When boarding the plane to head home from E3 back in early June, I had a hard time wiping the smile from my face. I left that show with a renewed energy for the gaming industry, and huge excitement for our upcoming lineup of games from our talented EA studios around the world. Finally, after so many monthsyears, in factwe were finally able to give gamers a peek at everything our teams had been hard at work on.

Now were in Cologne for gamescom, and lining up yet another awesome week. We will be showing the latest from our development teams, and Im excited to see the progress made since E3. This is truly such a great event, and for several reasons. First, the excitement is building as we get closer to launch for many of our biggest titles of the year, some of which are just weeks away.

Second, this is a truly global show. When we live stream our press conference on Tuesday from Cologne (more on that in a minute), well hit viewers in more than 20 countries around the world. Ill sit down with more partners, media and friends from all corners of the globe during gamescom than at any other event all year.

Lastly, gamescom is simply HUGE. When the doors open on the Koelnmesse this week, hundreds of thousands of gamers will join us, getting hands on time with our next-gen games for the first time. FIFA 14, one of my personal favorites, will pull back the curtain on its PS4 and Xbox One versions. It will be the first time you can get hands-on with E3 Game of the Show, and winner of more than 60 different awards, Titanfall. And lets not forget, youll also have your chance to take your photo with the 24 tall Titan. Weve got a new mode for Battlefield 4 and new events for Need For Speed Rivals, giving gamers a better look at what to expect on launch day.

Were also bringing some excitement for our PC gaming fans, as well. Command Conquer will be breaking new ground with this version of the real-time strategy franchise that is built on Frostbite technology. This will also be the chance for some of the most passionate game fans to witness the unveil of a title theyve been anxiously awaiting: The Sims 4. In fact, some of our top Simmers from around the globe will by flying in for SimsCamp, getting a deep dive on the game and sharing with you the many new and innovative features of this latest iteration in this storied franchise. It is our fans that have made this blockbuster franchise the vibrant community it is, so I cant wait to hear what they think.

Now, back to that press conferenceas we always do, we kick things off on Tuesday with our EA media briefing from gamescom, where all this and more will be revealed for everyone around the world. Tune in on Tuesday, August 20 at 7am PT/ 10am ET. Well be streaming it live from www.ea.com/gamescom.

We loved the feedback we got from our fans at E3, and we cant wait to hear more as gamers in Cologne get hands on with our games this week. And even if youre not joining us in Germany, please share your thoughts with us on Twitter with #eagc and on Facebook.

The year of the gamer is marching onI look forward to sharing more later this week.