gamescom 2015 reaches the next level

• gamescom 2015 beats its own record, with 345,000 visitors
• ‘gamescom 2015 lived up to its main theme – Next Level of Entertainment – in spectacular style over the five days of the show’
• Success of gamescom highlights relevance and popularity of computer and video games in Germany

Berlin, 9 August 2015 – A highly successful gamescom 2015 drew to a close on Sunday. This year, the world’s biggest computer and video games event was attended by 345,000 visitors. This compares with 335,000 visitors last year and 340,000 in 2013. Last year’s large numbers of exhibitors and trade visitors were likewise surpassed, this year totalling 806 (+14 per cent) and 33,200 (+5 per cent) respectively. The same goes for the event’s international appeal: the 345,000 visitors came from a total of 96 countries and the approximately 6,000 media reps travelled from 58 different countries. The success of gamescom 2015 clearly highlights the relevance of the trade fair as the world’s biggest event for computer and video games and as Europe’s key business platform for the industry.
 
[quotation cite=”Dr. Maximilian Schenk, Managing Director of the BIU”] “gamescom has reached the next level. gamescom 2015 lived up to its main theme – Next Level of Entertainment – in spectacular style over the five days of the show.[/quotation]‘gamescom has reached the next level. gamescom 2015 lived up to its main theme – Next Level of Entertainment – in spectacular style over the five days of the show,’ says Dr Maximilian Schenk, Managing Director of the BIU, the German Games Industry Association. The BIU is the sponsoring organisation behind the gamescom concept. ‘gamescom did more than merely grow this year. More than ever before, it reflected the diversity of the computer and video games industry with all sorts of new formats and initiatives. The further increase in interest on the part of politicians and the media this year similarly underscores the major social and economic relevance of our medium.’
 
The new elements introduced at this year’s gamescom included a Made in Germany area where German computer and video game clusters were able to showcase themselves together at joint stands for the first time. Trade visitors from Germany and abroad had the opportunity to visit these grouped stands to find out about the various initiatives of the German industry. License Day offered touch points for other entertainment industries, allowing numerous representatives of the games, film, music and publishing industries to discuss cross-media marketing opportunities. Another new feature was Women in Tech Day on 5 August, with a number of well-known female managers from the computer and video games industry around the world talking about their industry experiences and women’s entry-level and promotion opportunities. The patron of Women in Tech Day was Dorothee Bär, Parliamentary State Secretary at the German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI). There were also plenty of opportunities for discussion at the gamescom congress, which was even broader in its array of topics this year. More than 140 specialists from the fields of business, science, research, educational theory, law and culture shone a light on all the different aspects of digital games in over 40 presentations and panel discussions. Meanwhile, the new ‘family & friends’ area at gamescom gave families the opportunity to take some time out from the trade fair hubbub in a peaceful and child-friendly atmosphere. It also featured lots of activities for families to discover and try out together.

Hands-on experience of the latest trends for 345,000 visitors

The 345,000 visitors who attended gamescom 2015 were able to experience the latest trends in the computer and video games industry for themselves. For example, visitors had the opportunity to try out the newest generation of games for the latest platforms and also the various models of virtual reality headsets at many of the stands. A sneak peek at the future of virtual reality was afforded at the fair by, among others, Sony with Project Morpheus, Oculus VR with Rift and HTC with Vive. Virtual reality headsets allow gamers to delve deeper than ever before into the game experience, leaving the conventional limitations of the screen far behind. The trend of ‘lifestyle: digital games’ was omnipresent at gamescom: the halls were full of cosplayers dressed up as their favourite figures in home-made costumes, many of whom also posed for the event’s official opening picture. Thousands of fans watched the various e-sports events at gamescom, such as those organised by the Electronic Sports League and the WCA play-offs in the World Cyber Arena. The diversity of computer and video games – which is greater now than ever before – was also evident everywhere at gamescom. The Indie Arena Booth was a prime example of this. Although independent developers had shared a stand in 2014, the independent scene reached entirely new dimensions this year with 42 exhibitors, highlighting the creative and artistic potential of digital games. Admissions and crowd management were also further improved this year, resulting in a better experience for all gamescom visitors.

About the BIU

BIU – Bundesverband Interaktive Unterhaltungssoftware (German Games Industry Association) is the association of the German computer and video games industry. Its 26 members are developers, publishers and providers of digital games, and they represent over 85 per cent of the German market. The BIU is, for example, the sponsor of gamescom. As an expert partner for media and for political and social institutions, the BIU answers all questions on the topic of digital games.

Press contact

Martin Puppe
BIU – Bundesverband Interaktive Unterhaltungssoftware e. V.
Charlottenstrasse 62
10117 Berlin
Germany
Tel.: +49 (0)30 2408779 20
Fax: +49 (0)30 2408779 11
Email: puppe@biu-online.de
Twitter: @game_eV
Facebook.com/BIUeV

---