Gamescom 2024 takes place next week in Cologne, Germany, and is set to see a new record with over 1,400 exhibitors, 15% more than last year.
Exhibitors from 64 countries will showcase their products and innovations across 230,000 square meters. The number of national pavilions will also increase significantly from 37 to 48, a new record. This compares to 33 pavilions from 26 countries in 2023.
“The world’s largest gaming event continues to grow,” said Gerald Bosse, CEO of Kölnmesse (the massive expo venue where the event is held) in a statement. “We are delighted to be able to announce these outstanding figures just a week before gamescom opens. Together with our partner and co-organiser, the German Games Industry Association, we are implementing great innovations that will contribute to the diversity and appeal of gamescom.”
“With just a few days left until gamescom 2024 kicks off, the signs couldn’t be better,” said Felix Falk, Games Management Board member for the German Games Industry Association, in a statement. “Whether it’s the record number of exhibitors, the exciting gamescom Opening Night live program or brand-new formats like the Social Stage, it’s clear that the community can look forward to a gaming festival unlike any other this year. The anticipation for the world’s biggest gaming event is huge, both on-site in Cologne and digitally around the world.
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Dean of Devcom
The Devcom game developer event is expected to attract thousands of people to Cologne from August 18th to August 20th, the B2B event leading up to Gamescom. I will be giving a session on “Limitations of Intellectual Property and Inspiration” at Devcom in the new Confex area of the Koelnmesse.
This panel discusses how much the game is inspired by other IPs (visually or mechanically). In this case, the issue is (legally).
While “Palworld” is a clear current example of such a controversy, there are other historical examples that could be cited. We will discuss the overlap between intellectual property rights, infringement, use of AI, and legal and ethical issues.
Presenters include Peter Kurnhoff, COO of 24 Bit Games, Nav Suner, CEO of Navatron, Michal Pekkala, Partner at Rymarz Zdort Maruta, and Andrea Dupaure, Partner at A&O Shearman.
The session will take place on Tuesday from 1:30 pm to 2:30 pm CET on the 14th stage of Devcom in the Colognemesse.
We will also be hosting a panel on gaming investment with speakers including David Reitman from PwC, Shanti Bergel from Transcend Fund, and Michael Metzger from Drake Star Partners (and we may add one more). It will take place on Stage 14 of the Devcom event from 11:30am to 12:30pm CET.
Highlights from the social stage
From Thursday to Sunday, the new social stage in Hall 11.3 will add an international programming and festival feel to gamescom. Visitors can expect live podcasts, karaoke, music performances and more.
Highlights include the international live podcast “Friends per Second” with Ralph from SkillUp, Jake from Gameranx, and Lucy from Gamespot/Giant Bomb, a piano game soundtrack with the talented Benyamin Nuss, and a live pen-and-paper adventure with Alex and friends from Dice Actors. GamesBeat editor-in-chief Mike Minotti also makes his Gamescom debut.
gamescom week traditionally kicks off with the big opening show gamescom Opening Night Live (ONL) hosted by Jeff Keasley on the evening of August 20th (11am PST).
This year’s co-host is renowned eSports host Eefje “Sjokz” Depoortere. The show is one of the biggest in the global gaming industry and last year it garnered over 20 million views in its first few days alone.
Several companies have already announced that they will be releasing news about their games this year, including titles like: 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).
There will be several other companies and titles announced before gamescom Opening Night Live. As always, there will be plenty of surprises at the show. This year, the capacity of the venue has more than doubled. Tickets are still available at gamescom online ticket shop.
The Gamescom Investment Circle will also take place on August 22nd. Investors will meet promising game studios. With the support of KölnBusiness and the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection, 45 studios have prepared for the pitch competition through intensive training sessions.
After the successful debut of gamescom LAN at the Koelnmesse fairgrounds in March this year, the event will return for a second round in 2025, offering fans even more exciting elements for an unforgettable experience. Gamescom LAN 2025 will once again take place in Cologne from February 21 to 23 and will celebrate the diversity of gaming culture in all its aspects together with the community. Pre-ticket sales will start next week during gamescom.
German games industry down 6%
Finally, the gaming report reveals that after several years of strong growth, the German games market fell into deficit for the first time in a long while in the first half of 2024.
From early January to the end of June, games, gaming hardware and online gaming services in Germany generated sales revenues of around 4.3 billion euros, down 6 percent from the same period last year.
The data comes from market research firm Consumer Panel Services GfK and data.ai (a sensor tower company). The biggest decline in sales was in gaming hardware, down 18%. Sales of computer and video games also fell 4%.
One reason for this is that the number of top games released in the first half of 2024 was significantly lower than the unusually high number of top-rated blockbuster games released in the first half of last year. Online gaming services, on the other hand, made a significant leap forward, with revenues from network, cloud and subscription services up 25% year-on-year to €516 million.
