By the numbers, Gamescom is the largest video game trade fair on earth. This year’s edition will kick off on Wednesday, 23 August 2023, and run until Sunday, 27 August 2023. According to the organizers, more than 1,220 exhibitors from 63 countries have already registered to attend.
This is a record-breaking figure and a 7% rise compared to last year’s 1,135 exhibitors from 53 countries. To accommodate the swelling exhibitors, the exhibition space for Gamescom 2023 has also widened by 4.5%, touching about 230,000 square meters in Cologne.
“Gamescom 2023 is more than ever a reflection of the global gaming culture: dynamic, international, creative, diverse, and huge,” said Felix Falk, managing director at the German Games Industry Association (Game). “We are proud that the heart of the gaming world will be beating here in Germany when the doors open for fans and communities next week.”
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Returning to Gamescom 2023 is the Opening Night Live which will hold on August 22 and hosted by Geoff Keighley. Organizers have also announced several programs to keep visitors entertained including spaces for creators and visitors to interact, live music, mobile esports tournaments, and a stage for games from MiHoYo and others.
Hundreds of thousands of gamers will queue up to try their hands on upcoming releases for 15 minutes. Last year, no fewer than 250,000 people from 100 countries attended the event. From all indications, Gamescom 2023 will likely have a record number of attendees too.
COVID-19 impact lingers and rubs off on Gamescom 2023
The worst of the deadly coronavirus is behind us but its impact lingers. During the pandemic, big game companies started experimenting with the virtual presentation of new titles through livestreams. That gave birth to the likes of Xbox Game Showcase, PlayStation Showcase, Ubisoft Forward, Nintendo Direct, and so on.
These livestreams have thrived over the years and many of the big companies have decided to stick with it—perhaps because it is considerably cheaper than flying representatives around the world with purpose-built demo versions of upcoming releases.
The success of those independent shows is the reason why big companies like Take Two, Sony Interactive Entertainment, Activision Blizzard, Epic Games, and Electronic Arts have all decided to skip Gamescom 2023. Earlier this year, the same exodus led to E3 crashing like a pack of cards.
Gamescom organizers are doing something different. In a historic collaboration, Brazil will be the first South American country to be the official partner country of the show. While this is a change, it doesn’t hit too much as a surprise considering the enormous gains in Brazil’s gaming industry in recent years—especially in the mobile and PC games market.
Brazil is now the home to over a thousand game studios. This is a big boom compared to the 133 studios domiciled in the country in 2014. The sector now employs about 13,200 people. Brazil: Game Industry Report 2022 shows that less than half of the studios in the country get state support while the bulk of the studios are financed by the founders.
What video game fans should expect from Gamescom 2023
Notwithstanding the massive exodus of companies from Gamescom 2023, the show must go on. Bandai Namco Entertainment, Microsoft, and Nintendo will all be on ground to offer fans a preview of their upcoming releases. Below are some of the confirmed big announcements that will come to Gamescom 2023.
AMD Radeon will unveil its latest product at Gamescom
Through a tweet, Scott Herkelman, the Senior VP & GM at AMD’s General Manager Graphics Business unit revealed that the company will announce a new product at Gamescom 2023.
“If you can make it to Germany and will be one of the couple hundred of thousand visitors attending one of the biggest gaming events, I hope to talk to you in person!” Herkelman tweeted.
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Although Herkelman did not share details, there are speculations that the products the company will unveil at Gamescom are GPUs RX 7800 XT and RX 7700 XT. A leak from PowerColor further collaborates that information by prematurely disclosing the specifications of one of the GPU models. AMD Highlight Show is scheduled for 25 August 2023 from 17:00 to 17:30 (German time).
4 more Mortal Kombat 1 characters to be unveiled at Gamescom 2023
We are only hours away from Gamescom 2023 opening night where Ed Boon, the creative director of NetherRealm Studios, said four more MK1 characters will be revealed. Boon has been traveling a lot and gamers have received a new MK1 trailer in all the events he has attended. Gamescom will be no different and fans of the franchise have every reason to be excited.
Tekken 8 will feature at Gamescom 2023 Opening Night Live
Another game that has been confirmed for Gamescom’s opening night live is Tekken 8. This year has been a great year for fighting games with virtually all the major fighting games getting a new installment. Tekken 8 shifts the focus to the father-and-son feud between Kazuya Mishima and Jin Kazama.
Apart from Tekken 8, Bandai Namco has a packed lineup for Gamescom 2023 including Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon, Naruto x Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm CONNECTIONS, Park Beyond, Sand Land, and many more.
Indie games have surprises up their sleeves
There is a growing diversity in games, thanks to Indie game developers. The Indie Arena Booth at Gamescom 2023 will feature an array of games from smaller developers aka Indie developers from all over the world. Fans will also get a chance to chat with these developers.
If you get a chance to visit the Indie booth, you will likely be shocked by the creativity and wild thought that drive some of the games. The Retro Area will also make a return at Gamescom 2023 and give fans the opportunity to travel back in history to enjoy vintage titles like Pacman.
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