosted shows, this is an ongoing trend either it be Gamescom Opening Night Live, Summer Game Fest, or The Game Awards. Previously, we saw record viewership at last year’s Summer Game Fest which went on to warrant a live presentation – a first for the event. Elsewhere, The Game Awards this past December also introduced a new milestone – the longest acceptance speech from God of War voice actor Christopher Judge counting over eight minutes.

Looking ahead, it is now ticking down to the holiday with 2023 on the latter end of the clock for this year. Already, Geoff Keighley confirmed that The Game Awards is already slated to take place on December 7th. You can read the full report by heading here.

Were you among the live viewers for Gamescom Opening Night Live?