Ubisoft's 1001: Threads of Mizan emerged as a standout surprise at Gamescom 2026, with Polygon getting hands-on time with the previously unannounced Arabian Nights-inspired action-adventure. Game director Scott Lussier called its reveal the "greatest secret ever kept" in an industry prone to leaks, and the demo suggests a distinctive AAA title built around carpet flight, colossal enemy encounters and cooperative multiplayer, set in a world rarely explored in games before.

In a 15-minute hands-on session, three players flew magic carpets through a desert, fought a mini-boss called the Sand Knight, and battled a four-armed jinn boss named Nazjush featuring 11 eyeballs to destroy. Combat blends Arkham- and Spider-Man-style melee with aerial dogfighting, while the game's structure is non-linear: individual missions are linear, but players can tackle bosses and optional content such as races, puzzles and tombs in any order from a central hub, aside from prerequisites for the main boss. Lussier cited Insomniac's Spider-Man for its movement feel and The Witcher for its folklore-driven world-building as key inspirations, alongside a hidden "djinn realm" containing Breath of the Wild-style puzzle and combat vaults that feed into progression.