Gamescom organizers have announced that, despite their best efforts to create a "hybrid" show for 2021 that will involve some form of in-person attendance, this year's event will be an entirely digital event, as was the case last year. This decision was made after discussions with partners and exhibitors revealed that too many exhibitors were not yet ready for a physical event.

"Even though the hybrid concept was very well received by our partners, Gamescom had to recognize that it was still premature for many companies in the industry due to the credibility of the planning required," Oliver Frey, chief operating officer of Messe Cologne "One thing is clear: the people involved are not going to be able to take advantage of this opportunity. One thing is clear: everyone involved needs planning reliability. With sufficient lead time, we can deliver an even stronger online event to the gaming community at the end of August 2021."

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Not a surprising decision. Despite the development of multiple vaccines, the Covid-19 pandemic is an ongoing medical crisis that remains out of control in large parts of the world; other major industry events including E3, GDC, and PAX East have also canceled live events scheduled for 2021.

Like the 2020 event, Gamescom 2021 will open with an opening night live show hosted (of course) by Geoff Keighley and will take place on August 25. It will be preceded by what is called the Gamescom Epix." It's a "community campaign that will allow fans to play and immerse themselves in the world of Gamescom on the road to Gamescom. All of these details can be found at gamescom.global.