Geoff Keighley on Opening Night Live, why Gamescom is still running strong, and ‘Fraggle Rock’

Opening Night Live and The Game Awards host Geoff Keighley has explained why he thinks Gamescom has managed to stay afloat while other in-person gaming events have struggled.

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Next week (August 22), Keighley will host Gamescom Opening Night Live 2023: a showcase that kicks off Gamescom with new trailers, game announcements, and updates on upcoming titles.

In 2022, Gamescom returned from a two-year hiatus caused by COVID-19, drawing in over 2656,000 attendees and 1,100 exhibitors. (via GamesIndustry.biz). However, E3 – another flagship gaming event prior to the pandemic – has struggled to make a comeback, and was once again cancelled in 2023.

Speaking to NME, Keighley suggested that the German convention managed to set itself apart because “Gamescom has always known its identity and done an amazing job with its consumer event”.

“The sheer scale of the event is really impressive,” he added. For Opening Night Live, Keighley feels that “doing something in Europe for the fans over there” sets it apart from similar showcases in the U.S.

While work on Opening Night Live begins in January, Keighley says it “ramps up” in summer as the showcase nears. Combined with organising Summer Game Fest and The Game Awards, his work keeps him busy – but not enough to stop him from starring in the likes of The Matrix Resurrections and Muppets Haunted Mansion.

As for his next appearance, Keighley says he “would love” to cameo in AppleTV+’s revival of ’80s TV show Fraggle Rock, which got its own song from Foo Fighters last year.

“Fraggle Rock was produced in my hometown of Toronto, and Karen Prell, the creator of [show character] Red Fraggle, works at Valve as an animator,” he explained. “I’m proud to call her a friend [and] I absolutely adored the show as a kid!”

In other gaming news, earlier in the year Nintendo confirmed it will be attending Gamescom as an exhibitor.

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