04 gamescom and devcom

gamescom 2024 was a huge success, with more exhibitors than ever before and record-breaking levels of reach and international engagement. Millions of people celebrated their passion for video games at the world’s largest games event, both in person in Cologne and online from around the world. With unparalleled numbers of exhibitors, trade visitors, political guests and online visitors as well as record levels of international participation, gamescom underscored its importance as the heart of the games world and one of the best-known global event brands.

Held at the Koelnmesse exhibition centre in Cologne, gamescom offered a unique festival experience to approximately 335,000 visitors from 122 countries; the event featured the full spectrum of games culture. More than 1,460 exhibitors, 70 percent of whom were international, showcased the entire spectrum of the gaming world – from the latest AAA blockbusters to indie insider tips – as well as the most exciting gaming technologies and innovations.. Community meetups with nationally and internationally renowned creators from the games industry, esports tournaments and the gamescom city festival in central Cologne also gave visitors the opportunity to dive into the unique atmosphere at gamescom. Millions of games fans from all over the world were also able to take part in gamescom digitally, thanks to the extensive range of online formats: from exhibitors’ live streams and the talks and shows in the gamescom studio to the interactive online adventure gamescom epix – which, for the first time, also offered unique digital trading cards as rewards for completing quests. The event’s grand kick-off, gamescom Opening Night Live, welcomed an audience of thousands of in-person visitors and featured numerous world premieres and announcements; it racked up around 44 million online views. In addition, live stage events gave world-famous personalities like film director Tim Miller and game developer Peter Molyneux a chance to present their latest games-related projects. gamescom’s online formats also set a new record: with more than 547 million hits, the event achieved a new high in terms of international reach. The central theme of gamescom 2024 – The biggest community in the world – underscored the enormous appeal of games. And nowhere is the unparalleled creativity, passion and openness of the immense global games community more evident than at gamescom. From esports tournaments in the event arena and costume contests at the cosplay village to old-school games in the retro area and new highlights such as the cards & boards area and the artist area – every inch of space at gamescom was dedicated to people from all over the world celebrating games culture together. Additionally, over 32,000 trade visitors – more than ever before – convened in the business area to discuss the latest developments and projects in the games industry. The percentage of trade visitors from the USA and Japan increased particularly strongly in 2024.

gamescom also achieved a number of important milestones in terms of social responsibility. As part of the sustainability initiative gamescom goes green, the event expanded the range of green and recyclable materials it offered to exhibitors. And the gamescom cares platform underscored exhibitors’ commitment to areas such as diversity, education and environmental protection. This gave greater visibility to projects such as the volunteer career initiative Amir Satvat’s Games Community, the women’s and children’s aid organization Kids of Ukraine, and the devcom Scholarship Program, which was launched for the first time in 2024 and which devcom and gamescom are using to enable game developers from underrepresented groups to participate in the events.. gamescom also took an important step towards improving accessibility and making the event more comfortable and enjoyable for wheelchair users and people with limited mobility. Starting in 2024, gamescom requested that exhibitors sign a voluntary agreement to provide wheelchair-friendly access to their gamescom booths.

gamescom was an annual highlight for many politicians from all over Germany and Europe, as well. More than 500 guests from the political sphere – around twice as many as in 2023 – came to Cologne in 2024 to enter into a dialogue with the games industry. They offered strong words of support on particularly important issues, such as funding and further development of the games industry in Germany. At the political opening of gamescom, Robert Habeck, then Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, and Hendrik Wüst, Minister President of North Rhine-Westphalia, emphasized the high economic, technological, and cultural significance of games and the need to create internationally competitive conditions for the German games industry. By serving as a platform for direct conversations with state, federal and EU politicians as well as hosting guided tours of the event for politicians, gamescom also provided the opportunity for discussions on a wide range of other topics. In addition to the potential of games for business, culture, and digital innovation, other topics included future-proof youth protection, accessibility in games, and the preservation of games as cultural assets, for example through the International Computer Games Collection (ICS).