At Gamescom Latam in Brazil earlier this 12 months, GamesIndustry.biz caught up with Tim Endres, director of Gamescom at Koelnmesse, and Stefan Heikhaus, his counterpart at Sport, the German Video games Trade Affiliation.
Naturally, the expansion of Gamescom Latam was on the dialogue agenda, however Endres and Heikhaus additionally addressed complaints about final 12 months’s occasion, the potential for including extra exhibits below the Gamescom model, and the way the Cologne occasion – which attracted greater than 350,000 guests final 12 months – might help to have an effect on the picture of video video games within the eyes of policymakers. However first, we regarded forward to this 12 months’s Gamescom.
How are issues searching for Gamescom in August?
Tim Endres: To start with, we had a superb early fowl consequence. Exhibitors elevated by over 15%, and ticketing can be operating very properly. However by way of this system and what’s taking place in Cologne, initially, there’s the mixing of Gamescom Dev. Devcom was at all times a part of the Gamescom week, however now Gamescom begins on Monday, August 24 with Gamescom Dev.
It is not only a rebranding, it is a full integration into the Gamescom ecosystem. We use the identical levels, so the massive stage of Gamescom Dev can be the stage the place the political opening will happen and the Gamescom Congress will happen. Then we’ve Gamescom Biz, our digital enterprise platform the place the entire trade can join, that is now all on the identical stage. All enterprise individuals are below one roof, without having to determine to change from one occasion to one other. So it is good for matchmaking alternatives.
It is attention-grabbing that ticket gross sales are going rapidly this 12 months. I’ve heard related from the organisers of Nordic Sport: they mentioned they offered 33% extra tickets in contrast with the equal time level final 12 months. I am questioning whether or not there is a direct relation to the decline in attendance we have seen at GDC. Do you suppose individuals are skipping GDC and going to Gamescom as an alternative?
TE: Tough to say. In fact, we see what occurs within the occasion ecosystem worldwide. It is not our job to touch upon this, however what we see is the sturdy development of Gamescom, particularly as a result of we came about throughout the pandemic and invested so much. We now have related digital platforms, and now we’re hybrid, and that appears to be the proper setting for the trade.
Why is not there one thing equal to Gamescom within the UK?
Stefan Heikhaus: You can not begin up an occasion like Gamescom abruptly. It is a lengthy course of, and plenty of errors have been made previously. I feel that the staff that ran Gamescom made a few excellent choices: not solely the change in location [from Leipzig], but in addition choices about which path we develop, which traits we observe, what we do price-wise, how we work along with all of the exhibitors. There’s so many issues that come collectively, and I feel that is one thing that’s vital if anybody desires to begin a brand new occasion. I feel it is tough to do one thing like that. You’ve to begin small.
One of many issues I hear from builders I’ve spoken to is how vital authorities assistance is for that trade. How vital is that for the video games trade in Germany?
SH: In order for you to develop a market – not solely in our trade, however in others – it is at all times an argument to have governmental help, and tax help is the best methodology. I feel it is rather vital to recover from a sure threshold with video games, to create a fundamental growth in your area, which then routinely attracts others to come and construct video games in your area.
In fact, at the very least in Germany, it is at all times been questioned by some folks. We now have a steady dialogue about it. Due to its sensitivity, it is vital that you simply speak to everybody concerned to get the perfect out of it for all sides: for the federal government, for us, for the video games, for the sport builders, and for the neighborhood.
How vital has Gamescom itself been by way of influencing that dialogue with the federal government?
SH: I feel it is no secret that Gamescom helped over the previous 20 years by way of how folks understand video games and the way they give it some thought – going from a really destructive view that it is very harmful to youngsters to a extra, let’s name it “grownup” view, as a result of there are additionally quite a lot of constructive issues. And I feel that bringing policymakers into contact with video games and what they imply to folks was crucial.
In that sense, if a politician sees 300,000 folks having fun with video games at your occasion, it makes the purpose apparent.
SH: Sure. They see themselves after which they return with these impressions, after which they make up their very own thoughts.
.jpeg?width=2048&height=2048&fit=bounds&quality=85&format=jpg&auto=webp)
When it comes to Gamescom Latam, what made you determine to come to Brazil?
TE: Nicely, initially, Gamescom these days just isn’t solely a single occasion in August, it is a full ecosystem for the entire gaming neighborhood. The LATAM area is likely one of the most rising and one of the crucial dynamic markets.
Do you’re feeling prefer it’s the subsequent large area that might emerge, or has it already emerged?
TE: It is at all times tough to say what is going on to be the subsequent large area, however what we see is that it is rising very quick, that it is very dynamic, and that is why we’re right here with Gamescom Latam.
SH: I simply would really like to add that the concept to develop Gamescom past the borders of Germany is kind of outdated, however you additionally want the precise circumstances. We labored along with Gustavo [Steinberg] and his staff – he had established the BIG Pageant right here – so we mixed the facility of Gamescom with what he already had achieved with the BIG Pageant. In case you have a look at Gamescom Asia, it is a related scenario – we merged with the Thailand Sport Present.
.jpeg?width=2048&height=2048&fit=bounds&quality=85&format=jpg&auto=webp)
You’ve got acquired some large names on the present flooring, like Nvidia, AMD, and Nintendo, however I seen Sony and Microsoft haven’t got a sales space. Is it tough to get exhibitors to come?
TE: When it comes to exhibitors, we see a robust development at Gamescom Latam, however after all there may be room for issues to enhance. It is the third version of Gamescom Latam, and within the first years, you can not count on a Gamescom like in Cologne, which reached greater than 1,500 exhibitors. It takes time, and every area has its specifics, and that is completely okay.
What’s your purpose for this occasion? Would you like to give attention to particularly Brazilian video games or Latin American video games, or would you like to deliver exterior firms to showcase their video games in Brazil?
TE: Gamescom Latam is the platform for the LATAM market. So it is the precise platform for everybody who desires to enter this market, make enterprise, present their video games to the neighborhood, and get their video games seen within the area. So it is centered on getting into the market, but in addition on making bulletins that are related worldwide.
SH: This query, how vital is Gamescom Latam for the remainder of the world versus Latin America, is one thing we should always speak about in a number of years. I imply, it is the third version – Gamescom is now in its seventeenth 12 months, and we grew from a neighborhood occasion into the world’s greatest gaming occasion. So I feel we should always give these two further Gamescoms a little bit of time, after which see how efficiently they develop.
Do you have got plans to increase into some other areas of the world?
TE: We now have Gamescom Cologne, we’ve Gamescom Latam, and we’ve Gamescom Asia, and proper now we’re specializing in these three occasions. In fact, we’re at all times taking a look at what’s taking place in different areas, however there are not any present plans to launch within the subsequent 12 months.
Final 12 months there was some criticism from a number of the exhibitors at Gamescom Latam, the place they talked of penalties for leaving their sales space. How has Gamescom responded to these criticisms?
SH: Within the first place, we left this to the native enterprise. We supported them with all our information, they got here again to us, and we mentioned what’s the greatest process, however they managed it themselves. And so far as I do know, they had been in a position to resolve all the problems we had again then.
In case you have one of many greatest manufacturers on this occasion market, then after all there are issues the place you step into pitfalls or the place you are clearly doing one thing fallacious. After which an important factor is that they then react in the precise manner, and I imagine that the Gamescom Latam staff did precisely that.
I imply, you may see it, as a result of they modified the mannequin. So you have got these zones, for instance, the place they carry collectively all of the BIG Pageant video games, and so they have the dev space the place a few hundred video games utilized for it, after which they selected 10 who at the moment are current there. In order that they made adjustments within the packages to forestall this from taking place once more.
TE: And normally, Gamescom invests so much for the indie builders. This 12 months we’ll make investments a a six-digit sum in our Gamescom Superior Indies Showcase to make the platform extra related for indie builders and to give them a really sturdy digital platform below the Gamescom model to showcase their video games and all their creativity.
This interview has been edited for size and readability.