When I was growing up, E3 was one of the events in the calendar that I looked forward to the most. From console reveals to star-studded conferences, the Electronic Entertainment Expo was a series of corporate conferences that somehow felt like The Oscars, Comic-Con and Glastonbury combined. It was there that Final Fantasy VII Remake and The Last Guardian were finally shown (at the same conference); where then Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé made his public debut; and the venue where Keanu Reeves told a packed LA auditorium that they were all breathtaking. Yet for all its show-stopping game and console reveals, after 2020, it was the show itself that stopped, with the last in-person E3 taking place in 2019.
Luckily for mourning gamers, there was always another world-leading interactive entertainment show that connected fans and industry folk with demos, head-turning announcements and best-in-class community events: Germany's gamescom. Where E3 was an event that was media-only for most of its existence, gamescom was always--and very much continues to be--a public-facing celebration of games and gamers; a convention that is just as brilliant for inspiring world-beating cosplay as it is for connecting journalists with publishers and industry folks in the business area. E3 may be gone, but gamescom is still here, having established itself as the world's biggest and best gaming event.
Since 2019, gamescom has begun hosting its own games announcements, with the annual Geoff Keighley-hosted gamescom Opening Night Live gaining a reputation for delivering a non-stop cavalcade of exciting reveals. With gamescom's annual August celebration now comfortably the largest gaming event in the world--and with new gamescom sister events now delighting gamers in Brazil and Singapore (gamescom Asia is moving to Thailand for its next event)--it feels like the right time to celebrate the legacy of gaming's most beloved event. So, without further ado, here's a history of how Cologne's once humble convention went on to change the game forever.
Starting life in 2009, gamescom immediately attracted the attention of the biggest publishers in the games industry, alongside 228,000 excitable punters. With 450 exhibitors showing up in its first year, the inaugural gamescom also saw Sony announce the PlayStation 3 Slim, alongside Microsoft revealing Fable 3 for the first time. Since then, gamescom has only gone from strength to strength, attracting more players, developers and publishers with each new year that goes by.
Esports became a cornerstone of the Cologne convention. In 2011, gamescom hosted the first-ever DOTA 2 international tournament to great success, leading to massive Starcraft 2, League of Legends, and Counter Strike competitions being held at gamescom in the following years. By 2017, gamescom had attracted over 100,000 more visitors, with 355,000 people attending the event, and gamescom's doors were opened by none other than Germany’s Chancellor, Angela Merkel.
Alongside these public-facing demos and reveals, from 2009-2016, gamescom also hosted a sister developer-focused event, a European spin-off of San Francisco’s legendary Game Developer Conference.
In 2018, gamescom had over 1000 exhibitors showcasing at their event. Nvidia made headlines that year by revealing their GeForce RTX 20 Series at the event, with 370,000 gamers, developers, journalists and publishers all making the pilgrimage to Cologne to see the best games in the world. Thankfully, 2018 was also the last year that only those on the ground could share in the fun. Ten years after gamescom first opened its doors, in 2019, gamescom kicked off its first-ever livestreamed event--gamescom ONL. Hosted by The Game Awards' Geoff Keighley, gamescom ONL immediately cemented itself as a marquee, industry-shaping showcase, with new looks at Gears of War 5, Call of Duty, and Death Stranding alongside announcements of titles like Little Nightmares 2. With 1,500 people watching live in the auditorium and over 500,000 people tuning in online, gamescom ONL was a huge success.
As the pandemic hurriedly cancelled events and public gatherings across the world, gamescom took the entire show online, its 2020 edition delivering a jam-packed schedule of online developer interviews and new looks at games alongside its second gamescom Opening Night Live. It was also the first time gamescom published content specifically for independent gaming with gamescom awesome indies. The show provided recognition for the hardworking, creative indie developers who produce some of the most unique games in the industry, and also provided tantalising teasers for gamers who appreciate the indie scene.
As the world reopened after the pandemic, so did gamescom, with 2022's edition offering gamers a canny mix of online and in-person events. Since then, gamescom has only become more vital for the games industry--the beating heart of in-person game feedback, world-exclusive demos, and dream-fulfilling game reveals. Over the years, gamescom's cultural and political influence has continued to grow, with Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel's visit in 2017 followed by German ministers like Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck in 2023 and 2024. Federal Minister for Research, Dorothee Bär--the representative responsible for games in the new German government--has also attended. European games associations such as Video Games Europe and EGDF also regularly take advantage of gamescom, using it as a place to invite political leaders to the event, with 2024's gamescom hosting over 500 political guests.
Yet it’s not just the in-person extravaganza that has blossomed. In its five short years of existence, gamescom Opening Night Live has only gone from strength to strength, establishing itself as a key event in gaming culture’s calendar. Gamescom ONL has been chosen as the place to reveal Borderlands 4, Dead Island 2, Dune Awakening, and many others, with 2024’s edition seeing 44 million viewers watching the show's content globally.
Last year, gamescom tripled its opening exhibitor number, hosting 1,462 exhibitors, with even more exhibitors and visitors expected in 2025. With the inaugural years of gamescom asia X Thailand Game Show and gamescom latam already attracting huge industry attention, gamescom looks set to continue its reputation for hosting the biggest and best events in video games.
There's still time to pick up tickets for gamescom 2025, which runs from August 20th to August 24th. Even if you can't make the event, you can tune in to gamescom Opening Night Live for all the gaming reveals on August 19.
But it gets even better because from August, the gamescom website transforms into gamescom now, the content hub for all your gamescom needs. This includes the gamescom awesome indies show streaming on August 21 and all partner content--it's everything you need to satiate your game news cravings. Go to gamescom.global to learn more about the excellent content options you can experience.
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Luckily for mourning gamers, there was always another world-leading interactive entertainment show that connected fans and industry folk with demos, head-turning announcements and best-in-class community events: Germany's gamescom. Where E3 was an event that was media-only for most of its existence, gamescom was always--and very much continues to be--a public-facing celebration of games and gamers; a convention that is just as brilliant for inspiring world-beating cosplay as it is for connecting journalists with publishers and industry folks in the business area. E3 may be gone, but gamescom is still here, having established itself as the world's biggest and best gaming event.
Since 2019, gamescom has begun hosting its own games announcements, with the annual Geoff Keighley-hosted gamescom Opening Night Live gaining a reputation for delivering a non-stop cavalcade of exciting reveals. With gamescom's annual August celebration now comfortably the largest gaming event in the world--and with new gamescom sister events now delighting gamers in Brazil and Singapore (gamescom Asia is moving to Thailand for its next event)--it feels like the right time to celebrate the legacy of gaming's most beloved event. So, without further ado, here's a history of how Cologne's once humble convention went on to change the game forever.
gamescom Origins
Starting life in 2009, gamescom immediately attracted the attention of the biggest publishers in the games industry, alongside 228,000 excitable punters. With 450 exhibitors showing up in its first year, the inaugural gamescom also saw Sony announce the PlayStation 3 Slim, alongside Microsoft revealing Fable 3 for the first time. Since then, gamescom has only gone from strength to strength, attracting more players, developers and publishers with each new year that goes by.
Esports became a cornerstone of the Cologne convention. In 2011, gamescom hosted the first-ever DOTA 2 international tournament to great success, leading to massive Starcraft 2, League of Legends, and Counter Strike competitions being held at gamescom in the following years. By 2017, gamescom had attracted over 100,000 more visitors, with 355,000 people attending the event, and gamescom's doors were opened by none other than Germany’s Chancellor, Angela Merkel.
Alongside these public-facing demos and reveals, from 2009-2016, gamescom also hosted a sister developer-focused event, a European spin-off of San Francisco’s legendary Game Developer Conference.
gamescom Revelations
In 2018, gamescom had over 1000 exhibitors showcasing at their event. Nvidia made headlines that year by revealing their GeForce RTX 20 Series at the event, with 370,000 gamers, developers, journalists and publishers all making the pilgrimage to Cologne to see the best games in the world. Thankfully, 2018 was also the last year that only those on the ground could share in the fun. Ten years after gamescom first opened its doors, in 2019, gamescom kicked off its first-ever livestreamed event--gamescom ONL. Hosted by The Game Awards' Geoff Keighley, gamescom ONL immediately cemented itself as a marquee, industry-shaping showcase, with new looks at Gears of War 5, Call of Duty, and Death Stranding alongside announcements of titles like Little Nightmares 2. With 1,500 people watching live in the auditorium and over 500,000 people tuning in online, gamescom ONL was a huge success.
As the pandemic hurriedly cancelled events and public gatherings across the world, gamescom took the entire show online, its 2020 edition delivering a jam-packed schedule of online developer interviews and new looks at games alongside its second gamescom Opening Night Live. It was also the first time gamescom published content specifically for independent gaming with gamescom awesome indies. The show provided recognition for the hardworking, creative indie developers who produce some of the most unique games in the industry, and also provided tantalising teasers for gamers who appreciate the indie scene.
gamescom Evolution
As the world reopened after the pandemic, so did gamescom, with 2022's edition offering gamers a canny mix of online and in-person events. Since then, gamescom has only become more vital for the games industry--the beating heart of in-person game feedback, world-exclusive demos, and dream-fulfilling game reveals. Over the years, gamescom's cultural and political influence has continued to grow, with Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel's visit in 2017 followed by German ministers like Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck in 2023 and 2024. Federal Minister for Research, Dorothee Bär--the representative responsible for games in the new German government--has also attended. European games associations such as Video Games Europe and EGDF also regularly take advantage of gamescom, using it as a place to invite political leaders to the event, with 2024's gamescom hosting over 500 political guests.
Yet it’s not just the in-person extravaganza that has blossomed. In its five short years of existence, gamescom Opening Night Live has only gone from strength to strength, establishing itself as a key event in gaming culture’s calendar. Gamescom ONL has been chosen as the place to reveal Borderlands 4, Dead Island 2, Dune Awakening, and many others, with 2024’s edition seeing 44 million viewers watching the show's content globally.
Last year, gamescom tripled its opening exhibitor number, hosting 1,462 exhibitors, with even more exhibitors and visitors expected in 2025. With the inaugural years of gamescom asia X Thailand Game Show and gamescom latam already attracting huge industry attention, gamescom looks set to continue its reputation for hosting the biggest and best events in video games.
There's still time to pick up tickets for gamescom 2025, which runs from August 20th to August 24th. Even if you can't make the event, you can tune in to gamescom Opening Night Live for all the gaming reveals on August 19.
But it gets even better because from August, the gamescom website transforms into gamescom now, the content hub for all your gamescom needs. This includes the gamescom awesome indies show streaming on August 21 and all partner content--it's everything you need to satiate your game news cravings. Go to gamescom.global to learn more about the excellent content options you can experience.
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