Gamescom to have over 1,400 exhibitors, up 15% from a year ago

Gamescom 2024 kicks off next week in Cologne, Germany, with more than 1,400 exhibitors, a new record 15% more than a year ago.

Exhibitors from 64 countries will present their products and innovations on an area of ​​230,000 square meters. The number of country pavilions will also increase significantly to 48 from 37 countries – also a new record. This compares to 33 pavilions in 26 countries in 2023.

Gerald Böse, CEO of Koelnmesse (the giant exhibition venue where the event takes place), said in a statement: “The world’s biggest gaming event continues to grow. We’re excited to be able to announce these exceptional figures just one week before gamescom kicks off. Together with our partners and the co-organizer of the game – the German Games Industry Association, we are also implementing great innovations that contribute to the diversity and appeal of Gamescom.”

Felix Falk, managing director of Game – The German Games Industry Association, said in a statement: “The predictions could not be better just a few days before gamescom 2024 starts: whether it is the record number of exhibitors , the exciting gamescom Opening Night. Live programming or new formats like the social scene, it’s clear that the community can expect a gaming festival like no other this year. The anticipation for the world’s biggest gaming event is huge – both on-site in Cologne and digitally around the world.

Dean at Devcom

Game developer event Devcom is expected to draw several thousand people to Cologne ahead of Gamescom in a B2B event that runs from August 18th to August 20th. I will be moderating a session at Devcom in the new Confex area of ​​Koelnmesse on “Intellectual Property and the Limits of Inspiration.”

In this panel, we talk about how much a game can be inspired by another IP (either visually or mechanically) before it becomes a (legal) problem.

While “Palworld” is an obvious current example of such controversies, there are other historical examples that can be referenced. We will discuss issues of intellectual property, its infringement, the use of AI, and the overlap between legal and ethical issues.

Speakers include Pieter Koornhof, COO of 24 Bit Games; Nav Sunner, CEO of Navatron; Michal Pekala, partner at Rymarz Zdort Maruta; and Andrea Dufaure, partner at A&O Shearman.

The session will take place on Tuesday from 13:30 CET to 14:30 on Stage 14 at Devcom at Koelnmesse.

I will also moderate a panel on gaming investing with speakers including David Reitman of PwC, Shanti Bergel of Transcend Fund, and Michael Metzger of Drake Star Partners. (We may add one more). It will take place from 11:30 am CET to 12:30 pm in stage 14 of the Devcom event.

Highlights on the social scene

From Thursday to Sunday, the new social scene in Hall 11.3 will offer an international program and an extra dose of festival feeling at gamescom. Visitors can look forward to live podcasts, karaoke, musical performances and more.

Highlights include the international live podcast “Friends per Second” with SkillUp’s Ralph, Gameranx’s Jake and Gamespot/Giant Bomb’s Lucy, piano game soundtracks with the talented Benyamin Nuss, and a live paper adventure with Alex from Dice Actors and Friends. GamesBeat’s Mike Minotti, managing editor, will also make his Gamescom debut.

Gamescom week traditionally kicks off with the grand gamescom Opening Night Live (ONL), hosted by Geoff Keighley on the evening of August 20th (11:00am Pacific Time).

This year’s co-host is well-known eSports presenter Eefje “Sjokz” Depoortere. The series is one of the biggest in the global gaming industry and last year generated over 20 million views in the first few days alone.

A number of companies have already announced that they will be unveiling new games about their games this year. These include the following titles: 2K (Sid Meier’s Civilization VII), Activision (Call of Duty: Black Ops 6), Capcom (Monster Hunter Wilds), Don’t Nod (Lost Records: Bloom & Rage), Funcom (Dune: Awakening) . ), NetEase (Marvel Rivals) and Plaion (Kingdom Come: Deliverance II).

More companies and titles will be announced before gamescom’s Opening Night Live. As always, there will be many surprises at the show. On-site capacity has doubled this year. Tickets are still available at the gamescom online ticket store.

The Gamescom Investment Circle will also take place on August 22. Investors will meet with emerging game studios. With the support of KölnBusiness and the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Protection, 45 studios were prepared for the pitch competition with intensive training sessions.

After the successful premiere of gamescom LAN at Koelnmesse in March this year, the event will enter its second round in 2025 and will offer fans even more exciting elements for an unforgettable experience. Gamescom LAN 2025 will once again take place in Cologne from February 21-23 and will celebrate the diversity of gaming culture in all its facets together with the community. Advance ticket sales will begin next week during Gamescom.

Germany’s gaming industry falls by 6%

Finally, Game reports that in the first half of 2024, after several years of strong growth, the German gaming market slipped into the red for the first time in a long time.

From the beginning of January to the end of June, games, gaming hardware and online gaming services generated sales revenue of around 4.3 billion euros in Germany – a 6% decrease compared to the same period of the year last.

The sources of this data are market research firm Consumer Panel Services GfK and data.ai (a sensor tower company). The biggest drop in revenue, 18%, came in the area of ​​gaming hardware. Revenue from computer and video games also fell by 4%.

One reason for this was the considerably lower number of top game releases in the first six months of 2024 compared to the unusually high number of top hit games published in the first half of last year. In contrast, online gaming services made a significant jump, with revenues from network, cloud and subscription services up 25% year-on-year to €516 million.