With just weeks to go until some of the best and brightest in the game industry meet in Cologne to attend GDC Europe, conference officials want to remind attendees that your GDC Europe pass grants you complimentary access to the gamescom trade fair, which is co-located with GDC Europe.
In order to shed some light on the state of gamescom for GDC Europe attendees who may be unfamiliar with the event and its role in the European game industry, we chatted briefly with BIU managing director Maximillian Schenk.
The BIU (or Bundesverband Interaktive Unterhaltungssoftware) represents the European interests of Nintendo, Microsoft, Sony and other game makers, and is the primary organizer of gamescom.
How do you think gamescom has evolved in the past few years, and why?
Gamescom has become bigger every year, with an expanding variety of topics. In 2014, 335,000 people came to visit gamescom in Cologne. This year, booked exhibition space has been expanded again and overall the fair will span a gross floor space of 193,000 square meters (+18 percent!)
We are also targeting a wider audience this year, like families, with a complete new area for them. Overall the success of gamescom is based on five pillars, that address every need of the industry: a business area, an entertainment area, the Game Developers Conference Europe (GDCE), gamescom city festival and gamescom congress.
The gamescom city festival is an outdoor music festival featuring live music and entertainment on stage, while gamescom congress promotes exchange and debate on a host of current issues which arise from the games industry and have implications for various other industries. With these five pillars we have a platform for every possible target group.
Given its broad platform, how do you think gamescom reflects the current state of European game development?
Gamescom is the place to be for all kinds of game developers. Firstly, during the last few years we have successfully integrated the new platforms of the industry (beyond console and PC) into gamescom - I'm talking about online, mobile, cloud etc.
Secondly, with GDCE, the official European spin-off of GDC in San Francisco, we have one of the most relevant game developers' conferences worldwide in Cologne. Here, developers can meet each other and attend many talks dealing with the latest topics in European and international game development.
Then we also have Respawn, another developer conference which successfully debuted in 2013 and fosters a relaxed and unconstrained forum where game developers, trade visitors and students can connect and exchange ideas.
On top of that we also have the Indie Arena Booth at the fair. Because it is our ambition to bring more developers -- and especially more indies -- to gamescom, we supported the Indie Arena Booth becoming bigger than ever with 42 developers from 15 different countries.
Overall I think European game development is more exciting and diverse than ever, and many events of gamescom confirm this trend.
How did you come to hold your position at BIU, and how do you contribute to gamescom?
I'm the managing director of BIU, the German Trade Association of Interactive Entertainment Software. I started working at BIU in 2011 after being part of the management board of Germany's biggest social games and social media platform. With 25 games companies being member of BIU we represent over 85 per cent of the German market for video games.
As the representatives of the German games industry we do public relations and political lobbying, we provide services for our members and the industry, and we run networking platforms and events - e.g. we are the principal entity behind gamescom, which is the world's biggest show and conference about games. We also organize sustainable campaigns for the social and cultural acceptance of games, and we promote the strengthening of Germany as an industry location.
So why should game developers spend time and resources attending gamescom?
I think gamescom is the best platform for developers to meet all their relevant target groups: gamers, service providers, publishers, platform-holders an investors. It is, on one hand, the world's biggest event for video games. Accessible to the public, gamescom allows you to directly communicate with your audience and having it experience your new products at first hand.
On the other hand, gamescom is Europe's biggest industry trade fair and business platform. Here you will find all possible partners, investors as well as other developers gathered in one place. This year the significantly bigger Indie Arena Booth will even increase networking possibilities with a special get-together that allows us to give indie developers, publishers, platform holders and investors the opportunity to connect even further.
Thus, I believe gamescom has a lot to offer for developers - as well as to everyone else who is part of this great industry.
Going forward, how do you think gamescom must change to stay relevant in the game industry for years to come?
We are constantly working on developing gamescom in regard to the dynamic developments in the games industry. For this we are seeking out new ways of how to present online and mobile games, and of international cooperation -- like with GDC or Frankfurt Book Fair.
Reaching out to more and more exhibitors from other content industries relevant for games is also an important factor, because it also allows us to expand target groups, e.g.
this year's bigger focus on families. Our long-term goal is to make gamescom the one event which represents and defines the whole video game industry and the medium itself.
