Gamescomis a household name among gamers, for many reasons. Not only is it the biggest gaming convention in the world, but it has spread out in so many ways that anyone can legitimately participate. Gamescom 2024 may have come and gone, but not without first looks atBorderlands 4, Mafia: The Old Country, and many, many more games coming out in the next few months and years. Ahead of the event, a representative for Game (the brand owner/co-organizer of Gamescom), Felix Falk, told us that “Gamescom is the signal ahead for better times,” and while that remains to be seen, it surely felt like that when we left the convention center.
Gamescom 2024 was expected to break records, and that it did. That’s an impressive feat in and of itself, but it’s even more impressive considering the age of Gamescom and how the convention center has always set a new bar for itself. Combine this with its continued, yet well-regulated growth over the years, and it wasn’t just an impressiveGamescom in 2024- it’s been an impressive road to 2024.
Gamescom Kicks Off in 2009
The very first Gamescom kicked off in 2009, and while its premiere was obviously smaller than its current set-up today, it was nothing to scoff at. The idea of Gamescom, the community around that idea, and all that was more than enough to prove this was something special. Gamescom debuted with an incredible attendance of 245,00 guests, including 17,000 trade visitors and 228,000 consumers. This immediately madeGamescom the biggest gaming convention in the world, a name that had not yet proven itself in an incredibly competitive industry. By numbers, Gamescom 2009 had an incredibly debut.
Gamescom 2009 by the Numbers
Numbers can be cold, calculating, and reductive, but not in this case. At the heart of all of this was a celebration of video games, with Gamescom 2009 and the various conferences held in association revealing huge game industry news, such as thePS3 Slimand release date forFable 3. The Gamecom Awards saw games likeStarcraft 2 - Wings of Liberty, Uncharted 2, Zelda: Spirit Tracks, andModern Warfare 2take home new accolades.
In 2009, Gamescom was off to the races, and it was not slowing down.
Gamescom, Before The Pandemic
10 years later, Gamescom would have its biggest show ever. No one understood at the time that the COVID Pandemic was just a few short months out, forcingGamescom 2020 and Gamescom 2021 to be digital/hybrid events. 2019 saw the debut of Opening Night Live, as hosted by Geoff Keighley, which has become synonymous with world premieres. It’s such a perfect fit for Gamescom, however, that anyone would be forgiven for thinking that Opening Night Live had been around so long.
In this ten year period, attendance numbers grew from 245,000 in 2009 to 373,000 in 2019. While this remains the record to this day, it’s worth mentioning that it’s not one that Game is necessarily interested in breaking. There’s only so many people who can comfortably fit into the Koelnmesse convention center, and more ways than ever to be involved digitally with the show. Still, Gamescom’s growth is incredibly well maintained by Game, which in an industry driven and sometimes destroyed by the need for growth is remarkable.
Gamescom 2019 By The Numbers
Gamescom Awards sawgames likeDreams, Borderlands 3, Monster Hunter World: Iceborne, Gears 5, Link’s Awakening, DOOM Eternal, Wasteland 3, Concrete Genie, and more take home accolades. Jsut like years prior, major news broke and everyone could feel the electricity in the air, the very electricity that powers the games industry.
While the COVID-19 pandemic made Gamescom go digital and could have surely and completely disrupted the convention, it didn’t.Gamescom bounced back as strongas ever when it returned to a physical showcase in 2022, and this year’s event still managed to break records.
Gamescom: Now and the Future
Before the trade fair even began, Gamescom broke records this year with over 1400 exhibitors (roughly 1000 more than its debut in 2009) and a total of 48 pavilions from 37 countries (an increase from 2023’s 33 pavilions and 26 countries). The total attendance for Gamescom was 335,000, with 32,000 trade visitors as well. No one doubts Gamescom’s strength and these numbers simply reinforce what everyone has known since 2009: Gamescom is special.
But Gamescom is also so much more now than the one trade fair and Opening Night Live Showcase. Over the years, Gamescom has built several programs that have stood strong all this time, while also expanding its brand identity. Gamescom now doesn’t only represent a trade fair in Cologne, Germany; it also represents atrade fair in Sao Paulo, Brazil(partnered with BIG Festival) and Singapore for Asia. While unconfirmed, it seems like a safe assumption that more Gamescom trade fairs will pop up across the entire world over the next few years.
Gamescom Opening Night Live had over 40 million views, double from 2023. Devcom, the developer-oriented partner show of Gamescom, broke records for attendance (5000), session (210), and speaker numbers (350). Gamescom Congress tackled ideas of “Games and Artificial Intelligence” and “Games and Democracy,” Gamescom Cares continues to walk the walk instead of just talk the talk, and Gamescom Epix was as engaging as ever. No matter how someone engaged with Gamescom, it’s clear that Gamescom engaged back. And, of course, a lot of games walked away with new records.
And that’s really just the tip of the iceberg.
Gamescom Has to Buckle Up for 2025
It’s impossible to predict the future, but if Gamescom is indeed “signal ahead for better times,” then it has to prepare for those better times. 2023 was an incredibly year for the industry, with high-profile releases likeBaldur’s Gate 3andTears of the Kingdom, and 2025 is shaping up to be the same. 2025 will see the releases of games likeCivilization 7, Kingdom Come Deliverance 2, Borderlands 4, Death Stranding 2, Directive 8020, Doom: The Dark Ages, Fable, The First Berserker: Khazan, FragPunk, Little Nightmares 3, Mafia: The Old Country, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, Monster Hunter Wilds, Pokemon Legends: Z-A, and plenty of others. But, worth signaling out on its own is also therelease ofGrand Theft Auto 6, with its predecessor being the highest-profiting entertainment product of all time - no hyperbole.
Many of these games appeared at Gamescom 2024, but they will no doubt have a strong presence throughout 2025 as well. That’s not counting new announcements or surprises, and if nothing else, it seems like2025 will be a huge year for video game releases. Gamescom will be there and involved too, ensuring that the community and industry is as connected as ever.
