Gamescom 2021 will be online only, dropping the previously planned hybrid event plans – the German Games Industry Association has announced.
The decision that Gamescom 2021 will be online only came after lots of talks with event organizers, exhibitors, and partners – many of whom said they are unable to participate in physical events this year still due to the “difficult environment.”
Gamescom 2021 will kick off with Gamescom: Opening Night Live, hosted by Geoff Keighley on August 25th, after which the two main days of Gamescom 2021 will kick off from August 26 and August 27. The Gamescom Now hub will be revamped with new features for users and partners., while the Gamescom sister show Devcom will also be held from August 23 through the 27.
“Together with game – The German Games Industry Association, we have put all our energy into making gamescom 2021 in a hybrid format possible for fans and industry alike,” said Oliver Frese, Chief Operating Officer of Koelnmesse. “However, even though the hybrid concept was very well received by the partners, we had to recognize that gamescom still comes too early for many companies in the industry due to the required planning reliability. One thing is absolutely clear: All those involved now need planning reliability. That’s why we’re going for a purely digital gamescom again this year and, with sufficient lead time, will be able to offer the gaming community an even stronger online event at the end of August 2021. gamescom 2020 and other trade fairs such as DMEXCO @home 2020 and h+h cologne @home 2021 are proof that we can do this. All partners can book their participation starting immediately.”
Felix Falk, Managing Director of game – The German Games Industry Association added, “We, as the game industry, also want to use gamescom to show that innovations and bold developments are the best way to deal with such crises. With this in mind, the gamescom team has been hard at work for months on gamescom 2021, especially on the digital elements. Next year will be the first time that we will be able to implement many of the new concepts for the hybrid format of gamescom. For digital gamescom 2021, our focus is to provide even more games and reach as well as a heightened community atmosphere. We are therefore introducing a completely new concept called gamescom epix, which sends the community on a joint quest journey in social media even before gamescom begins. What we want to do with this is transfer even more of the unique gamescom atmosphere to the digital world. Together with our numerous partners, we want to make gamescom the world’s biggest gaming event again in 2021.”
