The gamescom 2022 had to do without the big names like EA, Activision, Sony or Nintendo. Did that hurt the world’s biggest gaming trade fair?
The gamescom is not only the largest gaming trade fair in Germany, but also worldwide. As such, it always gathered all the important publishers like Nintendo, Sony or Electronic Arts around it. Simply everyone wanted to present their latest games at gamescom. But then came the Corona pandemic.
gamescom 2022 just a tired copy?
In 2020 and 2021, companies and visitors had to make do with a digital version of the fair. Nevertheless, the big names still presented their games, such as FIFA or Call of Duty. This year, gamescom finally returned to the halls of Koelnmesse – but Nintendo and Co. didn’t want to stop by.
https://twitter.com/gamescom/status/1563968501618036737
There were many reasons for this. For a long time, for example, it was not clear whether gamescom would actually take place on site. That was apparently too uncertain for many of the gaming giants. In addition, the pandemic showed that games can also be presented excellently in an online showcase. The costs here are kept within limits. A stand at gamescom, on the other hand, is expensive even for Sony or EA.
This year, more money was taken out of the pockets of visitors for a ticket than in the past – even though there were no big publishers. Two years without any real income have also left their mark on the event industry. But the prices were apparently so high that sales stalled. The tickets were therefore offered at a reduced price shortly before the start of the fair.
Is gamescom a failure?
Now you might think that gamescom doesn’t have much of a future under these circumstances. The games magnets are not there, the stream of visitors is missing. Yet the absence of EA and Co. also offers opportunities. In 2022, for example, other publishers and games came to the fore.
Ubisoft was one of the flagships of gamescom with “Skull and Bones”. And “Goat Simulator 3”, “The Devil in me” or “Sonic: Frontiers” also attracted some gaming fans.
“If the old hands don’t want to be at the start, then okay, they’re just out of luck,” said streamer Amar, unimpressed by the lack of big names. “It’s clearly less than usual, but still: people are having fun! You just discover yourself anew.”
In general, the content creators and streamers were a big plus at gamescom this year. Whether HandOfBlood, Amar or MontanaBlack – there was always something going on somewhere. Especially the TikTok stand was a crowd puller in the absence of Twitch. Every day, new events took place here with the big names of the scene.
This will be my new ringtone! Auuuuuuuuuu Gamescom @rezomusik pic.twitter.com/y8j0RWmqMd
– Jasmin Gnu (@Jasmin_Gnu) August 27, 2022
Stars to touch and interact with the community played a big role after two years without personal contact.
“If you look at the whole gaming scene, everything takes place online. And when you then have the opportunity to really see people in persona and have a private exchange with them that way, it has a completely different added value,” said content creator Shurjoka, looking forward to her fans.
This need for social contact is likely to diminish again over the next few years. Nevertheless, gamescom has great value for the gaming scene through the coming together of publishers, creators and streamers. Tobias Henning, General Manager of TikTok Germany, also sees it this way:
This is a completely different atmosphere that triggers a wonderful energy here and I think this gamescom is absolutely needed for that.
First and foremost, for the most important part of the industry, the players:inside, that should still be the case. And you don’t need EA, Nintendo or Activision for that.
