Geeksace are a small team of enthusiasts who love games just as much as you do. Of course, we dream of being in Cologne one day — to breathe in the atmosphere of Gamescom’s halls and shake hands with the developers themselves. But for now, that dream is still out of reach. What we do have is tradition: since 2015, we haven’t missed a single Gamescom stream.

Some of my former colleagues were lucky enough to be there in person. They interviewed CD Projekt Red, talked to the creators of Mount & Blade, and brought home stories from the show floor. I, on the other hand, was always on the other side of the screen. My role was quieter: preparing interview questions, writing material for Devcom, coordinating authors during the streams, and publishing reports myself.

This year, it’s different. For the first time in many years, I’ll just sit back and watch Gamescom in the evening — as a fan, not as an editor. And honestly, I’m hoping for fireworks. Maybe this Gamescom will finally rival, or even surpass, my personal benchmark of E3 2018 — still the most breathtaking show I’ve ever experienced.

Tomorrow, my co-writer and I will put together a piece on the games that excited us most — and the ones that let us down. But tonight, as the smallest of teams, we’re giving ourselves permission to simply enjoy the flood of trailers, announcements, and premieres.

Thank you for watching Gamescom with us. Even through a screen, it always feels like a celebration.