[Updated] Xbox team shares plans for Gamescom next month, teases “all new Xbox hardware and accessories”

Laurent Giret

Xbox One at E3 2018

The Xbox team is coming back to Gamescom in Cologne, Germany this August, giving Xbox fans in Europe a big opportunity to check out an exciting lineup of games coming on Xbox One. The annual trade fair for video games will kick off on Tuesday, August 21 with a press/trade only day plus a special Inside Xbox episode at 4:30 PM EST, but the Xbox and Mixer booths will welcome all Xbox fans from Wednesday, August 22 to Saturday, August 25.

Attendees will be able to get their hands on a selection of 25 games including some of the most exciting Xbox exclusives to be released in the coming months. “This is the first time that European gamers will have the chance to jump in and try out many of our newest gameplay experiences including the open world freedom of driving through stunning beautiful historic Britain in Forza Horizon 4 or embarking on a journey to unravel Ori’s true destiny in this emotionally engaging, hand-crafted, story-driven adventure in Ori and the Will of the Wisps,” wrote Xbox’s Major Nelson.

Interestingly, Major Nelson also teased “all-new Xbox hardware and accessories, and features on upcoming titles that we can’t wait to tell you more about and perhaps even a few surprises” in his blog post. It’s not immediately clear what to expect from the announcement, but this could well include the new version of the Xbox Elite Controller that leaked a couple of months ago.

Last but not least, there will also be an exclusive Xbox FanFest on Thursday, August 23, though Microsoft has yet to share more information about the program and tickets. The official Xbox Gear shop, which officially launched in the US during E3 will also make its European debut at Gamescom, in partnership with Game Legends.

Update: Xbox’s Major Nelson has updated his blog post to replace the “all-new Xbox hardware and accessories” bit with “new Xbox One bundles and accessories,” and explained on Twitter that the initial wording was an error.