Under this year’s main theme of “Heroes in New Dimensions”, around 345,000 visitors from 97 countries (2015: 96) celebrated the world’s largest event for computer and video games on the Cologne fair grounds from 17 to 21 August 2016. With 877 companies (+ 9 percent) from 54 countries (2015: 45), never before have so many companies presented themselves as at gamescom 2016. The foreign share of 68 percent (2015: 65 percent) thus achieved a new peak. Due to adapted legitimation guidelines, the number of trade visitors amounted to 30,500. The foreign share of trade visitors increased to 53 percent (2015: 52 percent). Besides spectacular game stagings, gamescom offered an extensive supporting programme on the fair grounds and in the city: for the gamescom week, with gamescom, the gamescom city festival and other events in the direct vicinity of gamescom, more than 500,000 visitors came to Cologne.

gamescom 2016 convinced due to the great variety of top exhibitors. Visitors were pleased at the newest hardware, hundreds of premieres and blockbuster titles, from consoles and PCs through online to mobile games. This year’s top trends of virtual reality, e-sports and “The player as designer” were omnipresent in the Cologne exhibition halls and provided gamers with fantastic experiences. Away from the exhibitor stands, the programme of the social media stage powered by the BMVI (Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure), the cosplay village, family & friends, the gamescom campus and many indoor and outdoor events provided excellent entertainment.
The area of gamescom encompassed 193,000 square metres. The business area was located in halls 2, 3.2 and 4, the entertainment area in halls 5 to 10. The partner country of gamescom 2016 was Turkey.

Gerald Böse, President and Chief Executive Officer of Koelnmesse GmbH: “gamescom is the most important business platform for the European computer and video games industry. The growth by 9 percent and the renewed increase in the internationality of exhibitors confirm this leading position impressively. With 345,000 visitors from 97 countries on the fair grounds and more than 500,000 guests in the gamescom week, we made the theme of computer and video games experienceable in the exhibition halls and in the city.”

The security measures adapted in coordination with the security authorities were accepted readily by the trade fair participants. The checks took place smoothly. The declared objective of addressing the need of trade fair participants for more security, and at the same time of making gamescom a worldwide unique event without limitations was achieved on all counts. “The stable number of visitors has shown that gaming fans from all over the world placed their trust in us this year in particular”, Böse added.

Dr. Maximilian Schenk, Managing Director of the BIU – German Games Industry Association, the sponsor association of gamescom: “gamescom this year impressively confirmed that it is not only a video game trade fair, but instead a 360 degree event for the future of digital entertainment. Games are the leading medium of our time, and for this reason more and more partners and guests from politics, the economy and many parts of society are coming to gamescom to experience and discuss the digitalisation of media, the economy and society. The growth in the area of national and especially international exhibitors underlines the great international relevance of gamescom as the most important business platform of the European games industry.”

Congress programme of the highest quality
With a high quality congress programme and the incorporation of many partners from other branches, the gamescom congress has underlined its function as a dialogue platform and contributed with a variety of themes to an intensive exchange among visitors. The gamescom congress this year took place according to the motto “The future is playing”. Due to a subdivision into the five umbrella themes of Knowledge, Business, APITs (Applied Interactive Technologies), Legal and Life, the gamescom congress 2016 offered both experts from the games industry and visitors from many other areas a unique forum for a professional exchange on computer und video games. “The response to the gamescom congress 2016 was impressive. The gamescom congress has solidly established itself well beyond the games industry as a central dialogue platform revolving around digital games with its thematic diversity”, commented Katharina C. Hamma, Chief Operating Officer of Koelnmesse and at the same time confirmed the continuation of the event in 2017.

gamescom week 2016: completely oriented to games
The gamescom week 2016 already started on 15 August 2016 with the Game Developers Conference Europe (GDC Europe). The RESPAWN, the VideoDays and the premiere project silent.MOD in the Cologne Cathedral in this August week (15 to 21 August 2016) once again made Cologne the meeting point for hundreds of thousands of people. The gamescom week was rounded off by the gamescom city festival, which this year attracted 150,000 visitors to the city centre, of Cologne. The Hohenzollernring, Rudolfplatz, Platz an St. Aposteln and Neumarkt were completely dominated by an attractive mix of music, street food, games and entertainment. Around 30 bands and artists on four stages, more than 40 international street food providers, infotainment on the theme of “Mobility” and many games stations for big and small once again offered a festival atmosphere intense with experience in the Cologne city.

gamescom 2016 in figures

Number of visitors:
2016: 345,000
2015: 345,000

No. of trade visitors:
2016: 30,500
2015: 33,200

Internationality of visitors:
2016: 97 countries
2015: 96 countries

Exhibiting companies*:
2016: 877
2015: 806
* 877 companies, including 272 exhibitors and 11 additionally represented companies from Germany and 589 exhibitors and 5 additionally represented companies from abroad.

Internationality of exhibitors:
2016: 68 percent share of foreign exhibitors from 53 countries
2015: 65 percent share of foreign exhibitors from 45 countries

Exhibition space:
2016: 193,000 m²
2015: 193,000 m²

Visitors at gamescom city festival:
2016: 150,000
2015: 150,000
In 2017 gamescom will take place
from Tuesday, 22 August to Saturday, 26 August in Cologne.

The next events:
photokina 20.-25.09.2016
dmexco 14.+15.09.2016

Your contact:
Kathrin Münker
Communications Manager
Koelnmesse GmbH
Messeplatz 1
50679 Cologne
Germany
Tel +49 221 821-2528
Fax +49 221 821-3544
k.muenker@koelnmesse.de
www.koelnmesse.com

Note for editorial offices:
Gamescom photos are available in our image database on the Internet at www.gamescom-cologne.com in the “Press” section.
Press information is available at: www.gamescom-cologne.com/pressinformation

If you reprint this document, please send us a sample copy.

gamescom on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/gamescom.cologne
gamescom on twitter:
www.twitter.com/gamescom

image sources