In a new announcement by the team behind gamescom, it appears that they are aiming for their 2023 festivities next month to be “record-breaking”, with exhibitors from more than 60 different nations set to make it onto the show-floor. This expands on 2022 numbers, where there was a representation from 53 nations.
The organizers of gamescom have confirmed that the 2023 event will accommodate 33 country pavilions representing 26 different nations. The exhibition space is expanding significantly, increasing by 10,000 square meters from 2022, to cover a total area of 230,000 square meters.
gamescom 2023 will open with a dedicated ‘Opening Night Live’, hosted by Geoff Keighley, with IGN securing the rights to produce gamescom Studio, the official livestream of the event.
Reflecting on last year’s success, Tim Endres, Director of gamescom at Koelnmesse, expressed his excitement for this year’s event:
Last year, thanks to its unique community and strong support from many game companies, gamescom celebrated a great comeback. This year, we’re taking it up a notch in several ways because gamescom is growing in various areas. I am particularly pleased that we have received so much support from the industry and that large companies that have been absent for the past few years are participating this year.
But the fact that our further opening to related industries, such as the streaming sector, is bearing fruit shows the great appeal of gamescom. Ultimately, our significance as the world’s most important game event is evident not only in being more international than in 2022 but even before the pandemic! Like our community, I can’t wait for gamescom 2023 to start.
Felix Falk, Managing Director of game – the German Games Industry Association, emphasized the international appeal of gamescom:
Games are an international phenomenon: Around 3 billion people worldwide play across borders. For this international community, gamescom is the highlight event. Especially in such a global industry as ours, central events are needed where the community and industry come together. Games are celebrated together, and the outstanding importance of the game industry becomes clear to everyone. The positive development of exhibitors and the increased internationality demonstrate how important gamescom is in this regard. Already, millions of people worldwide are looking forward to the end of August when gamescom opens its doors again – onsite in Köln and digitally worldwide.
In recent weeks, an array of companies have declared their participation at gamescom 2023. The list includes 9GAG, Aerosoft, Amazon Games, Amazon Prime, AMD, Assemble Entertainment, astragon Entertainment, BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment, Bethesda Softworks, Crunchyroll, Devolver Digital, ESL FACEIT Group, Focus Entertainment, Frontier Developments, GIANTS Software, Headup Games, Hoyoverse, The LEGO Group, Level Infinite, MINI, Netflix, Nexon, Nintendo, Pearl Abyss, PLAION, Raw Fury, Rocket Beans TV, Samsung, SEGA, Star Wars Ashoka (Disney+), Team17, TikTok, Ubisoft, and Xbox. More are expected to be announced closer to the event – with a notable exception reportedly being Sony Interactive Entertainment, following their decision not to attend Gamescom 2022 in favour of their own platforms.
gamescom 2023 will run from Wednesday 23 August 2023 – Sunday 27 August 2023 inclusive in Cologne, Germany.
