The Big Bad Rona has claimed a second year of great gaming events, and Gamescom 2021 is the latest victim following in the steps of E3 2021 going all-digital.
It should come as no surprise to anybody, but Gamescom 2021 will once again by a digital event with no in-person meeting taking place at the usual spot in Koln. The reason? The Rona, obviously. And seeing as how Oktoberfest has been called off, it makes sense that Gamescom won’t be going ahead as usual.
Instead, we’re getting a digital event, much like last year, with developers and publishers showing their wares to fans and media alike via livestreams and pre-recorded presentations. The good news is that it means it’s free for everybody and you won’t have to contend with the crowds inside the usual venue.
Oliver Frese, Chief Operating Officer of Koelnmesse says: “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. 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 comments: “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.”
Gamescom 2021 takes place online from August 25th until August 27th.
