Gamescom is much more than just a week in Cologne.
The world’s largest video game show has expanded dramatically in recent years with the launch of satellite events in other markets; first with Gamescom Asia in Singapore, which debuted in 2021, and this year heading to Brazil with the first-ever Gamescom Latam.
The Cologne fair already prided itself on being an international event, attracting companies and visitors from around the world and representing different nations with the national pavilions located in the business halls. But co-organiser Felix Falk, also CEO of the German games trade association Game, says the physical expansion into other territories demonstrates the global role Gamescom aims to play in the games industry.
“We want to be the most relevant event for the industry,” he says. “We want to keep up with the developments and dynamics of the industry as an event to build a stage and have the most exciting and important video game festival in the world, connecting the industry and the community in real life and also in a hybrid way.”
“The two satellites mean that we are not in just one place in the world. If you are in South America or Asia and can't make it to Gamescom, Gamescom will be close to you in the future.”
“The great thing about Gamescom is that it's not just about Opening Night Live, a two-hour showcase and nothing more. There's a connection to the real festival and a lot of potential yet to be discovered.”
Felix Falk, Gamescom
Christoph Werner, Senior Vice President of Koelnmesse, the organiser and host of Gamescom, adds that the success of these satellites is already driving international participation at the Cologne fair. The number of national pavilions at this year's fair has seen double-digit growth, with 43 stands from 33 countries.
With two additional territories under their belt, Gamescom organisers are now focused on developing these events rather than looking to expand further. While Falk says they remain open to the possibility, any additional events “have to be a unique and perfect match to deliver on the promises that Gamescom offers if a new space opens up.”
He points to the feedback he received during his visit to Gamescom Latam in June. The two most common things he heard were that it was considerably bigger than the BIG Festival that had come before it and that it was very similar to Gamescom, albeit smaller.
“Those two things are promises and they're really not easy to deliver on. You need the perfect timing, the perfect partnership. It just has to be at the right time, in the right space and we're happy we've been able to do that in Latin America and Asia. But you can't open something every year somewhere and expect a perfect match like this.”
Of course, now that E3 is gone, there is a vacancy in the US, though Falk responds that such perfect matches are “hard to find in Los Angeles.” However, now that the oldest and most high-profile gaming trade show is gone, is there an opportunity for Gamescom to fill the void, either in Cologne or in the US?
“A lot of people from the US and around the world will come to Gamescom in August, but also to Gamescom Latam and Gamescom Asia,” says Falk. “So from our point of view, everything is already happening at Gamescom. Nothing is missing at the moment. Whether the industry also asks us to interact even more with (the US) in the future… well, that's a question I'll leave for the future.”
The death of E3 is an interesting perspective through which to view the success of Gamescom. A key factor in its demise was declining support from major publishers and platform owners. PlayStation, Electronic Arts, Activision, and others dropped the event years ago, and this year's efforts to revive the event largely failed because industry support failed to materialize, particularly from key players like Sony and Nintendo.
Neither platform manufacturer will be attending Gamescom 2024, yet organisers announced yesterday that they’ve secured a record number of exhibitors (over 1,400 companies) and are expecting more attendees than in 2023. Falk even confirms that the absence of PlayStation, Nintendo and EA in previous years “had no real effect on the community”, so how is Gamescom able to weather the kind of setbacks that killed E3?
For Falk, the most important thing is the community focus of Gamescom and the variety of companies on offer: “It's very broad. With 1,000 exhibitors, you find something you like. You can spend three days at the fair and still find something new. A lot of people love going to the indie area, for example, which grows every year – you can find lots of games everywhere. So this festival approach is so good that we're not dependent on specific brands.
“In saying this, of course, especially as an association, we want to create a stage for all members. That's why it's great that EA is present at Gamescom this year, that Nintendo was present at Gamescom again last year and that this year Nintendo was present at Gamescom Latam.”
Another challenge facing events of this kind is the lack of game code. In recent years, companies have been unable to showcase their games at the shows they used to support in the past because they are unable to deliver the demo code needed to give players a hands-on experience with upcoming titles. Likewise, the release slate is changing, with fewer major releases each year compared to when Gamescom began.
Falk notes that this will “never be the same,” something the Gamescom team learned very quickly, especially during the COVID years.
“The two digital years of Gamescom made us much more agile, which I think is part of the success, because we have to adapt faster to what the industry needs and also to who the industry is.”
Werner adds that becoming a hybrid event has also helped Gamescom evolve, and this started long before the pandemic with the introduction of Opening Night Live, the live-streamed showcase hosted by Geoff Keighley. This is also expected to grow this year, accommodating twice as many in-person attendees, in addition to the people tuning in online around the world.
Falk recalls that part of the motivation behind this Gamescom pillar was the perception that “E3 is about new announcements and announcement presentations, and Gamescom is about playing demos.” This encouraged the Koelnmesse team to create something that combined the on-stage presentations at E3 with the on-site showcase they were already offering.
“General interest media or politicians don’t go to events where just one company or one platform or something like that is going,” he says. “It’s about a (broader) cross-section of the industry. (We can also) give back to those companies and partners that are there and really important, by giving them a space for the digital reach that we can create with Opening Night Live. So I think it connects really well and it’s a great partnership with Geoff.”
“The great thing about Gamescom is that it's not just about the live opening night, a two-hour showcase and nothing more. There's a connection to the actual festival and I think there's still a lot of untapped potential for us and our partners.”
“There's no business model behind[Epix and trading cards]but I think it's a really good way to engage with our community.”
Christoph Werner, Cologne Fair
Koelnmesse is also constantly looking for new ways to expand the offering on the fairgrounds itself. New this year include an artist zone, where artists can engage guests in the style of popular video games, as well as more board and collectible card games, plus a new social stage in Hall 11. The latter will focus exclusively on community activities (musical performances, content creation sessions, etc.), which speaks to Gamescom’s efforts to help influencers get more out of the fair.
“We noticed that we had some really important creators just walking through the halls, so we created this stage to make them visible, but also in a curated context,” she said.
In the meantime, Werner highlights the online experience for those who can’t make it to Cologne. A good example of this is Gamescom Epix, a series of “quests” available through the event website. Quests can range from taking quizzes organised by exhibitors to participating in certain games (for example, reaching level 11 in Niantic and Capcom’s Monster Hunter Now). Completing quests will earn rewards such as vouchers, discounts and even game demos. Last year, 375,000 quests were completed and the team is hoping for similar success this year.
The goal of all this is to turn the wait for Gamescom, as well as the week itself, into a game. Similarly, the new digital trading card game allows users to collect Gamescom items, which also increases awareness of what the fair has to offer.
“There is no business justification for this at the moment,” Werner admits, “but I think it's a really nice way to engage with our community.”
And ultimately, this all comes down to the central message that Gamescom is more than just a week in Cologne. Falk points to the number of exhibitors who are taking a more holistic approach to the show, thinking beyond what’s on their stand but also about what they can do online and in the run-up to the event.
“It’s another part of creating a stage for companies,” he says. “They can preview the games they’re showing at Gamescom (on Epix), create something in conjunction with the Gamescom presentation at Opening Night Live, and then attend a developer talk at the IGN studio. Afterwards, you get to present at your booth and win a prize. It’s not just five days to exhibit at a booth you built yourself, you get to leverage all the components we’ve created over the years.”