Gamescom's Cologne show has quickly become one of the games industry’s premier events of the year, combining a vibrant B2C expo that welcomes hundreds of thousands of fans with a busy B2B area that itself hosts tens of thousands of visitors
The event has already expanded to Asia with its Singapore show. Now organisers are heading to Latin America, merging with Brazil’s Independent Games (BIG) Festival, which formed just over 10 years ago in 2012 and welcomed 50,000 visitors this year.
The newly rebranded Gamescom LATAM will take place in Sao Paulo between June 26th and 30th. It will represent a busy second half of the year for Gamescom, which will host three major events in the space of just four months.
We truly believe that the games industry requires events like Gamescom.Felix Falk, Game
So why do we need another Gamescom?
“We truly believe that the games industry requires events like Gamescom, where people from various fields such as the community, game developers, publishers, investors, esports and creators unite,” Felix Falk, MD of German games industry association Game, tells PocketGamer.biz.
“Gamescom is the biggest games event in the world - 2023 with an even greater global attention than ever before. Although Gamescom is already fully digital and attracts millions of fans worldwide, nothing beats the festival atmosphere on site. That's why we want to expand this successful idea to other continents and communities by establishing events like Gamescom Asia and Gamescom LATAM.”
As for choosing Brazil as the location for its latest expansion, Falk says the country and wider Latin America region represent exciting emerging markets. By merging Gamescom and BIG Festival, Falk hopes to garner even more attention for the Sao Paulo show, which has already steadily grown over the past decade.
BIG deal
Despite the merger and rebranding, the BIG Festival name will not be lost completely. It will be retained for an area dedicated to showcasing independent games and the BIG Awards.
Gamescom LATAM CEO Gustavo Steinberg - who was already serving as BIG Festival CEO - says the expansion will not only help attract a larger audience for the B2C expo, but will also enhance the B2B area.
“It is an important step forward to demonstrate to potential buyers and investors that it is indeed one of the most relevant hubs for game development in the world,” says Steinberg.
Having extra spotlight from the world because of the collaboration from Gamescom can only help indies from the region to get more attention.Gustavo Steinberg, Gamescom LATAM
BIG Festival had already grown its international footprint, though it has remained very much grounded in supporting Brazil’s games industry. For its 2023 event, the show attracted more than 700 companies from over 50 countries to the B2B area. Of these, 483 were from Brazil, 84 from North America, 70 from the wider Latin America region, 57 from Europe, and 25 from Asia.
Steinberg says that, despite the merger, the show remains “indie at heart”. And while it hopes to attract triple-A games - it already hosted Xbox, Nintendo, Epic, Ubisoft and others at BIG Festival 2023 - he feels this can only help put indies further into the spotlight.
“There's no contradiction between big publishers and indie developers at the same show,” says Steinberg.
“That's why we believe the DNA of Gamescom is a perfect match for BIG Festival: we both have the B2B and the B2C content of the show. And having extra spotlight from the world because of the collaboration from Gamescom can only help indies from the region to get more attention.”
