gamescom asia 2023 is happening this month, Oct 19 - 22, 2023, at Suntec Convention & Exhibition Center and since this is the first time B2C is returning in person since the pandemic, they'll be pulling all the stops.
Last year, which was mostly just B2B, was pretty neat and I loved being a part of it - Shuhei Yoshida was there! But now, they're going gangbusters. Here are some numerical comparisons:
From 4,000 sqm in 2022 to 10,000 sqm in 2023.
Only had about 3,231 visitors from 70 countries in 2022 to an expected 30,000 visitors and 150 exhibitors this year.
Generated about 3.09 million views across PRIMETIME and STUDIO shows, the online experience from last year, but this year, there will also be 80 industry experts will be in person.
So what exactly will be there? Here's a small taste of what you can look forward to.
B2B Trade Zone
Trade Exhibition (19-20 October):
▪ Expo Stage talks, networking & recharge zones, esports zone.
▪ Country pavilions and booths from gaming companies and service providers will showcase the latest games and services to publishers, investors and IP owners.
Trade Conference (19-20 October):
▪ Over 80 industry experts will present in person across three extended tracks. The conference covers the latest gaming trends, as well as tried-and-true games design, business, and marketing principles.
Content Creators Summit (20 October):
▪ Discover the latest trends, tools, and resources for taking content creation to new heights. Attendees can hear from fellow creators and industry professionals in publishing and esports, and explore new opportunities for collaboration, growth, and success.
Developer-Publisher-Investor Speed Networking and VIP Mixer (19 October):
▪ For game developers to meet prospective publishers and investors through an hour of uninterrupted meetings.
Pitch Competition (19 October):
▪ For aspiring game developers to showcase their games, talent, and entrepreneurial spirit to potential publishers and investors.
For more info on speakers and guests, click here.
B2C Entertainment Zone
Now for the spicy stuff.
Physical Exhibition in Singapore (20-22 October)
▪ Showcase of trending games, interactive entertainment, and featured areas like indies, esports, cosplay, board games, group play zones.
▪ Try games by established publishers and indie studios, watch live stage entertainment.
▪ Designated food alley to fuel up
▪ Purchase merchandise from the latest games and classics.
Here is a quick list of the developers and publishers who'll be there - 4Divinity, Arc System Works, Epicsoft Asia, Make Waves, Neopets, PlayStation, and Ubisoft. On top of all of those guys, you've got CAPCOM holding 1 of 3 offline Capcom Pro Tour 2023 legs hosted and streamed from the event! LET'S GOOOO!
4Divinity and Epicsoft Asia will be there to present S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl, a Q1 2024 game. Attendees will also have a chance to try out ENDLESS Dungeon, a new tactical action game that will launch during gamescom asia 2023 on the 19th of Oct. We'll have a review of that game here on GeekOut, watch out for that. On top of those two, fans will have a chance to try out Atomic Heart and the Annihilation Instinct DLC while rocking out in Martiangear gaming chairs.
Ubisoft, which has a HUGE presence in Singapore, will be showing off two huge titles - Assassin's Creed: Mirage, and the highly-anticipated Skull and Bones.
Make Waves, who develops VR and educational apps, will show off 3 VR titles - Sky Strikers, Slam City, and Star Legacy, as well as a mobile puzzler called Other Side of Mist and Mountain, which I think is the BEST name of a video game ever.
Main Stage within Exhibition (21-22 October)
▪ Catch a lineup of live on-stage activities and programmes during the gamescom asia weekend from guest appearances, cosplay fashion show, performances, and more!
You will get the chance to meet voice actors of Honkai: Star Rail characters - Su Ling Chan, Craig Lee Thomas, Molly Zhang and Emily Sun. You might even get a chance to snag some Honkai freebies.
If you're an A.K.I. fan from Street Fighter 6, Faye Mata will also be there.
Singapore Cosplay Club collaborated with gamescom to produce Walk of Valor and Might, the convention's cosplay fashion show. Some prominent content creators such as Kitz Cua and Charess Mabia are also going to be there.
And for those who have SuperFan tickets, you get to catch a performance by PLAYERTWO on Oct 20.
If you can't come to Singapore to hang out, you could join the festivities online.
Online (19 & 22 October)
▪ PRIMETIME and STUDIO will return on 19 October and 22 October respectively, with sneak peeks and other extended content for global audiences.
Steam Event (Online)
▪ Tried some really great games at gamescom asia? Wishlist or get them on Steam! Throughout the week of gamescom asia, discover the games for play on our Steam festival page - expect limited demos, flash sales, and explore fresh indie games and games from Asia.
Indie Wavemakers
This will run across both the Entertainment and Trade Zones, for studios and developers looking for publishers and investors, as well as valuable gamer feedback and testing on their new releases and demos. Indie exhibitors can also share about their games on the Indie Wavemakers Live Stage.
There will be over 30 indie titles that you can actually get hands-on time with.
SEA Game Awards
The awards aim to recognise and celebrate creativity, artistry, and technical genius of the finest game developers from the Southeast Asian and International video game industry. In partnership with Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), gamescom asia will recognise the SEA Game Awards winners at the event for the first time.
If you want to register as a trade and industry member, click here, and if you wanna be part of the public entertainment zone (where the juicy stuff happens), click here.
I'm going to be there because I will be directly involved in some of the activities