'Call of Duty' and 'Black Myth' wow Gamescom trade show

A twisted futuristic version of Call of Duty, Batman in Lego form and the Resident Evil series' ghoulish monsters had gamers salivating Tuesday as the vast Gamescom trade show opened in Cologne.

- KILIAN FICHOU TOM BARFIELD

A two-hour showcase of new releases, including Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 slated for Nov 14, belied an industry that has been weathering a rough patch with tens of thousands of job cuts.

The first-person shooter has enlisted American actor Milo Ventimiglia (known for TV series Heroes and This Is Us) as its protagonist in a near-future conflict against psychedelic backdrops evoking the movie Inception.

More than 5,300 packed one of the giant halls of western German city Cologne's convention centre Tuesday, a record opening night according to organisers.

The event showed off footage from titles like Requiem — the next installment in the long-running Resident Evil horror series — and rambunctious space adventure The Outer Worlds 2.

Set for a 2026 release, a new Lego Batman will take fans back to “iconic moments and deep-cut references from decades of Batman TV shows, comics and games” in humorous plastic brick form, director Jonathan Smith told the audience.

And there was a surprise reveal for Black Myth: Zhong Kui — a followup to Chinese 2024 smash hit Wukong.