A rather big event is happning next week in Germany. I’ll give you a hint as to what it is – there’s “game” in the name. That’s right, I’m talking about Gamescom 2015. There’s been talk lately about too many conventions cluttering up the works, but Gamescom 2015 is different. This is a huge, necessary event and everyone needs to be ready for announcements next week.
That’s because Gamescom has become one of the big three. This isn’t some general convention, even though the public is allowed access to it. It’s one of the three major events for video game coverage. North America gets E3 in June, Japan gets the Tokyo Game Show every September, and August belongs to Gamescom in Europe. Does it end up being a barrage of conventions one after another? Yes, but that doesn’t make the middle man any less important.
Europe gets a lot of great games, and while many end up coming to the region after the Asian and North American releases, that doesn’t make it any less important. Rather, it means the continent and Gamescom deserve more attention. Companies are going to want to show the people there that they matter and make the event a special one for them.
It’s already happening. Yes, Sony is skipping a Gamescom press conference this year, but Microsoft, EA, and even Blizzard have their briefings dated. These briefings are never rehashes, either. They always contain new content that wasn’t discussed at E3, so people can expect important information to come from the event.
Anyone who needs convincing only needs to look at the Gamescom 2015 map . The Koelnmesse is huge. There are five halls with entertainment areas, one of which shares with a friends and family area. There’s a fanshop. The business halls are equal in size to some of the entertainment spaces for booths. Video Games Live and Last Man Standing @ Gamescom even get their own areas. It’s easily the equal of E3 in terms of space.
It may seem like there’s a lot of news to keep up with. Especially since events like Anime Expo, the San Diego Comic Con, and Otakon are getting more coverage every year. Don’t let that distract you from what’s important, though. You can’t succumb to con fatigue just yet, because Gamescom 2015 deserves your full attention.