You hear that? That’s the sweet sound of spline reticulation at work. We’re going overtime gearing up to present the new SimCity next week in Cologne, Germany for the massively popular Gamescom event, aka, the biggest consumer and media gaming show in the world. How big? Over 270,000 attending fans big! Enthusiasts from all across Europe will be storming the conference halls for a chance to see some of the biggest games in the industry, including SimCity! Like we did before E3, we’re here to give you a rundown of what’s ahead for Gamescom. Next week, we’ll be sharing with you exciting news about the game. Now, if only you could play it...

Only you can. Wait, you can? You can! Yes, the Maxis team is proud to announce that those who are lucky enough to attend Gamescom will have the opportunity to get hands-on time with SimCity right on the show floor. Imagine, you, as honorary mayor for the day? Pretty impressive feat if you ask us. Here’s the word straight from Producer Jason Haber:

"Hi everyone! We’re working hard here at the Maxis Emeryville studio getting the game ready for Gamescom. Things are really coming together nicely. This will be the first time we’ll ever have a playable version of SimCity available outside of the studio and we’re super excited to let people try it out. I’ll be at Gamescom showing off some of our new features and also talking with you during our live chat on August 15th. If you’re at Gamescom, be sure to stop by and say, 'Hello!'"

As Jason mentioned, we’ll also be partnering with Origin to put on a live producer chat on Wednesday, August 15th at 2pm CET/5am PT (don’t worry, American friends – there’ll be a replay!). Not only can you ask us your questions, but you’ll also get an opportunity to see a special, never-before-seen screenshot along with a chance to check out the British, French, and German city sets as well as the headquarters for both MaxisMan and Evil Dr. Vu. You don’t want to miss it, so find out more information about the chat here.

Oh, and we’re also announcing other secret stuff that I really, really want to tell you about right now, but the Maxis legal ninjas are currently looming over me. And according to my job security advisor, if I don’t keep my mouth shut, I will certainly regret it.

But don’t worry! I’ll be keeping you updated with all the latest news, excitement, and wacky Gamescom adventures on Twitter, Facebook, and right here on SimCity.com.

Let us know what you’re excited to see next week in the comments! And until then, see you in Cologne next week, Mayors!