Gamescom | |
---|---|
Status | Active |
Genre | Video games Interactive entertainment |
Venue | Koelnmesse |
Location(s) | Cologne, Germany |
Coordinates | 50°56′33″N6°57′32″E / 50.94257°N 6.958976°E |
Country | Germany Singapore (Gamescom Asia) Brazil (Gamescom Latam) |
Inaugurated | 19 August 2009 [1] |
Most recent | 21 August 2024 [1] |
Next event | 20 August 2025 |
Attendance | 320,000 (2023) [2] |
Organized by | German Games Industry Association (2018- present) |
Website | gamescom.global |
Gamescom (stylized as gamescom) is a trade fair for video games held annually at the Koelnmesse in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Gamescom is the world's largest gaming event, with 370,000 visitors and 1,037 exhibitors from 56 countries attending the event in 2018. [3] The event is used by many video game developers to exhibit upcoming games and game-related hardware. [4] The “gamescom - Opening Night Live” (ONL) show takes place every year on the evening before the opening. The show presents the latest trailers and announcements from the international games industry and is hosted by Geoff Keighley. [5]
Alongside the public areas, there is also a closed area for professional visitors, such as publishers, journalists and developers. [6]
Shortly before Gamescom, the associated conference Devcom takes place at the same area and is specifically for the game development sector. [7]
The Federal Association of Interactive Entertainment Software had previously hosted the Games Convention in Leipzig from 2002 to 2008, which was briefly the largest games trade show in the world. However, Leipzig was becoming unsuitable for such a large event owing to limited transport links and hotel accommodation. The BIU and Koelnmesse announced a new event circuit in 2008, to be held in Cologne beginning in 2009. The Leipzig Trade Fair opposed the move and intended to continue Games Convention without the BIU, which led to a five month "standoff" between the two groups. As Leipzig did not allow the Cologne event to be called "Games Convention", the BIU instead adopted "GamesCom". The two events were due to take part on the same weekend, and were each competing to be seen as the "authorative" German trade fair for the industry. In the end, after a deal between Gamescom and GDC, Leipzig announced that Games Convention would be cancelled, and replaced by an online only event that focused on mobile and casual gaming. [8] [9] [10] Gamescom was first held in August of 2009, and was extremely successful, [11] while Games Convention Online was discontinued after 2010. [12]
The BIU continued to support and administer the event until 2018, when it merged with the industry body GAME. Their successor organisation the German Games Industry Association has continued in the same role. [13] [14] Geoff Keighley began hosting Opening Night Live from 2019, a streamed event at the beginning of the show. Opening Night Live has served as a platform for many trailer launches and game announcements. [15]
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused the discontinuation of E3, Gamescom has been the largest event of its kind. [16] Gamescom Latam, first held in Brazil in 2024, is also the largest event in the Americas. [17]
• entertainment area • business area • gamescom event area |
• social area • indie area • retro area |
• family & friends • gamescom campus • cosplay village |
• outdoor area • merchandise area • creator co-working space |
Gamescom 2009 was held 19–23 August. [1] 245,000 people attended that year's visit. [1]
Wednesday, 18 August:
Thursday, 19 August:
Sony Computer Entertainment Europe announced the PlayStation 3 Slim, a smaller and lighter model of the console and a release date of 1 September 2009. Firmware 3.0 for the PlayStation 3 was also announced, adding new features to the PlayStation Network. Sony announced that the European Video Store would launch in November 2009. Sony also announced that the PlayStation Portable would get smaller games (under 100mb) in the form of 'minis' and that comics would also be available to download in December 2009. A "free game" registration promotion was announced for the PSP Go.
Microsoft Game Studios announced Fable III , along with a release date of 2010. Also, Microsoft announced their intention to release Fable II on the Xbox Live Marketplace in five episodes, the first of which would be free to download.
While most press conferences were not available for live streaming, Electronic Arts streamed its press conference on EA.com. [18] Sony Computer Entertainment Europe also showcased its press conference on its online community-based service PlayStation Home shortly afterwards. [19] Sony also made its press conference available for download on the PlayStation Store. Various gaming websites offered live-blogging of the respective press conferences.
Gamescom 2010 was held 18–22 August. [1] 254,000 people attended that year's visit. [1]
The two main announcements this Gamescom came from Insomniac Games, who announced two sequels from two of their franchises: Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One , by revealing some gameplay from the game, and Resistance 3 , via a live action teaser trailer. These games will be exclusive to the PlayStation 3. All 4 One has a set release date as late 2011, while Resistance 3 did not have a release date.
Gamescom 2011 was held 17–21 August. [1] 275,000 people attended that year's visit. [1]
Gamescom 2012 was held 15–19 August. [1] 275,000 people attended that year's visit. [1]
Gamescom 2013 was held 21–25 August. [1] 340,000 people attended that year's visit. [1]
Gamescom 2014 was held 13–17 August. [1] 335,000 people attended that year's visit. [1]
Gamescom 2015 was held 5–9 August. [1] 345,000 people attended that year's visit. [1]
2015 exhibitors | |
---|---|
Studio Wildcard
Abbey Games
EuroVideo Medien
Grey Box
| KING Art
Motiga
Teotl Studios
|
Gamescom 2016 was held 17–21 August. [1] 345,000 people attended that year's visit. [1]
2016 exhibitors | |
---|---|
| Nintendo
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
|
Gamescom 2017 was held 22–26 August. [1] 355,000 people attended that year's visit. [1]
2017 exhibitors | |
---|---|
|
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
|
Gamescom 2018 was held 21–25 August. [1] 370,000 people attended that year's visit. [1]
2018 exhibitors | |
---|---|
Buka Entertainment
|
|
Gamescom 2019 was held 20–24 August. [1] Geoff Keighley has announced that he will help launch a dedicated video game announcement show prior to Gamescom, called "Gamescom: Opening Night Live". Inspired by the response to The Game Awards presentation that includes several new game announcements, Keighley wanted to do the same for Gamescom. The event was streamed on 19 August at 8:00pm (CEST). [35]
2019 exhibitors | |
---|---|
2x2 Games
All In! Games
Dear Villagers
Fabraz
Forever Entertainment
Frecle
Gwen Frey
Intrepid Studios
Kasedo Games
Lionbite Games
|
Rockfish Games
Surgical Scalpels
Triband
V1 Interactive
|
Gamescom 2020 was scheduled to be held from 25 to 29 August in Cologne. [1] However, Germany announced that following lifting of lockdowns in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, all public events through August 2020 were banned. Gamescom organizers announced they would move some portions of the planned show online. [36] Organizers confirmed plans for the online Opening Night Live to start on 27 August, with each following day through 30 August featuring a schedule of online developer interviews and events and a wrap-up show. [37]
2020 exhibitors | |
---|---|
|
Gamescom 2021 was held 25–27 August 2021. [1] The event was preceded by Opening Night Live with Geoff Keighley on 25 August. [38] Gamescom 2021 was a hybrid exhibition experience with online and live events. [39]
2021 exhibitors | ||
---|---|---|
|
Gamescom 2022 was held 24–28 August 2022. [40] The event was both in-person and online. [41] 265,000 people attended that year's visit.
2022 exhibitors [42] | |
---|---|
Assemble Entertainment
Build a Rocket Boy
Embark Studios
Everstone Studios
Lucid Dreams Studio Neowiz
Something Wicked Games
|
Gamescom 2023 was held 23–27 August 2023. [43] 320,000 people attended that year's visit. The opening night received media attention after one attendee rushed on the stage and interrupting presenter of the show Geoff Keighley, saying that "Bill Clinton wants to play GTA VI". [44] [45] [46] The incident occurred 8 months after a similar incident at The Game Awards 2022, in which Keighley also hosted. [47] The same attendee also interrupted several live shows in Germany, asking about the game. [48] [49]
2023 exhibitors [50] [51] [52] | |
---|---|
Dear Villagers
Frost Giant Games
Game Science HoYoverse Inflexion Games
Lost Native
Neowiz Games
Nuverse Panic Inc.
People Can Fly
Wired Productions
|
Gamescom 2024 was held 20–24 August 2024. [53] The event attracted more than 335,000 visitors and 1,400 exhibitors on that year. [54] [55]
From 2009 to 2016, the Game Developers Conference Europe (GDC Europe), a European spinoff of the Game Developers Conference, has been held in conjunction with the Gamescom. The Conference took place at the Cologne Congress Centre East. [56]
An offshoot of the trade fair has been established for the Asian region in 2021 under the name Gamescom Asia and takes place in Singapore. [57] [58] In 2023, Koelnmesse closed an agreement with BIG Festival and Omelete Company for a new offshoot under the name Gamescom Latam, which takes place in Brazil. [59]
E3 was an annual trade event for the video game industry organized and presented by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA). It was held principally in Los Angeles from 1995 to 2019, with its final iteration held virtually in 2021. The event hosted developers, publishers, hardware manufacturers, and other industry professionals who used the occasion to introduce and advertise upcoming games, hardware, and merchandise to the press. During its existence, E3 was the world's largest and most prestigious annual gaming expo.
Peter Douglas Molyneux is an English video game designer and programmer. He created the god games Populous, Dungeon Keeper, and Black & White, as well as Theme Park, the Fable series, Curiosity: What's Inside the Cube?, and Godus. In 2012 he founded and currently runs 22cans, a video game development studio.
Tokyo Game Show, commonly known as TGS, is a video game trade fair and convention held annually in September in the Makuhari Messe, in Chiba, Japan. It is presented by the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association (CESA) and Nikkei Business Publications, Inc. The main focus of the show is on Japanese games, but some international video game developers use it to showcase upcoming releases/related hardware. The duration of the event is four days. The first two days of Tokyo Game Show are open only to industry attendees (business) and the general public can attend during the final two days.
Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (SIE) is a Japanese-American video game and digital entertainment company, subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It primarily operates the PlayStation brand of video game consoles and products. It is also the world's largest company in the video game industry based on its equity investments.
A trade show, also known as trade fair, trade exhibition, or trade exposition, is an exhibition organized so that companies in a specific industry can showcase and demonstrate their latest products and services, meet with industry partners and customers, study activities of competitors, and examine recent market trends and opportunities.
Photokina is a trade fair held in Europe for the photographic and imaging industries. It is the world's largest such trade fair. The first Photokina was held in Cologne, Germany, in 1950, and since 1966 it has been held biennially in September at the Koelnmesse Trade Fair and Exhibition Centre in Deutz. The final Photokina under the then-current biennial cycle took place in 2018. Initially, the promoters planned to start a new annual cycle in 2019, with future shows to be held in May, but they later decided not to begin the new annual cycle until 2020. The worldwide outbreak of the Coronavirus disease 2019 and its effect on the imaging industry made Koelnmesse decide to cancel both Photokina 2020 and Photokina 2021. Many photographic and imaging companies introduce and showcase state of the art imaging products at Photokina.
Geoff Keighley is a Canadian video game journalist and television presenter, best known for his role as the host of several video game industry conferences and presentations. He is the executive producer and host of The Game Awards since its inception in 2014, having previously served as the executive producer of the Spike Video Game Awards. He also hosts and produces Summer Game Fest, and has hosted live events for trades fairs Gamescom and the now-defunct E3.
Koelnmesse GmbH is an international trade fair and exhibition center located in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With around 80 trade fairs and over 2,000 conferences annually, Koelnmesse is one of the country's largest trade fair organisers and with 284,000 m2 exhibition floor area the third largest by area.
The Games Convention (GC), sometimes called the Leipzig Games Convention, was an annual video game event held in Leipzig, Germany, first held in 2002. Besides video games, the event also covers Infotainment, Hardware, and Edutainment. Its concept was created by the Leipziger Messe in cooperation with Bundesverband für Interaktive Unterhaltungssoftware amongst others. The 2010 Gamescon was held August 18 to August 22.
Entertainment for All Expo or E for All was a public video game trade show, created to allow the general public to see and experience new products from the video game industry. The inaugural E for All Expo was open October 18 to October 21, 2007, at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The Second E For All Convention took place from October 3 through October 5, 2008 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
Travian Games GmbH, based in Munich, is a medium-sized German company in the software industry that has specialized in developing and marketing PC and browser games. Travian Games also acts as an international publisher for selected game titles. Since 2017, the largest company in the video game industry in Bavaria has been a member of the BIU – Bundesverband Interaktive Unterhaltungssoftware. Moreover, Lars Janssen, CEO of Travian Games, has been serving as a board member of Game – the Association of the German Games Industry since 2018.
The DMEXCO is an annual trade fair for digital marketing and advertising. The largest congress trade fair for the digital industry in Europe has been held in Cologne, Germany since 2009. From 2000 to 2008, DMEXCO's predecessor was the online-marketing-duesseldorf (OMD) trade fair.
The Game Awards is an annual awards ceremony honoring achievements in the video game industry. Established in 2014, the shows are produced and hosted by game journalist Geoff Keighley, who worked on its predecessor, the Spike Video Game Awards, for over ten years. With the permission of Spike, he worked with several video game companies to create the show. In addition to the awards, the Game Awards features premieres of upcoming games and new information on previously-announced titles. The show's reception is generally mixed: it has been lauded for its announcements and criticized for its lack of acknowledgement of events, use of promotional content and its treatment of award winners.
Imperia Online JSC is a Bulgarian game production and publishing company founded by Moni Dochev and Dobroslav Dimitrov. Based in Sofia, Bulgaria, the company originally concentrated primarily on browser-based games with their main title being Imperia Online, but later started developing mobile games as well.
The Game Awards 2018 was an award show that honored the best video games of 2018. It was produced and hosted by Geoff Keighley, creator and producer of The Game Awards, and was held to an invited audience at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on December 6, 2018. The event was live streamed across more than 45 digital platforms. The show featured musical performances from Harry Gregson-Williams, Daniel Lanois, Lena Raine, and Hans Zimmer, and presentations from celebrity guests including Jonah Hill, the Russo brothers, Brendon Urie, and Christoph Waltz. The show opened with a group speech by Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aimé, PlayStation's Shawn Layden, and Xbox's Phil Spencer, representing the unity of the industry. Keighley began planning for the show immediately after the previous ceremony, and spent months traveling to studios around the world to secure announcements and trailers.
Hollow Knight: Silksong is an upcoming Metroidvania video game in development by Australian independent developer Team Cherry. The sequel to Hollow Knight, it is being developed for Windows, macOS, Linux, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.
The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2020 would have been the 26th E3, during which hardware manufacturers, software developers, and publishers from the video game industry would have presented new and upcoming products. The event, organized by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), was to take place at the Los Angeles Convention Center from June 9–11, 2020. However, due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic, the ESA announced it would cancel the event, marking the first time since the launch of E3 in 1995 that it was not held. In lieu of that, several publishers made plans to continue with presentations of game announcements during the planned E3 period, while others opted to use more traditional marketing throughout the year.
The 20th Game Developers Choice Awards was an annual awards ceremony by Game Developers Choice Awards for outstanding game developers and video games held on March 18, 2020, hosted by Kim Swift. Though normally held at the Game Developers Conference, due to the 2020 coronavirus outbreak, the conference was postponed to later in 2020, and the awards were presented via online streaming media, alongside the Independent Games Festival awards.
Summer Game Fest is a live video game event organized and hosted by game journalist Geoff Keighley. The event takes place annually over multiple live streams during the North American summer period, the most notable of which is the "main show" which usually airs on the first day of the event and showcases upcoming major releases. The "main show" is usually then followed by a "Day of the Devs" after-show that is focused on indie titles. Multiple other streams showcasing other upcoming game titles that are both affiliated and unaffiliated with the official Summer Games Fest event also occur in the few days following the main show. It was created in 2020 following the cancellation of the industry's most prominent events such as Gamescom and the now-discontinued E3, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2023 would have been the 27th E3, during which hardware manufacturers, software developers, and publishers from the video game industry would have presented new and upcoming products. The event, organized by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) and produced by ReedPop, was scheduled to take place at the Los Angeles Convention Center from June 13–16, 2023. However, on March 30, the event was officially confirmed to be cancelled due to lack of interest, namely as a result of Xbox Game Studios, Sony Interactive Entertainment, and Nintendo all choosing to forego attending E3 that year, which would have marked the first time since E3 1995 that none of the console manufacturers would have been in attendance. In addition, other gaming-related companies like Sega, Tencent, and Bandai Namco all pulled out of E3 2023 prior to its cancellation. In lieu of that, several publishers made plans to continue with presentations of game announcements during the planned E3 period, while others opted to use more traditional marketing throughout the year.