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| (Image Source: Game Rant/gamescom) |
gamescom 2024 breaks new records, reaching more people than ever before. The world’s largest gaming community came together in Cologne, Germany this week to celebrate their passion for gaming both in person and online. Over 335,000 visitors from around 120 countries worldwide flocked to the biggest gaming convention in Europe with the August 23 and 24 dates completely sold out. Online viewership for the show programme reached an all-time high, with over 310 million video views recorded by the night of August 24 alone. The figures for gamescom Opening Night Live are particularly impressive, racking up over 40 million video views – double that of the previous year. This year’s numbers significantly exceeded the previous record, setting a new global benchmark. The number of trade visitors was around 32,000 with North America and Japan showing the largest increases. Another highlight for the community was the gamescom epix community adventure with the new digital gamescom trading cards. A total of 2.5 million page views were registered by August 24. Both the gamescom congress and devcom developer conference reached new all-time highs this year.
Koelnmesse GmbH President and Chief Executive Officer Gerald Böse commented, “gamescom has once again proven its unmatched global reach and significance as the world’s leading event for the gaming industry. Surpassing last year’s figures with record-breaking digital engagement and a rise in on-site visitors, gamescom, Koelnmesse and the game association unite gaming fans worldwide through their shared passion, driving innovation and partnerships in the gaming industry in a way no other event has ever done before.” Felix Falk, Managing Director of gamescom co-organizer game – The German Games Industry Association, said, “gamescom 2024 was a resounding success. The surge in international participation across multiple sectors firmly establishes gamescom as one of the most renowned global event brands for years to come. This week has once again underscored the tremendous societal, cultural and technological impact of games, and why countries worldwide are eagerly vying to become the top destination for the gaming industry. Games are the gateway to the future.” Around 80,000 people gathered in downtown Cologne for an unforgettable gamescom city festival last August 25-26. gamescom is set to return next year on August 20-24, 2025 and will kick off on August 19, 2025 with gamescom Opening Night Live.
Meanwhile, the 16th annual gamescom congress held last August 22, 2024 was more diverse, international and larger than ever before. 150 experts from all over the world impressively demonstrated in 70 sessions on eight stages how social, economic and technological progress can be spurred on by games. Over 900 guests, more than ever before, did not miss out on the varied programme and took advantage of the numerous opportunities for professional exchange on site. These record numbers were made possible by the event's move to the new Confex conference centre on the Koelnmesse exhibition grounds. The gamescom congress 2024 thus once again underlined its position as the world's leading conference on the potential of computer and video games. Using current practical examples, the congress showed how culture, business, science and society can benefit from the innovative power of games. The variety of topics this year was greater than ever before and ranged from the use of games in space travel, the automotive industry and foreign policy to strengthening education and climate protection. This year's programme focused on talks and panels on the topics of "Games and Artificial Intelligence" and "Games and Democracy". To utilize the enormous potential of games in Germany and to catch up as a location for the games industry in international competition, the framework conditions for the development of games and their technologies must be improved in Germany. Top politicians debated the necessary steps and strategies in the panel "Games Location No. 1 - How Can Germany Catch Up?". The panel included Michael Kellner (State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action), Nathanael Liminski (Minister for Federal and European Affairs, International Affairs and Media of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia and Head of the State Chancellery), Franziska Giffey (Senator for Economic Affairs, Energy and Public Enterprises and Mayor of Berlin) and Dr. Fabian Mehring (Bavaria's State Minister for Digital Affairs).
"Games are among the most important drivers of innovation for technology and business and make an effective contribution to the transfer of knowledge and basic democratic values. Nowhere is this more evident than at the gamescom congress. With a record number of impressive talks and presentations, experts from all over the world have shown: games are making an impressive contribution at all levels such as education, research, diversity and environmental protection as well as business and politics. The gamescom congress provides important impulses to ensure that the outstanding potential of games is utilised even more frequently," says Falk. "The gamescom congress brings together experts from all areas of society, business, science and politics. Thanks to its wide range of topics, the congress offers a unique forum during the week of gamescom. By moving to the new Confex conference centre, we are paving the way for further growth in the coming years," says Böse. gamescom congress 2024 was made possible through the support and cooperation of its partners Stadt Köln, KölnBusiness, BDI, eit Culture & Creativity, esports player foundation, Fashion Council Germany, GMK, Google, Institut français, k3d, Nordic Game Institute, Playing for the Planet, Stiftung Digitale Spielekultur, Dataspelsbranschen and USK as well as Curatomic, Nerdstar and Quinke Networks.
Last August 23, 2024, the winners of this year's coveted gamescom awards 2024 were announced at the IGN-poweres gamescom studio. Both the jury of the gamescom awards and the fans and visitors of gamescom agree that the big winner of gamescom 2024 is Monster Hunter Wilds. The magnificent monster hunt from Capcom was recognized as the Most Epic and Most Entertaining game as well as the Best Sony PlayStation Game. The trailer for the action-packed hunting adventure also impressed both the jury and fans. Bandai Namco's Little Nightmares 3 was awarded for its outstanding graphic and audio qualities and was named Best Microsoft Xbox Game. With Frostpunk 2 (Best Gameplay) and Creatures of Ava (Games for Impact), 11bit Studios secured two awards. Tavern Talk from German developer Gentle Troll was honored as the Most Wholesome Game. The grand booth of Microsoft Xbox, Bethesda and Blizzard in Hall 7 was the most convincing. The gamescom sustainability award honors an organization within the global gaming industry for its special commitment to sustainable values such as carbon accounting, emissions reduction, and collaboration with suppliers. This year, the award, presented by the UN's Playing for the Planet initiative, was given to Tencent Games and was accepted by Tencent Americas President Brent Irvin during gamescom's Opening Night Live last August 20, 2024. The Playing for the Planet jury was particularly impressed by Tencent's transparent approach to outlining a detailed plan for achieving its ambitious sustainability goals with regular, data-driven progress reports. The HEART OF GAMING Award is presented annually by the gamescom awards jury to recognize special highlights of gamescom. In addition to games, expansions, and technologies, individuals, institutions, companies, concepts, or terms are also considered. This year, the jury is recognizing the special role of games in the protection and preservation of our democracy. The award acknowledges the trend of civil society actors, memorial sites, and political institutions using computer and video games in various contexts to convey and protect democratic values. Here is the full list of gamescom awards 2024 winners across 14 categories:
ARTS
• Best Visuals: Little Nightmares 3, Supermassive Games/Bandai Namco Entertainment
• Best Audio: Little Nightmares 3, Supermassive Games/Bandai Namco Entertainment
• Best Gameplay: Frostpunk 2, 11bit studios
• Most Entertaining: Monster Hunter Wilds, Capcom
• Most Epic: Monster Hunter Wilds, Capcom
• Most Wholesome: Tavern Talk, Gentle Troll Entertainment
• Games for Impact: Creatures of Ava, Inverge Studios/11bit studios
PLATFORM
• Best Microsoft Xbox Game: Little Nightmares 3, Supermassive Games/Bandai Namco Entertainment
• Best PC Game: Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, Warhorse Studios/Plaion
• Best Sony PlayStation Game: Monster Hunter Wilds, Capcom
• Best Mobile Game: Genshin Impact, HoYoverse
GLOBAL
• Best Trailer/Announcement: Monster Hunter Wilds, Capcom
• Best of Show Floor: Microsoft Xbox/Bethesda/Blizzard
• HEART OF GAMING Award: games that protect democracy
• gamescom sustainability award: Tencent Games
