GAME OVER: August 2022

Gamescom returned to the Koelnmesse in Cologne, Germany, and hadn’t missed a beat. The gargantuan event felt like it had never been away. Also still with us was Geoff Keighley, who stepped in to host another Opening Night Live trailer marathon, which this year was so crammed with blood-spattered brown walls for the opening 30 minutes that it felt like the 90s hadn’t gone away either.

Thankfully, the absence of “booth babes” during the following few days proved they had. To add to the 50 or so bought since the start of the year (we think – it’s easy to lose count), Embracer Group acquired another seven companies, including the likes of Tripwire Interactive and Limited Run Games. They also picked up the exclusive rights to the Middle-Earth intellectual property to add to that of Tomb Raider, which has us waiting with baited breath for the inevitable crossover announcement.