Gamescom 2024 will kick off subsequent week in Cologne, Germany, with greater than 1,400 exhibitors, a brand new file at 15% greater than a yr in the past.
The exhibitors from 64 international locations will current their merchandise and improvements on 230,000 sq. meters. The variety of nation pavilions will even enhance considerably to 48 from 37 international locations – additionally a brand new file. This compares with 33 pavilions from 26 international locations in 2023.
Gerald Böse, CEO of Koelnmesse (the enormous expo place the place the occasion is held), mentioned in an announcement,: “The world’s largest gaming event continues to grow. We are delighted to be able to announce these outstanding figures just one week before gamescom kicks off. Together with our partners and co-organizer game – The German Games Industry Association, we are also implementing great innovations that contribute to the diversity and attractiveness of Gamescom.”
Felix Falk, managing director of Sport – The German Video games Trade Affiliation, mentioned in an announcement, “The omens may hardly be higher just some days earlier than the beginning of gamescom 2024: Whether or not it’s the file variety of exhibitors, the thrilling gamescom Opening Evening Reside program or new codecs just like the social stage, it’s clear that the group can count on a video games competition like no different this yr. The anticipation for the world’s largest gaming occasion is large – each on website in Cologne and digitally all over the world.
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Dean at Devcom
The Devcom sport developer occasion ought to draw a couple of thousand folks to Cologne forward of Gamescom, in a B2B occasion that may happen from August 18 to August 20. I’ll reasonable a session at Devcom within the new Confex space of Koelnmesse on “Intellectual property and the limits of inspiration.”
On this panel, we discuss how a lot a sport might be impressed by one other IP (both visually or mechanically) earlier than it turns into a (authorized) difficulty.
Whereas “Palworld” is an apparent present instance of such controversies, there are different historic examples which can be referred to. We’ll focus on problems with mental property, its infringement, the usage of AI, and the overlap between problems with legislation and ethics.
The audio system embody Pieter Koornhof, COO of 24 Bit Video games; Nav Sunner, CEO of Navatron; Michal Pekala, accomplice at Rymarz Zdort Maruta; and Andrea Dufaure, accomplice at A&O Shearman.
The session can be at 1:30 p.m. CET to 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday at Stage 14 at Devcom inside Koelnmesse.
I’m additionally going to reasonable a panel on sport investments with audio system that embody David Reitman of PwC, Shanti Bergel of Transcend Fund and Michael Metzger of Drake Star Companions. (We is likely to be including yet another). It’s going to happen at 11:30 a.m. CET to 12:30 p.m. on Stage 14 inside the Devcom occasion.
Highlights on the social stage
From Thursday to Sunday, the brand new social stage in Corridor 11.3 will supply a global program and an additional dose of competition feeling at gamescom. Guests can sit up for dwell podcasts, karaoke, music acts and far more.
Highlights embody the worldwide dwell podcast “Friends per Second” with Ralph from SkillUp, Jake from Gameranx and Lucy from Gamespot/Large Bomb, sport soundtracks on the piano with the proficient Benyamin Nuss and a dwell pen-and-paper journey with Alex from the Cube Actors and buddies. GamesBeat’s Mike Minotti, managing editor, will make his Gamescom debut as nicely.
The gamescom week historically begins with the large opening present gamescom Opening Evening Reside (ONL), hosted by Geoff Keighley on the night of August 20 (11 a.m. Pacific time).
This yr’s co-host is well-known e-sports presenter Eefje “Sjokz” Depoortere. The present is among the largest within the gaming business worldwide and final yr generated over 20 million views within the first few days alone.
Various corporations have already introduced that they are going to be presenting information about their video games this yr. These embody the next titles: 2K (Sid Meier’s Civilization VII), Activision (Name of Obligation: Black Ops 6), Capcom (Monster Hunter Wilds), Don’t Nod (Misplaced Information: Bloom & Rage), Funcom (Dune: Awakening), NetEase (Marvel Rivals), and Plaion (Kingdom Come: Deliverance II).
A number of different corporations and titles can be introduced previous to gamescom Opening Evening Reside. As at all times, there can be loads of surprises on the present. On-site capability has greater than doubled this yr. Tickets are nonetheless out there on the gamescom on-line Ticket Store.
The Gamescom make investments circle will even happen on August 22. Traders will meet up-and-coming sport studios. With the assist of KölnBusiness and the Federal Ministry of Economics and Local weather Safety, 45 studios have been ready for the pitch competitors with intensive coaching classes.
After the profitable premiere of the gamescom LAN on the Koelnmesse fairgrounds in March of this yr, the occasion will go into its second spherical in 2025 and can supply followers much more thrilling components for an unforgettable expertise. Gamescom LAN 2025 will as soon as once more happen in Cologne from February 21 to 23 and can have a good time the variety of gaming tradition in all its aspects along with the group. Advance ticket gross sales will start subsequent week throughout Gamescom.
German sport business dips 6%
Lastly, Sport report that within the first half of 2024, after a number of years of robust development, the German video games market slipped into the pink for the primary time in a protracted interval.
From the start of January to the tip of June, video games, video games {hardware} and on-line gaming providers generated gross sales income of round 4.3 billion euros in Germany – a drop of 6% in comparison with the identical interval final yr.
The sources of this knowledge are the market analysis agency Shopper Panel Providers GfK and knowledge.ai (a sensor tower firm). The sharpest drop in income, at 18%, got here within the space of video games {hardware}. Income from pc and video video games additionally fell, by 4%.
One motive for this was the significantly smaller variety of high sport releases within the first six months of 2024 in comparison with the unusually excessive variety of top-rated blockbuster video games revealed within the first half of final yr. In distinction, on-line gaming providers made a big leap, with income from community, cloud and subscription providers rising by 25 per cent over final yr’s degree, to 516 million euros.
