Microsoft returns to Gamescom with Bethesda, Activision, and Xbox Game Studios news

Microsoft has confirmed that it will return to Gamescom this year, but we're still not sure what exactly will be shown at the event.

2

Now that Microsoft has grown to a gigantic Roman Empire-like entity in the games industry, it's no surprise that the company will be attending major video games trade shows. That's the case for Gamescom 2025, with Microsoft recently announcing it will attend the show in Cologne, Germany later in the fall.

Xbox's presence at Gamescom will run from August 20 to 24, and Microsoft's bustling stable of games publishers and developers will be in attendance. Blizzard says it'll be at the show with World of Warcraft in tow, offering "five days of non-stop community celebrations." Blizzard confirms it will reveal new details about World of Warcraft's eleventh expansion, known as Midnight.

This update is well-timed considering that Blizzard has skipped its annual Blizzcon event for two years in a row, first in 2024, and then another skip in 2025.

Bethesda has also confirmed it'll be making an appearance, likely to show off the new Indiana Jones and the Great Circle expansion, The Order of the Giants. We'll probably also get some highlights on fresh Fallout 76 and Elder Scrolls Online content, but I wouldn't expect to see The Elder Scrolls VI, Fallout 5, or anything explosive like that.

Microsoft's first party Xbox Game Studios label will also be at Gamescom, meaning we'll get updates, trailers, Q&A, and maybe even developer deep-dives on key upcoming Xbox games like Grounded 2 and The Outer Worlds 2.

We'll likely get more info on Xbox's Gamescom plans in the coming weeks.