This Is It! GamesCom is A Go – We’re Covering It Live

Some traditions never change, so don’t expect us to stop bringing you GamesCom coverage – even if the timezone issue is weird – and even though myself and Christos will need to drink gallons of coffee to stay awake. Screw it, this is what we do – will you stay up late and enjoy the coverage with us? Sony, EA and Ubisoft will be bringing the press conferences to the masses live and, with caffeine next to our laptops, we’ll be enveloping every bit of it. Welcome to the official Gamesthirst GamesCom thread.

Tuesday, August 20th

Xbox Gamescom 2013 Showcase Event

Microsoft is expected to reveal the day and date of Xbox One’s release. The software giant also promised to unveil a “unique Xbox One exclusive”, and will showcase all things Xbox One at its presser. Microsoft, however, will not livestream the event – but it’s expected to release videos of it onto the internet. 

As they drop, we’ll post them.

• When:10:00am BST (2:00am PT/5:00am ET)
• What to expect:
  • Xbox One: Latest on Forza 5, Ryse, Killer Instinct, Project Spark, Dead Rising 3 and more
  • Xbox 360: New looks at Fable Anniversary and World of Tanks: Xbox 360 Edition

Electronic Arts Gamescom 2013 Press Conference

EA is said to be teaming up with Microsoft to make every Xbox One available with a FIFA 14 copy at no extra costs to consumers. The publisher has also aligned itself with Microsoft to make Battlefield 4 DLC available first on Xbox One. Expect all EA’s games to be on hand, including other notable titles apart from what’s been mentioned.

• When: 3:00pm BST (7:00am PT/10:00am ET)
• What to expect:
  • Battlefield 4: New mode, map and Premium content revealed.
  • Sims 4: First look
  • FIFA 14: Next-gen and current-gen gameplay
  • Plus: Need For Speed Rivals, Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare, UFC and Command & Conquer reveals

Sony PlayStation Gamescom 2013 Press Conference

Sony is bringing its best and strongest games to the event this year, setting up PS4 for one of the best console launches we’ve seen. Also expect to hear about PS Vita and all other things PlayStation.

• When:6:00pm BST (10:00am PT/1:00pm ET)
• What to expect:
  • PS4 date: Sony will reveal PS4′s release date, along with known and unknown exclusives.
  • Assassin’s Creed: Possibly new gameplay footage of Black Flag will be shown. Series writer Darby McDevitt is set to appear.

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Wednesday, August 21st

Blizzard Gamescom 2013 Press Conference

You can expect Diablo III related news there, and don’t be surprised if you’re surprised. Get it? Good.

• When:10:30am BST (2:30am PT/5:30am ET)
• What to expect:
  • Diablo 3: The reveal of possible expansion ‘Reaper of Souls’
  • World of WarCraft Recent trademark ‘The Dark Below’ could relate to an MMO expansion

Phil Spencer Keynote

The Microsoft Studios boss will go in depth on “the impact of new hardware, accessories and software for the next generation of games.”

• When:6pm BST (10:00am PT/1:00pm ET)