Funcom has released a batch of blog entries detailing The Secret World's presence at Gamescom last week. As we reported, the biggest news to come out of the convention is that the MMO will launch in April 2012 and a social media campaign will kick off on August 26 to get players to register for the upcoming beta. Senior Assistant Community Manager Glen 'Famine' Swan clarified the purpose of this new beta signup in the first Gamescom blog entry:

"If you were one of the cool people that signed up for beta way before hand, then don’t worry, your application is still very valid and secure. We do however encourage everyone to sign up again on August 26th. This will give you the opportunity to join the Secret War experience and collect some awesome rewards."

So one of the most important things to take away from Gamescom is that all interested players should sign up for The Secret World beta when the Secret War experience begins on Friday. For Funcom's full Gamescom recap, check out the blog entries for day 1, day 2, and days 3 and 4.

Members of the guild Result on the Immerwacht EU server had the chance to attend a meet and greet with Vice President/Executive Development Director Russ Brown and Producer Adam Gershowitz at Gamescom to learn about Rift Update 1.5 and beyond. According to the developers, 1.5 will launch near the end of September or beginning of October and will introduce the first part of the post-50 Planar Attunement advancement system, Chronicles of Telara dungeons for solo players or small groups, and the new Library of the Runemasters Warfront.

They also talk about future content past 1.5. For example, Brown hints that Ember Isle comes out in two patches with a new zone and a new style of gameplay. "Social life" features like a barber shop are also in the works.

You can watch the video below to hear all the details straight from Brown and Gershowitz, and you can read Result's own summary of the major points after the jump. Head over to our Rift general forum to join in on the discussion surrounding this news.

Trion Worlds and Petroglyph released a new End of Nations video at Gamescom that features developers discussing the metagame for the free-to-play MMORTS. Here's what Lead Designer Chris Rubyor had to say about the topic:

"The metagame component to End of Nations is massive. Everybody can contribute, everybody can play and their contributions matter to this experience."

For more details, watch the video below. You can also check out some new End of Nations screenshots from Gamescom in our gallery.

Paradox Interactive just released a teaser trailer for Salem at Gamescom. Check it out below to get a feeling for the tone of the upcoming free-to-play crafting MMO, which is scheduled to launch in the second quarter of 2012.

In Salem, players taking the roles of intrepid colonists from the Old World seeking to make lives for themselves in New England. The game features crafting, farming and building systems inspired by 17th century alchemy, as well as open PvP combat with permanent death. As Paradox puts it, "peaceful farming communities will have to remain vigilant, lest they find their way of life turned upside-down by witchcraft, thievery or even murder."

If you've been wanting to add a boxed version of World of Tanks to your gaming collection, you're going to get your chance on August 31. Interactive Gaming Software announced today that a special boxed retail version of the game will be available in stores throughout the United States at the end of the month for $19.99.

In addition to including the entire game itself, the boxed version of World of Tanks will also include $30 worth of in-game items, including a premium account, game credits, gold and an upgraded tank.

Whether you're a veteran World of Tanks player or new to the game, you should watch the new Gamescom cinematic trailer below. Watching tanks blow stuff up is always entertaining. You can even follow that up by checking out the World of Warplanes and World of Battleships trailers that have already come out of Gamescom.

Hi-Rez Studios just released a new SMITE screenshot at Gamescom. You can click the image above to view a larger version. It looks like Anubis is attacking the frost giant Ymir while Odin watches the whole thing. If you missed them, be sure to check out the previously released screenshots of Odin and Kali.

SMITE is an upcoming free-to-play battleground arena game between gods inspired by Defense of the Ancients. It's being shown behind closed doors to the press at Gamescom and will be playable for the public at PAX Prime next week.

Sony Online Entertainment has revealed the release dates for three of its PlayStation Network titles, all of which have playable demos at Gamescom this week. Here's the rundown:

• PAYDAY: The Heist (seen above) will be available on the PC and PlayStation Network on October 4 for $19.99. Downloadable expansions will be released later this year. It's a squad-based first-person shooter that puts players in the roles of career criminals. Teams of four players will get to fight their way through six action-packed heists that dynamically change for every play-through.
• Rochard will launch on the PlayStation Network on September 27 for $9.99. It's a side-scrolling puzzle platformer that follows the story of astro-miner John Rochard as he uses his wits and mining tools to fend off space pirates, save his team of missing miners and solve the mystery behind the discovery of an ancient alien artifact.
• Sideway: New York comes to the PlayStationNetwork on October 11 for $9.99. You'll play as Nox, a graffiti artist who uses window ledges, drain pipes and graffiti tags on his quest to defeat his nemesis Spray, rescue his friends and ultimately escape back to the real world.

Sony Online Entertainment released a new batch of PlanetSide 2 screenshots at Gamescom. You can view them all in our image gallery, or simply click on the above screenshot.

We got all sorts of PlanetSide 2 details straight from the team during the game's reveal at Fan Faire last month. Creative Director Matt Higby emphasized that the game is a true MMOFPS full of huge battles in a persistent world.

Jagex released some details and concept art for Transformers Universe's Brawler class at Gamescom today. That's a Decepticon Brawler on the left and an Autobot Brawler on the right. Here's what Senior Producer Kris Jones had to say about the class:

“Players who like to engage as the tank in co-op team play will be drawn to this Brawler Class. The strength and resilience of this class makes it the perfect choice for those who like to get up close in a battle environment, for those who like a good brawl.”

In addition to the reveal, Jagex is showing off the game's customization options at the convention. Booth attendees get to customize either an Autobot or a Decepticon and receive printouts of the characters they create.

Fansite WildStar Central got some information on three confirmed WildStar races and classes that are playable in the Gamescom demo. If you've watched the cinematic trailer, then you've seen the above three race/class combos in action. Just to be clear, Carbine Studios' Robert "Robeardo" Land confirmed on the WildStar Central thread that "you will be able to choose your own race/class combination. Also, you will be able to customize your character. For ease of character creation in the demo, we pre-made all three of them so players could jump right in."

Here are the details WildStar Central founder MistaMike collected from the demo:

Races

• The Granok, a fierce race of mercenaries who have come to Nexus, look forward to cracking some Dominion skulls - free of charge.
• The Humans, exiled from their homeworld by the tyrannical Dominion, hope to make planet Nexus their new home.
• The Aurin, fleeing from Dominion invaders that are ravaging their forest homeworld, seek refuge upon the mysterious world of Nexus.

Classes

• The Warrior hits hard with a mix of vicious melee strikes and tech-powered attacks. Fuel Cells power the Warrior's tech attacks such as Ripsaw, Leap and grenades. They regenerate over time independently of one another. Adrenaline is generated and consumed by the Warrior's sword-based attacks. Adrenaline decays while out of combat.
• The Spellslinger deals death from a distance with a pair of magic-infused pistols. The greater the Spellslinger's Charge meter, the more damage he deals with his attacks. It recharges over time and is refilled by magical abilities. Arcana powers the Spellslinger's magical abilities. It regenerates quickly in combat and decays slowly while out of combat.
• The Esper conjures psychic spells that charge up devastating mental onslaughts. Combo Points are generated by Builder abilities such as Telekinetic Strike and consumed to improve the effectiveness of Finishing Moves such as Mind Stab. They degenerate when out of combat. Mana is required to cast magical abilities. It regenerates slowly over time when out of combat.

WildStar Central also has a running collection of WildStar videos from Gamescom that feature all sorts of gameplay footage. Watch some HD gameplay below and head over to the video thread for even more footage.