Kilmer MichaelE3 and Gamescom have traditionally been considered the most massive and popular events in the video game industry. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the organizers of both events were forced to put the live format on hold and experiment with online presentations.
However, after the global quarantine ended, their paths suddenly diverged: E3 made two attempts to reopen its doors to participants and guests, but failed in both cases. But its European counterpart is doing just fine: Gamescom 2022 attracted 285,000 guests, and this year’s exhibition – 320,000.
Liga.Tech analyzed how Gamescom managed to successfully return and get closer to the pre-quarantine coverage.
Both exhibitions had a different positioning. E3 has always been considered an event primarily for developers and journalists, while Gamescom was focused on players. In fact, the main reason to buy a ticket here was the opportunity to play demos of upcoming projects. All that was needed was enough patience and endurance, because in the case of the most anticipated AAA titles, standing in line could last several hours. However, experienced Gamescom guests bring folding chairs, books, and even board games.
Every year, leading gaming companies secretly competed with each other in the scale of their stands – the huge areas of the Cologne Trade Fair practically did not limit the flight of imagination of designers. The organizers of E3 also tried to make it more player-friendly, but did not achieve much success. However, it is also impossible to say that Gamescom was a purely entertaining convention: each exhibition contained a separate business zone where one could conduct negotiations and conclude several profitable deals in a relaxed atmosphere.
The city matters
Another obvious advantage of Gamescom over its American counterpart is the venue. The city of Cologne is located in the heart of Europe and therefore serves as an important commercial and logistics hub not only for Germany but also for the region as a whole. According to the Gamescom organizers, the city authorities are very supportive of the exhibition, even though it creates a lot of headaches for them. Prior to COVID-19, the number of visitors was approaching 400,000, which posed serious challenges in terms of security, not to mention other areas. However, Cologne is known for its festivals and carnivals, which is why it has even been called the “Venice of Germany.”
Instead, E3 was held in Los Angeles, which is very convenient for American developers (most large US studios are located in California), but not for their European counterparts, who need to spend money on a transatlantic flight and a week’s stay in one of the most expensive cities in the world. Therefore, many developers from the Old World came to the conclusion after the quarantine was over that participation in E3 simply did not justify the resources spent, especially since there was an equally large-scale and popular event taking place nearby, which was much cheaper.
This is especially true for independent or medium-sized studios. For example, in recent years, Gamescom has been attended by 250 to 300 indie teams with their new products. If they meet the requirements of the organizers, they will be able to gain a unique experience of direct communication with end users.
Asian developers could also come to a similar conclusion about E3 and focus on their own events like Tokyo Game Show. By the way, Gamescom in 2020 expanded to this region with Gamescom Asia, which takes place in Singapore.