In a matter of months, the German Games Industry Association (game), gamescom’s co-organizer, altered gamescom 2020 from its annual on-site event into something that could accommodate a digital format. Apparently, these efforts were largely successful. And the Geoff Keighley-hosted gamescom: Opening Night Live proved especially advantageous for the event. However, these achievements aside, game has drawn one key conclusion–on-site events remain integral to the industry. Fans can, thus, expect gamescom 2021 to return to its roots as a physical showcase.
Game concluded that it drew a “positive balance after [the] first all-digital gamescom.” Opening Night Live, for example, attracted two million concurrent viewers, a “fourfold increase” compared to the pre-show’s 2019 debut. By the association’s count, this guarantees Opening Night Live a place among the top three digital gaming showcases hosted in 2020, so far. Gamescom’s global reach throughout the event’s entirety was helped along by about “370 official gamescom partners.”
A statement from the co-organizer reads in part,
The digital concept of gamescom 2020, developed in just a few weeks in collaboration with Koelnmesse and the top gamescom exhibitors, shows the great potential of gamescom for the coming years: many companies participated for the first time this year as official partners; in addition, the fair’s international reach has continued to increase significantly.
Managing Director of game, Felix Falk, noted that while the digital concept demonstrated gamescom’s international influence, the importance of on-site conferences for the industry and community is clear as day. Still, steps will be taken to further develop the event’s digital footprint. Now those who orchestrate gamescom behind the scenes are focusing on how to deliver an on and offline experience for gamescom 2021.
[Source: The German Games Industry Association via VGC]
