• Gamescom 2024’s Opening Night Live had a distinct lack of mobile pizzazz, but some big games made it through the cracks
• Monument Valley 3 and Genshin Impact were among the mobile games given time to shine

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The opening ceremony of Gamescom 2024 last night saw a swathe of announcements, game trailers and reveals of all kinds, but while every modern platform from PS5 to PC got significant representation, there was (once again) a distinctly muted mobile presence during Geoff Keighley’s Opening Night Live.

Of the mobile games that were shown, many were cross-platform and others made the cut thanks to the brand power of Netflix behind them, including major reveals such as Monument Valley 3 from ustwo games, the third title in the series and the first to jump straight to Netflix’s game service, bypassing the premium price tag.

This was something of a theme last night: Only big names and major games get a look-in as far as mobile was concerned.

Present and accounted for

Gamescom’s Opening Night Live gave Squid Games fans something to look forward to in Squid Game Unleashed, based on the Korean hit series from 2021.

It follows a trend from the streaming giant where video games are launched to keep fans of an IP engaged in the downtime between seasons, as in the case of Vikings: Valhalla last year.

As for Squid Game Unleashed, this multiplayer action game is packed with puzzles and challenges to keep fans busy in the wait for Season 3 next year.

The Germany games event also gave viewers a glimpse of Darker and Darker Mobile, with a one-minute trailer and pre-registration announcement for Krafton’s upcoming release.

While not the first look at the game, it did reveal plenty of install options to a wide audience – available to pre-register now on Apple’s App Store, the Play Store, the Galaxy Store and more.

Infold Games’ Infinity Nikki got a trailer too, with this fifth instalment in the franchise due to debut on PlayStation, PC and mobile.

A release date hasn’t yet been confirmed, but pre-registrations opened yesterday on Apple’s App Store and Google Play, with global milestones set to unlock various rewards when the game is released. Over 12 million people have pre-registered globally since last night.

The Genshin star

Rounding out yesterday’s mobile lineup with the most representation of anyone was HoYoverse, the modern RPG darling with three active games making millions.

Genshin Impact, Honkai: Star Rail and Zenless Zone Zero each got some time in the spotlight with a range of updates on the way, including Genshin Impact’s move to Xbox this November.

The title also showed off its main annual expansion, set to take players to the land of Natlan, bursting with new landscapes, unique warriors, and an all-important helping of powerful villains. The update goes live on August 28th.

Next, Honkai: Star Rail fans can look forward to a collaboration with Fate Stay/Night [Unlimited Blade Works], an action anime series hinting at a “multiversal journey” in Honkai’s future.

Lastly, HoYoverse’s latest game Zenless Zone Zero got the chance to show off new characters coming in the Version 1.1 update, as well as a brand-new area of the game in the outskirts of New Eridu. The locale will serve as the basis for the next story chapter coming soon.

HoYoverse is a well-established mainstay at Gamescom with this year’s Opening Night Live marking its fourth consecutive appearance with Genshin Impact news. But as last night’s show-starter showed, getting screen time remains a hard-fought battle for mobile games unless they’re willing to go multiplatform or enlist the influence of a powerhouse like Netflix.

We’ll be sure to keep you up to date on further mobile announcements from the event as and when the reveals come…