COLOGNE, Germany, Aug 21, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Hundreds of thousands of video game fans and industry figures were converging Wednesday on Germany's Cologne for the sector's biggest trade show.

Gamescom kicked off late Tuesday with the surprise announcement of a new edition of the "Borderlands" franchise, to be released next year, as well as more details of the next "Call of Duty".

Industry heavyweights Microsoft and China's Tencent are both joining the show, but Japanese giants Sony and Nintendo are staying away -- no reason has been given for their absence.

The event comes at a tricky time for an industry worth around $180 billion (160 billion euros) a year, according to figures from the Newzoo analyst firm.

Sales are far from the peaks reached in the pandemic, smaller studios are struggling to survive and big publishers are imposing dramatic cost-cutting exercises with thousands of workers being laid off.

- 'Mind-bending conspiracy' -
But that did not dampen the enthusiasm on an opening night with plenty of surprise announcements.

"Borderlands 4, really, I wasn't expecting it," said German biologist Sarah Nobbe, one of more than 5,000 packed into the arena on Tuesday.

The game's producers have promised that players will "blast their way through hordes of enemies" in the latest edition of Borderlands, a franchise that was adapted for cinema this year.

The makers of "Call of Duty: Black Ops 6" took to the stage to promise "blockbuster action" in a game set in the early 90s -- "a time of global turmoil and uncertainty".

"You'll unravel a mind-bending conspiracy," said developer Jon Zuk, with the game scheduled for release on October 25.

Microsoft, hoping to steal a march on its competitors, teased details of "Indiana Jones and the Great Circle", published by its subsidiary Bethesda and due for release December 9.

However, the game makers announced after a period of exclusivity on Microsoft's Xbox and PC it would be available on Sony's PlayStation next year.
Although plenty of other games are available across consoles, Indiana Jones is the biggest to be released in this way since Microsoft announced a change of strategy in February.

Analysts say publishers can no longer afford to tie down games to a single platform, as console sales are falling and competition for players is hotting up.

- 'Love letter' -
The opening event also widened its scope to include streaming and film news, with Tim Miller, director of 2016 superhero movie "Deadpool", announcing a new anthology series on Amazon Prime in December.

He told the audience "Secret Level" would include 15 episodes based on video games including "Pac-Man" and "Sifu".

"It's our love letter to the games," Miller said, while choking back tears.

The announcements set the scene for the show, which opens to the public from Thursday to Sunday after a day reserved for industry figures.

Organisers expect more than 350,000 visitors.