Political guests of honour officially open gamescom 2025

Cologne, 19 August 2025 – The world’s biggest games event is now officially open: Todays political opening marked the official start of gamescom 2025.

Numerous political guests of honour were on hand, including Dorothee Bär, the Federal Minister responsible for video games; Hendrik Wüst, Minister-President of North Rhine-Westphalia; and Henriette Reker, Mayor of Cologne and Chairwoman of the Supervisory Board of Koelnmesse. In their speeches, they welcomed the event’s many guests from politics, business and society and highlighted the tremendous importance of the games industry and gamescom. At the same time, the speakers underscored policymakers’ goal for Germany to become one of the world’s leading games locations. With over 1,500 exhibitors, the world’s biggest games event has set yet another new record this year. Before the political opening, the political guests of honour also took a tour of gamescom to gain an impression of the latest developments in the games industry and engage in dialogue with the industry.

The video of the gamescom 2025 political opening can be watched on demand here.

Dorothee Bär, Federal Minister of Research, Technology and Space: “The gaming sector holds great cultural, economic and technological potential, impressive proof of which is on display at gamescom year after year. Strengthening the international competitiveness of our gaming location is important to me so that we can all benefit more from the potential of digital games in the future. To do so, games funding must be plannable and reliable. As a first step, funding will therefore be more than doubled. Looking to the future, we are working to introduce tax incentives, as has already been done in other countries.”

Hendrik Wüst, Minister-President of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia: “With outstanding developer studios and the world’s top event for video games, North Rhine-Westphalia is the No. 1 games state. The long-term commitment of gamescom to Cologne this year is a strong signal for North Rhine-Westphalia. It’s where innovations are developed, which drive the entire economy forward. Video games create jobs, promote creative thinking and connect people across borders. North Rhine-Westphalia is leading the way and has developed a new, modern and market-oriented games funding guideline. It focuses specifically on small, up-and-coming projects, as start-ups are crucial to ensuring that the games ecosystem grows and remains vibrant. This focus complements federal funding in the best possible way. The new federal government has finally got things moving in the games sector.”

Felix Falk, Managing Director of game – The German Games Industry Association, which is a co-organiser of gamescom, says: ‘gamescom 2025 is sending a powerful message about games in Germany and worldwide: with gamescom Opening Night Live and its announcements drawing international interest, an entertainment area with the latest innovations and countless top games on tap for coming months, and the largest indie area ever. The federal government is once again providing the necessary support. Following the back and forth of recent years, optimism has returned to the German games industry with the establishment of a dedicated games department, an increase in federal games funding and the comprehensive launch thereof. Games are the perfect entertainment, and if the right steps are taken, the German games industry can enjoy even greater international success in future.’

Henriette Reker, Mayor of the City of Cologne and Chair of the Supervisory Board of Koelnmesse: “gamescom is a special event for Cologne and an important part of our city’s cultural and economic life. The significance of Cologne as an international hub for the games industry is once again clearly demonstrated in 2025: with participants from over 70 countries, gamescom is a showcase for creativity, innovation, and diversity. We are proud and excited to host the global gaming culture here once again in Cologne.”

Gerald Böse, President and Chief Executive Officer of Koelnmesse: “gamescom 2025 stands for growth, diversity, and international relevance. With more exhibitors than ever before and the total exhibition space expanded to 233,000 square meters, we are once again setting new benchmarks. As the world’s biggest gaming event, gamescom sends a strong signal to the industry and represents a clear commitment to the Cologne location. My special thanks go to our partners and to the game association for their continued dedication in further developing this event of superlatives.”

About gamescom

gamescom is the world’s largest event for the computer and video games industry as a whole. gamescom 2025 will run from 20 to 24 August. It will start with the gamescom Opening Night Live on 19 August 2025. gamescom is jointly organised by Koelnmesse and game – The German Games Industry Association.

game – the German Games Industry Association

We are the association of the German games industry. Our members represent the entire video game ecosystem, from development studios and publishers to esports event organisers, educational institutions and other related entities. We are co-organisers of gamescom, the world’s biggest event for video games. We are a shareholder in the Entertainment Software Self-Regulation Body (USK), the Foundation for Digital Games Culture, the esports player foundation, game events and the collecting society VHG, as well as co-host of the German Computer Game Awards. Serving as a central point of contact for media, as well as political and social institutions, we provide comprehensive expertise in areas including market development, game culture and media literacy, and address any inquiries or concerns. Together we are making Germany the heart of gaming worldwide. With games, we enrich the lives of all people.

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