Gamescom has started, initially in Brazil. In partnership with the German trade fair, an event is to be established there that will even attract companies that avoid Cologne.
The Gamescom starts in August? If you mean the trade fair in Cologne, this question can be answered with a clear “yes”. However, a Gamescom is already underway, just not in Germany.
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The first Gamescom Latam opened its doors yesterday in São Paulo, Brazil. And it seems to be a great success that can fill a gap after the cancellation of E3.
Sony and Nintendo are also there
The Gamescom Latem is based on a cooperation between Gamescom and the long-standing Brazil Indie Games Festival (BIG Festival). The fair started yesterday, Wednesday, and was initially reserved for trade visitors.
From today until Sunday, the halls of the São Paulo Expo Centre are open to the general public. 100,000 visitors are expected, after the festival attracted around 50,000 visitors last year.
Gustavo Steinberg, CEO of Gamescom Latam, emphasized in a Interview with Gamesindustrythat more than 1,000 companies have registered for Gamescom Latem, including Xbox (via ID@Xbox), Ubisoft, Warner Bros, Epic Games and Roblox.
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Compared to the German counterpart, there is even a unique selling point: Sony and Nintendo are also represented in São Paulo, while participation in the Gamescom in Cologne is planned by both console manufacturers. was cancelled.
According to Gamesindustry, Sega, Plaion and Square Enix are exhibiting their games at official PS5 booths, which is quite remarkable given the opposing decision for the German trade fair.
Great growth opportunities in Brazil
The fact that even Sony and Nintendo are among the exhibitors is probably a result of the increasingly important market. Steinberg referred to reports from the trade organization Abragames, according to which Brazil is the fifth largest gaming market in the world in terms of the number of players. In terms of player spending, it is already the tenth largest market for video games.
“We have a population of more than 200 million people and 70 percent of them play games. We are the largest country in the southern hemisphere and therefore a major force in the industry, so why shouldn't they have a trade show here?”
We will find out what will happen next with Gamescom Latem next week at the latest, after the full interview between Gamesindustry and Gustavo Steinberg is published. Future plans are one topic. However, it seems that Gamescon Latem is set to become an integral part of the future gaming landscape.
“With the exception of Pocket Gamer, a niche event, we are the only global gaming event [in Südamerika]”, says Steinberg. “Technically, now that E3 is no longer a thing, we are the biggest event in America.”
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Nothing beats the festival atmosphere on site
Felix Falk, Managing Director of the German Games Industry Association, declared in November 2023that the continued success of Gamescom shows that the industry needs events “where the entire ecosystem comes together.” This includes developers, publishers, investors and service providers.
And while Gamescom in Europe has already reached hundreds of thousands of visitors in Cologne and millions online, Falk believes that the success of such events requires a local presence. Because there is “nothing like the festival atmosphere on site”. In Asia too there is already a branch.
More news about Gamescom Latem.
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