Today, Koelnmesse and the German Games Industry Association confirmed that Gamescom has signed a new contract with the city of Cologne.
Gamescom originally premiered back in 2009, bringing 450 exhibitors from 31 countries and 228,000 visitors, including 17,000 trade visitors, to the city along with it. By comparison, 2024 saw 1,462 exhibiting companies from 64 countries, attracting 335,000 people from 120 countries, including around 32,000 trade visitors.
The 2024 event broke records, becoming the world’s largest event for computer and video games, showcasing titles like Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Little Nightmares 3, Avowed, and Unknown 9: Awakening. Much of this success can also be attributed to the partnership with Cologne, as they have invested in formats such as the Gamescom congress, Europe’s leading conference on the potential of games, and the Gamescom invest circle, a matchmaking event for investors and games studios.
The partnership promises to expand even further with the new contract, adding in satellite events in Asia and Latam, as well as Devcom and Gamescom LAN. The 2025 showcase is also setting up to be a huge one.
According to Koelnmesse, the registration rate for 2025 is already up 27 percent from last year, coming from several big companies across 46 different countries, breaking the early bird registration record. Gamescom 2025 will take place on August 19 and last until August 24.
Currently, there is no indication of what games will be a part of it. Exhibitors for the event will be announced later, and interested companies can find information about opportunities on the official website.