gamescom

Today Gamescom 2018 has started for the press and tomorrow till Saturday it will be open for everyone that have a ticket (tickets for Wednesday and Thursday still available). Recently Square Enix has announced their line-up for this year.

Kingdom Hearts III
Attendees can share the magic of Kingdom Hearts III with two playable demos, a boss battle against the Rock Titan from Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Hercules and uncovering the Toy Box world from Toy Story alongside Woody and Buzz. Visitors can also take part in prime picture opportunities including a giant Keyblade and becoming a real life toy in a replica of Andy’s room from the Disney•Pixar classic Toy Story.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider
The themes of Shadow of the Tomb Raider have their influence on the appearance of the Square Enix booth as well: the area is set up in the style of an imposing Mayan pyramid with numerous game stations. Visitors can get an even more intense feel for Lara Croft’s biggest adventure yet with a demo version of the action adventure.

Dragon Quest XI
At the Square Enix booth, RPG fans can also experience the all-new adventure in the timeless Dragon Quest series, Dragon Quest XI with an extensive playable demo which showcases the many content improvements and brand-new voiceover ahead of the game’s release.

Life is Strange 2
Life is Strange 2 is coming to Gamescom 2018 as a world premiere. Not only will the development team share all the details about the highly anticipated sequel to the award-winning and critically acclaimed Life is Strange – it will be playable for the first time at the Square Enix booth on the Gamescom show-floor.

Just Cause 4
This year, fans will also be treated to an exclusive presentation of Just Cause 4 at the Square Enix booth. Just Cause 4 takes the series’ incredible destruction and unique physics to a whole new level with the introduction of fully simulated tornadoes and other Extreme Weather events. Rico Rodriguez returns in Just Cause 4 with his trademark parachute, wingsuit and, of course his grapple hook, now enhanced with new functionality and fully customizable. Making it the most powerful and creative tool the player has ever had.

Final Fantasy XIV
Critically-acclaimed MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV Online returns to Gamescom once more, with intense challenges and great prizes in tow. A special promotion for show attendees offers anyone registering at the booth a free copy of the Final Fantasy XIV Online Starter Edition, while an exclusive programme of stage shows with the makers of the game including Producer and Director Naoki Yoshida and Sound Director Masayoshi Soken will be taking place throughout the week, all culminating in a big cosplay competition on Saturday 25th August. Finally, on Friday 24th August and Saturday 25th August the Final Fantasy XIV Eorzean Symphony will have its European premiere at the Konzerthaus Dortmund. More information on this event can be found https://de.finalfantasyxiv.com.

Earlier today the 7th Final Fantasy XV Active Time Report was streamed live at gamescom 2015. A lot of speculation was going around that they we're going to announce the release date, but this wasn't the case. The team has already decided when it will be released, but it will remain a secret for now.

During the stream Hajime Tabata went into some detail about the new trailer that was revealed this morning and releasing some more detail about how the story of the game begins. Also six questions from fans were answered and a short gameplay footage was shown. In case you missed the broadcast, you can watch it back below.

The next Active Time Report will take place during Pax Prime (28 till 31 August in Seattle). Another one will also be held during the Tokyo Game Show (17 till 20 September).

Square Enix has recently announced their biggest line-up ever for Gamescom 2015 that will take place in Cologne, Germany from 5 to 9 August. Square Enix has 1,100 square meters of booth space featuring more than 200 hands-on stations for gamers eager to try out Square Enix’s upcoming releases. Their main booth is located in hall 9: B31/B41.

The following games are present:

• Deus Ex: Mankind Divided - Live theatre demonstrations (in German) in the Square Enix cinema;
• Dragon Quest Heroes: The World Tree's Woe and the Blight Below - playable;
• Final Fantasy XIV: Heavenward - MMO fans are called to arms at the Final Fantasy XIV: Battle Arena (hall 9, C51), where gamers face-off against all the powerful primals (Ravana and Bismarck) featured in the game in order to win attractive prizes. Returning to comment on the Final Fantasy XIV action live are the experienced ESL commentators Mori, Hendrik and A1m.
• Final Fantasy XV - Big stage of the booth. Visitors will be treated to a number of exciting stage presentations with many well-known guests and new insights into the much-awaited game – a few select fans will even get the chance to play Final Fantasy XV: Episode Duscae v2.0 at the booth.
• Final Fantasy Type-0 HD - playable PC version;
• Hitman - Live theatre demonstrations (in German) in the Square Enix cinema;
• Hitman Go - playable;
• Just Cause 3 - playable;
• Life is Strange - playable;
• Lara Croft: Relic Run - playable.

More information regarding the Final Fantasy XV stage schedule and more new announcements and reveals at Gamescom 2015 will be released in the coming weeks.

It's already a couple of days after gamescom. The line-up from Square Enix was not really big this year and they focussed on Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn and
Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Curtain Call. During the event Naoki Yoshida, producer and director of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn was present and players could play the game with him together. An other big event was the head-to-head battle between Yoshida and Ichiro Hazama, producer of Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Curtain Call playing the new Versus Mode of the game. Also games like Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX and Nosgoth were playable on the booth.