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 ...
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, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device to gener ...
s held annually at the
Koelnmesse in
Cologne
Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...
,
North Rhine-Westphalia,
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...
. 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, 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 ...
,
Saxony, Germany. Gamescom is used by many
video game developers 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
*
Sony Computer Entertainment Europe
Thursday, 19 August:
*
Microsoft Game Studios
*
Konami
*
Namco Bandai Games
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, Novembe ...
, 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. Sony announced that the European Video Store would launch in November 2009. Sony also announced that the
PlayStation Portable 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.
Microsoft Game Studios announced ''
Fable III'', along with a release date of 2010. Also, Microsoft announced their intention to release ''
Fable II'' on the
Xbox Live Marketplace in five episodes, the first of which would be free to download.
Media coverage
While most press conferences were not available for
live streaming, 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 shortly afterwards. Sony also made its press conference available for download on the
PlayStation Store. 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, 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 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 tournament with a $150,000 prizepool, were held during the event.
* Three
League of Legends 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 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 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 Op ...
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 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 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 identified ...
, 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, has been held in conjunction with the Gamescom. The Conference took place at the Cologne Congress Centre East.
See also
*
Electronic Entertainment Expo
*
PAX (event)
*
Brasil Game Show
Brasil Game Show (known by the initials BGS and originally titled Rio Game Show (RGS)) is a yearly Brazilian video game convention organized by business executive Marcelo Tavares, that is currently held in São Paulo and is the largest gaming ...
*
Gamercom
*
Game Developers Conference
*
Games Convention
*
Asia Game Show
*
Paris Games Week
Paris Games Week, or simply PGW, is a trade fair for video games held annually at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles in Paris, France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It ...
*
Tokyo Game Show
*
IgroMir
*
Video gaming in Germany
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