Xbox Announces Gamescom Presence and Fanfest Event in Cologne

Despite reports of upcoming layoffs and possible studio closures, it’s business as usual at Xbox this week, with the team announcing today its comeback to Gamescom in Cologne, Germany, on August 26-30. The German city will also welcome one of the Xbox FanFest events that Microsoft plans to hold in London, Mexico City, Seattle, Sydney, Tokyo, and Toronto this year.

Gamescom is one of the biggest annual trade shows for the video games industry, and Xbox is used to having one of the biggest booths on the show floor. This year, however, the event should feel quite different as the new Xbox leadership is planning a big “reset” over the summer. Ninja Theory, Compulsion Games, and Double Fine are three studios that are reportedly at risk of being closed, and you can assume that morale within the Xbox division is currently pretty low.

XBOX + @gamescom + FanFest… see you there💚

Be among the first to play what’s next – including the Gears of War: E-Day campaign.

Stay tuned for more 👀#XBOXgamescom pic.twitter.com/7fRYL0lk40

— XBOX (@XBOX) June 17, 2026

Xbox plans to make the Gears of War: E-Day campaign playable at Gamescom, and the game is now confirmed to be an Xbox and PC exclusive, just like the upcoming Clockwork Revolution from InXile Entertainment. Gears of War: E-Day will be released on October 6 on Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Game Pass, and a PlayStation 5 version was apparently cancelled late in its development.

It’s probably going to be strange to see the Xbox team advertise its upcoming games and celebrate with the fans after what is expected to be a pretty brutal round of job cuts at the end of Microsoft’s fiscal year. Earlier today, Stephen Totilo revealed in his Game File newsletter that Xbox let Ninja Theory, one of the studios at risk of being shut down, reveal its new Senua game at the Xbox Games Showcase earlier this month… all without telling the developers they could lose their jobs very soon.