Gamescom (stylized as gamescom) is a

trade fair A trade fair, also known as trade show, trade exhibition, or trade exposition, is an exhibition organized so that companies in a specific industry can showcase and demonstrate their latest products and services, meet with industry partners and c ...

for

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

s held annually at the

Koelnmesse Koelnmesse GmbH (''Cologne Trade Fair'') is an international trade fair and exhibition center located in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With around 80 trade fairs and over 2,000 conferences annually, Koelnmesse is one of the country's ...

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a States of Germany, state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more tha ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. Since 2018, it has been organised by ''game – Verband der deutschen Games-Branche'' (English: Association of the German video game industry); and before that, by the ''Bundesverband Interaktive Unterhaltungssoftware'' (BIU). It supersedes

Games Convention The Games Convention (GC), sometimes called the Leipzig Games Convention, was an annual video game event held in Leipzig, Germany, first held in 2002. Besides video games, the event also covers Infotainment, Hardware, and Edutainment. Its concep ...

, held in

Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...

Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...

, Germany. Gamescom is used by many

video game developer A video game developer is a broad term for a software developer specializing in video game development – the process and related disciplines of creating video games. A game developer can range from one person who undertakes all tasks to a large ...

s to exhibit upcoming games and game-related hardware. Alongside Gamescom is Devcom, a portion of the convention dedicated to video game development, though activities of Devcom continue year-round. Gamescom is the world's largest gaming event (measured by exhibition space and number of visitors), with 370,000 visitors and 1037 exhibitors from 56 countries attending the show in 2018.

Areas

*Entertainment area *Indie area *Cosplay village *Retro Gaming *Gamescom Campus *Family and friends *Fanshop area *Business area

Events

2009

Gamescom 2009 was held 19–23 August. 245,000 people attended that year's visit.

Exhibitors

Notable press conferences

Wednesday, 18 August: *

Electronic Arts Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry and promoted the d ...

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), formerly known as Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE), is a multinational video game and digital entertainment company wholly owned by multinational conglomerate Sony. The SIE Group is made up of two legal co ...

Thursday, 19 August: *

Microsoft Game Studios Xbox Game Studios (previously known as Microsoft Studios, Microsoft Game Studios, and Microsoft Games) is an American video game publisher and part of the Microsoft Gaming division based in Redmond, Washington. It was established in March 2000, ...

Konami , is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company, video game and entertainment company headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo, it also produces and distributes trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, pachinko machin ...

Namco Bandai Games is a Japanese multinational video game publisher headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo. Its international branches, Bandai Namco Entertainment America and Bandai Namco Entertainment Europe, are respectively headquartered in Irvine, California and ...

Notable announcements

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe announced the

PlayStation 3 Slim The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on November 11, 2006, in Japan, November ...

, a smaller and lighter model of the console and a release date of 1 September 2009. Firmware 3.0 for the PlayStation 3 was also announced, adding new features to the

PlayStation Network PlayStation Network (PSN) is a digital media entertainment service provided by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Launched in November 2006, PSN was originally conceived for the PlayStation video game consoles, but soon extended to encompass smartp ...

. Sony announced that the European Video Store would launch in November 2009. Sony also announced that the

PlayStation Portable The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PAL regions on September 1, 2005, ...

would get smaller games (under 100mb) in the form of 'minis' and that comics would also be available to download in December 2009. A "free game" registration promotion was announced for the

PSP Go The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PAL regions on September 1, 2005, ...

. Microsoft Game Studios announced ''

Fable III ''Fable III'' is a 2010 action role-playing open world video game, developed by Lionhead Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. The third game in the ''Fable'' series, the story focuses on the pl ...

'', along with a release date of 2010. Also, Microsoft announced their intention to release ''

Fable II ''Fable II'' is a 2008 action role-playing open world video game, developed by Lionhead Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios for Xbox 360. The game is the second installment in the ''Fable'' game series, and the sequel to 2004's ''F ...

'' on the

Xbox Live Marketplace Xbox Games Store (formerly Xbox Live Marketplace) is a digital distribution platform used by Microsoft's Xbox Series X, S, Xbox One and Xbox 360 video game consoles. The service allows users to download or purchase video games (including both ...

in five episodes, the first of which would be free to download.

Media coverage

While most press conferences were not available for

live streaming Livestreaming is streaming media simultaneously recorded and broadcast in real-time over the internet. It is often referred to simply as streaming. Non-live media such as video-on-demand, vlogs, and YouTube videos are technically streamed, but no ...

, Electronic Arts streamed its press conference on EA.com. Sony Computer Entertainment Europe also showcased its press conference on its online community-based service

PlayStation Home PlayStation Home was a virtual 3D social networking, social gaming platform developed by Sony Computer Entertainment's London Studio for the PlayStation 3 (PS3) on the PlayStation Network (PSN). It was accessible from the PS3's XrossMediaBar (XM ...

shortly afterwards. Sony also made its press conference available for download on the

PlayStation Store The PlayStation Store (PS Store) is a digital media store available to users of Sony's PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 game consoles via the PlayStation Network. The store offers a range of downloadable content ...

. Various gaming websites offered live-blogging of the respective press conferences.

2010

Gamescom 2010 was held 18–22 August. 254,000 people attended that year's visit.

Exhibitors

Notable announcements

The two main announcements this Gamescom came from

Insomniac Games Insomniac Games, Inc. is an American video game developer based in Burbank, California and a studio of PlayStation Studios. It was founded in 1994 by Ted Price as Xtreme Software, and was renamed Insomniac Games a year later. The company is mo ...

, who announced two sequels from two of their franchises: '' Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One'', by revealing some gameplay from the game, and ''

Resistance 3 ''Resistance 3'' is a 2011 science fiction post-apocalyptic first-person shooter developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. ''Resistance 3'' is the final installment in the ''Resistance'' tril ...

'', via a

live action Live action (or live-action) is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live-action with animation to create a live-action animated film. Live-action is used to define film, video ga ...

teaser trailer. These games will be exclusive to the PlayStation 3. ''All 4 One'' has a set release date as late 2011, while ''Resistance 3'' did not have a release date.

2011

Gamescom 2011 was held 17–21 August. 275,000 people attended that year's visit.

Exhibitors

Notable events

* The first Dota 2 ''International'' championship took place. The tournament had the biggest prize pool of any e-sports tournament at the time.

2012

Gamescom 2012 was held 15–19 August. 275,000 people attended that year's visit.

Exhibitors

2013

Gamescom 2013 was held 21–25 August. 340,000 people attended that year's visit.

Exhibitors

Notable events

* The World Championship Series 2013 Season 2 Global Finals, a

StarCraft II ''StarCraft II'' is a military science fiction video game created by Blizzard Entertainment as a sequel to the successful ''StarCraft'' video game released in 1998. Set in a fictional future, the game centers on a galactic struggle for dominance a ...

tournament with a $150,000 prizepool, were held during the event. * Three

League of Legends ''League of Legends'' (''LoL''), commonly referred to as ''League'', is a 2009 multiplayer online battle arena video game developed and published by Riot Games. Inspired by ''Defense of the Ancients'', a Mod (video games), custom map for War ...

Tournaments were held during the event: ** International Wildcard Tournament ** Season 4 Spring Promotion Qualifier ** European LCS Playoffs

2014

Gamescom 2014 was held 13–17 August. 335,000 people attended that year's visit.

Notable events

* The ''Counter-Strike: Global Offensive'' Major

ESL One Cologne 2014 Electronic Sports League One Cologne 2014, also known as ESL One Cologne 2014, was the third '' Counter-Strike: Global Offensive'' Major Championship. The tournament was held during Gamescom 2014 from August 14–17, 2014 at the Cologne Exhibiti ...

was held at Gamescom

Exhibitors

2015

Gamescom 2015 was held 5–9 August. 345,000 people attended that year's visit.

Exhibitors

2016

Gamescom 2016 was held 17–21 August. 345,000 people attended that year's visit.

Exhibitors

2017

Gamescom 2017 was held 22–26 August. 355,000 people attended that year's visit.

Notable events

German Chancellor The chancellor of Germany, officially the federal chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany,; often shortened to ''Bundeskanzler''/''Bundeskanzlerin'', / is the head of the federal government of Germany and the commander in chief of the Ge ...

Angela Merkel Angela Dorothea Merkel (; ; born 17 July 1954) is a German former politician and scientist who served as Chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021. A member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), she previously served as Leader of the Oppo ...

opened the event, which marked the first time in history that a Gamescom was opened by a sitting Chancellor.

Exhibitors

2018

Gamescom 2018 was held 21–25 August. 370,000 people attended that year's visit.

Notable events

* Nvidia announced the GeForce RTX 20 Series at the Palladium Cologne on 20 August 2018.

Exhibitors

2019

Gamescom 2019 was held 20–24 August.

Geoff Keighley Geoff Keighley () is a Canadian video game journalist and television presenter. He was most known for hosting the video game show '' GameTrailers TV'', and for co-hosting the now-defunct '' G4tv.com''. Keighley is also a freelance writer whose ...

has announced that he will help launch a dedicated video game announcement show prior to Gamescom, called "Gamescom: Opening Night Live". Inspired by the response to

The Game Awards The Game Awards is an annual awards ceremony honoring achievements in the video game industry. Established in 2014, the shows are produced and hosted by game journalist Geoff Keighley, who worked on its predecessor, the Spike Video Game Awards, ...

presentation that includes several new game announcements, Keighley wanted to do the same for Gamescom. The event was streamed on 19 August at 8:00pm (CEST).

Exhibitors

2020

Gamescom 2020 was scheduled to be held from 25 to 29 August in Cologne. However, Germany announced that following lifting of lockdowns in the wake of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, that all public events through August 2020 were banned. Gamescom organizers announced they would move some portions of the planned show online. Organizers confirmed plans for the online Opening Night Live to start on 27 August, with each following day through 30 August featuring a schedule of online developer interviews and events and a wrap-up show.

Exhibitors

2021

Gamescom 2021 was held 25–27 August 2021. The event was preceded by Opening Night Live with Geoff Keighley on 25 August. Gamescom 2021 was a hybrid exhibition experience with online and live events.

Exhibitors

2022

Gamescom 2022 was held 24–28 August 2022. The event was both in-person and online. 265,000 people attended that year's visit.

Exhibitors

Game Developers Conference Europe

From 2009 to 2016, the Game Developers Conference Europe (GDC Europe), a European spinoff of the

Game Developers Conference The Game Developers Conference (GDC) is an annual conference for video game developers. The event includes an expo, networking events, and awards shows like the Game Developers Choice Awards and Independent Games Festival, and a variety of tutori ...

, has been held in conjunction with the Gamescom. The Conference took place at the Cologne Congress Centre East.

References

External links

* {{Video Game Trade Shows, state=expanded 2009 establishments in Germany August events Annual events in Germany Events in Cologne Recurring events established in 2009 Tourist attractions in Cologne Trade fairs in Germany Video game conventions Video game trade shows Video gaming in Germany

Areas

Events

2009

Exhibitors

Notable press conferences

Notable announcements

Media coverage

2010

Exhibitors

Notable announcements

2011

Exhibitors

Notable events

2012

Exhibitors

2013

Exhibitors

Notable events

2014

Notable events

Exhibitors

2015

Exhibitors

2016

Exhibitors

2017

Notable events

Exhibitors

2018

Notable events

Exhibitors

2019

Exhibitors

2020

Exhibitors

2021

Exhibitors

2022

Exhibitors

Game Developers Conference Europe

See also

References

External links