Gamescom 2012 – what can we expect?

Gamers out there, the countdown has officially begun. Gamescom 2012, the gaming industry trade show held in Germany each year, is now just over a month away.

I believe there are some kind of actual physical games taking place in London in a couple of weeks, but as a gamer I’m focusing on what’s really important.

Gamescom has had a pretty short life, even in tech world terms. Established in 2009, it has quickly become the biggest gaming event in Europe.

This year is set to be typically fantastic, with a wealth of new hardware, software, gaming peripherals and upcoming titles all on display.

The one thing I was really looking forward to, along with every other gamer on the planet, was an unveiling of Grand Theft Auto 5. We’ve been waiting a long time for this game, and it had looked like we’d finally get a good look at it at Gamescom.

The trailer for the event showed a clip of what appeared to be GTA 5 footage. Excitement duly ensued, although now the event organisers are denying anything to do with the game. I’m going to keep on believing though, I don’t think I can take the disappointment.

Another title that has gamers’ knickers in a twist is the upcoming World of Warcraft: Mists Of Pandaria. The developer, Blizzard, has officially confirmed this for Gamescom, so all we have to do now is wait.

Set to focus on the warring Horde and Alliance factions, Mists Of Pandaria will be available to play as a demo at Gamescom.

As for hardware, I’m going to stick my neck out here and say we won’t see the Xbox 720 or PS4. But we could see a new super-slim Playstation 3.

OK, this isn’t the most exciting hardware news there has ever been, but reports suggest that it could feature a solid state hard drive and be around a third of the size of the original PS3.

There is, unfortunately, still a way to go until Gamescom 2012 kicks off. But all that means is that we can expect to see much more salacious gossip, wild speculation and ridiculous rumours in the coming weeks. So watch this space!