Xbox details Gamescom 2019 plans

Microsoft has announced Xbox‘s schedule for Gamescom 2019 ahead of next month’s event in Cologne, Germany.

The platform holder will kick the week off with an Inside Xbox livestream from the Gloria Theatre in Cologne on Monday, August 19. Taking place at 5pm CEST (4pm UK/8am PDT), it will include “the latest news, games, accessories, and features” Microsoft “can’t wait to tell you more about”.

As detailed on Xbox Wire, the same venue will be used to host the free to enter ‘Xbox Open Doors’ experience from August 21-23, featuring community events, tournaments, panel sessions and more.

Meanwhile, Xbox’s booth in the Koelnmesse exhibition centre will feature almost 200 gaming stations offering attendees the chance to go hands-on with the likes of Age of Empires II Definitive Edition, Battletoads, Bleeding Edge, Gears 5, Halo: The Master Chief Collection on PC and Minecraft Dungeons.

Visitors will also be able to go hands-on with cloud gaming service Project xCloud, plus third-party titles including Borderlands 3, Doom Eternal, Ghost Recon: Breakpoint and NBA 2K20.

The Xbox booth promises to be more accessible than in previous years too. “This includes Xbox Adaptive Controllers available for nearly every game on the booth, wheelchair access at every point of the booth and sign language interpreting support for all on-booth programming in both English and German,” Microsoft says.

The company will also be running a PC gaming hardware showcase and an official Xbox merchandise shop.

Gamescom 2019 will launch with a new livestreamed event produced by Geoff Keighley and Kimmie H. Kim, executive producers of annual industry show The Game Awards.

Titled Gamescom: Opening Night Live, it will air on Monday August 19, ahead of the trade fair running from August 20-24.

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