Politicians abound are confirmed for gamescom. But the fair is not all there is in news, since we got a slew of announcements regarding Disney, which overlap with a bunch of TCG news as well. Voices from the games academia space are loud today as well.
We haven't had a gamescom this packed, dear readers,
And I don't mean just because the exhibition space was sold out for the first time. No, this time I am talking specifically about attending politicians. While there were always a handful at the political opening – and no unimportant ones – in addition to some State ministers that opened the receptions of their specific State booth, this year we even got party delegations. Apart from the big one sent by the German Green party, you can check our updated Politician list as well. And don't forget that we have a whole list of other guides and content collections to make your gamescom more interesting or easier.
Here are the news of the day!
Your Pascal Wagner
The German Greens will be very present at gamescom this year. Pixel Greens will be on site with almost the entire board, while Benni Adjei from Bavaria, Viviane Triems from Brandenburg and Thomas Schäfer from BAG DigiMe attend as well. MdB Andrea Lübcke participates in gamescom congress.
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by Pascal Wagner
gamescom 2026: Politicians on Site (Update)
From emergency contacts to party guides, tips for traveling in Cologne and information for trade visitors and exhibitors: Learn everything there is to know about being at gamescom on our big service portal.
One of the heads behind the Raw Talent booth collective of universities at gamescom, Greta Hoffmann is Professor of Game Design with a focus on Independent Games at the Cologne Game Lab of TH Köln. We portray her in our ongoing series about games researchers.
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by Pascal Wagner
EarReality is showcasing its platform for interactive audiobooks and audio games at gamescom. At both the ARD booth and that of in-car infotainment specialist Cinemo, the studios shows how games work without a screen, thanks to its no-code engine Twist and the Twist Tales platform.
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by Stephan Steininger
The Working Group on the Humanities and Digital Games (AKGWDS), the biggest scholarly games association in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, has posted an open letter with demands on how to better the situation of games archiving in the wake of the Sony Disc and EU initiative situations.
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The Godot Foundation has opened submission on the 2026 Showreel. Devs can submit published or in-progress games or tools made with Godot to be featured in this year's edition and be presented on various occasions.
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Madeleine Egger
Eight years after the very first TwitchCon Europe, the European edition of the creator festival is returning to the German capital. Not much information is available yet, but the dates have been confirmed.
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At the D23 Disney festival, Square Enix and Disney announced the release time frame for Kingdom Hearts IV, as well as an animated series for Kingdom Hearts.
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Following Magic: The Gathering's example, Disney Lorcana has introduced collector boosters for the Into the Inkdark set releasing in Q1 2027. Chase cards include serialised new Rarity types. Prices are not yet known.
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Pascal Wagner
Magic: The Gathering - The Hobbit delivers a whimsy flavor win and an enjoyable Limited experience that is carried by strong, reliable Commons and Uncommons. This is the way a mini-set has to be to succeed in the format.
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Seligenstadt Pinball and Arcade Museum is now the German Pinball and Arcade Museum. The fully volunteer-driven museum by For Amusement Only e.V. will show its new exhibition first at the gamescom retro area in hall 10.2.
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Marcel Kleffmann
06.07. - 23.08.2026: Esports World Cup (Paris)
23.08. - 25.08.2026: gamescom dev (Cologne)
25.08.2026: gamescom opening night live - tbc - (Cologne/Stream)
26.08. - 30.08.2026: gamescom (Cologne)
27.08.2026: gamescom congress (Cologne)
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22.09. - 25.09.2026: Game Devs of Color Expo (online)
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23.09. - 25.09.2026: Northern Games Summit (Kajaani)
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