2020 was a year of digital-only exhibitions, as health and security limitations precluded the extensive travel and groups that describe the biggest events in gaming. Germany’s gamescom event is one of the greatest, surely regarding the tremendous groups it would ordinarily draw, yet it took care of conditions well with an effective online show.
With the ongoing pandemic issues and, maybe more importantly, vulnerabilities that change per country, gamescom has affirmed it’ll be digital-only again this year. Oliver Frese, Chief Operating Officer of Koelnmesse, says the following in the press release:
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.
As referenced above, the show had a decent go at making its online eventa triumph a year ago, and it’s expecting to do so once more. It’ll open with gamescom: Opening Night Live with Geoff Keighley on 25th August, at that point there’ll be main events through to 27th August.
Similar to the case with E3, a digital-only show will ideally as yet bring a lot of uncovers and excitement for everybody tuning in online. We’ll make certain to follow events as they develop later in the summer.