GamesCom 2024  Just a Game?

"The biggest community in the world" will gather this year between August 21 and 25 for GamesCom 2024 in Cologne. At least, that's the official motto of what is claimed to be the "world's biggest games event." An overview.

For most people, GamesCom is a trade fair for the general public. Over 320,000 visitors were counted last year, and a similar number is expected this year. There is an extensive supporting programme on the exhibition grounds and in Cologne city centre, but above all it's about one thing: gaming.

Huge stands with numerous gaming stations are set up in the large exhibition halls, and there are also stages with their own programmes. If you want to try out the often unreleased titles here, you have to be prepared for long waiting times. This is no problem for many gamers - after all, when else do you have the opportunity to get close to your favourite game developer and perhaps pick up some fan merchandise?

Big Names: Who's In and Who's Out

Most visitors are likely to be interested in the big names in particular. There is Microsoft, for example, which is not only presenting its own Xbox console, but is also brings along the many game studios it has acquired in recent years, such as Blizzard (Diablo, World of Warcraft) and Bethesda (Fallout, The Elder Scrolls), making it a dominant force.

Industry giants like Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, and Capcom are also present, helping to make up for the absence of console manufacturers Sony and Nintendo. Then there are the many smaller teams and solo developers. As they cannot afford the large trade fair stands, there is the Indie Arena Booth.

A Playground for Creativity

This is a collaborative project: a larger exhibition area is rented and divided among many small exhibitors. Often, there isn't much more space than for a screen, a controller, and a poster, but nowhere else at GamesCom can you find so much innovation and diversity packed into such a small area.

The Indie Arena Booth is also the best place to discover German games, which traditionally find their home in this area. A total of 41 German teams have announced their participation, including paintbucket (The Darkest Files), Envision Entertainment (Pioneers of Pagonia), and Gentle Troll Entertainment (Tavern Talk). With that, around a quarter of the exhibitors in the Indie Arena Booth come from Germany.

Games "Made in Germany"

In the other exhibition halls, the situation is quite different. One of the few economically significant representatives from Germany is Astragon. The publisher, based in Düsseldorf, became known for its simulation games (construction, bus, police), but it recently became part of the British developer and publisher Team 17. The international company Ubisoft also has three locations in Germany, where, for example, the well-known city-building series Anno is developed—although there will be no news about it at this year's fair.

This applies to other companies too: Although there is a German medium-sized games industry, there are simply not enough developers to present numerous "Made in Germany" titles at GamesCom every year. This fact is likely to encourage the industry association game, which has been criticising the inadequate funding for games in Germany for years. Robert Habeck will likely be confronted with this criticism once again: As he did last year, the Federal Minister of Economics will be attending the opening of GamesCom.

THE GAMESCOM LIVE STREAM

In line with this, there will be a discussion on August 22 about how Germany can strengthen its position in the global gaming industry by developing innovative funding strategies and addressing the necessary steps to advance its games sector. This will take place as part of the GamesCom Congress, where representatives from politics, business, science and culture will discuss the intersections with the games industry.

If you can't be there but are still interested, you can watch some of the presentations and discussions (including the one mentioned above) via live stream. If you are looking for classic gaming content, you should check out the "GamesCom Opening Night Live", which will provide an overview of many new releases on the eve of GamesCom.

All in all, there is a lot to do for the "biggest community in the world". Although it can be assumed that visitors' enthusiasm about the games is likely to be much greater than the industry's enthusiasm about the state of the German games industry.
 

August 2024