Shrill, colorful, fantastic, loud and full – that was the Gamescom game fair until Corona came. While the meeting point for gamers otherwise attracted up to 370,000 visitors to Cologne every year, the world’s most important computer games fair this year, like so many other events, will take place exclusively digitally on the Internet. But the industry is confident: “We can digitally,” says Felix Falk, managing director of the industry association game, the German press agency.
Gamescom will open its digital gates from August 27th to 30th. Nobody needs to buy a ticket this time. There is also no need to queue in long rows. On the evening of the 27th, a big opening show will kick off. After registering, visitors can use “Gamescom Now” to find all content and announcements from developers, publishers and partners, interviews and live demos. Cosplayers and retro fans will also get their money’s worth here.
For a long time, the makers had hoped that the fair could take place at the end of August – perhaps with restrictions, but basically as usual. “But then, in a few months, to get something completely new up and running in terms of the concept, that was an immense challenge,” says Falk. “I’m glad we did it.”
The organizers were able to win over more than 300 partners for their online spectacle. “I think it’s an outstanding number,” said Koelnmesse boss Gerald Böse last week. Compared to the Gamescom 2019 edition, more than half of the partners are newcomers. There was a prominent commitment from Activision Blizzard, which is very popular with gamers. “We can reach a lot more people digitally,” says association representative Falk. The “global charisma of Gamescom” can thus be fully used.
The virtual visitors expected many announcements, including major titles that fans have been waiting for a long time, promises Falk. But e-sports, digital learning opportunities and so-called serious games, which convey serious content in a playful way, are also part of the program. The new generation of game consoles is likely to be the main source of excitement. Sony
It remains to be seen whether there will be any more news at Gamescom. The fair would be a good opportunity for large corporations to announce the price and the specific publication date, says Markus Schwerdtel, editor and member of the editors-in-chief of “GamePro” and “GameStar”. “But it seems to me as if the two of them are standing still and watching each other.”
Technically, the devices are about the same in terms of equipment and performance, says Schwerdtel. Among other things, with excellent graphics and an SSD drive, both offer features that no personal computer can offer, at least for this price. With its Game Pass, however, Microsoft could be ahead of the game.
While Sony and Microsoft traditionally offer a race for the most powerful technology for their consoles, Nintendo has been going other ways for years and is focusing on entertainment and gaming fun with its console. According to Schwerdtel, the switch was technically “dusty” when it was launched in 2017. Nevertheless, Nintendo is currently the “big winner”. And at the start of the Corona crisis, the company published the game on the crisis with “Animal Crossing” and made “money like hay”.
For the games industry there is light and shadow at the same time in the corona crisis, says association boss Falk. Closed schools, home office and shutdown – for many people, gaming played an important role during the early days of the corona crisis. A life without video games is now almost unthinkable for every third user, the digital association Bitkom recently found out. “The gaming industry is clearly one of the winners of the crisis,” says board member Olaf May.
“The usage figures have risen sharply,” confirms Falk. “Many say games helped them through the crisis.” In contrast, there were often shadows for developers who had to postpone their schedules. “The highly complex technologies cannot simply be taken into the home office,” says Falk. For many developers it is a very demanding task to get everything ready on time. / Gri/DP/zb
ISIN JP3435000009 US5949181045 US00507V1098 FR0000127771 JP3756600007
AXC0043 2020-08-24/07:20
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