OC3D at Gamescom 2022

Gamescom is HUGE

We have been to a lot of gaming events in the UK, and Gamescom makes all of these events look small. Sorry Insomnia, you’ve got nothing on Gamescom. Gamescom is at least five times larger than anything that we have seen in the UK, and that estimate is being conservative. Gamescom is huge, and we didn’t even see it at its peak. 

Below is a picture of what Gamescom 2022 looked like on Thursday, and exhibitors told us that Thursday was one of their less bust days. This weekend, Gamescom will be flooded with people, packing an insane number of bodies into Cologne’s Koelnmesse exhibition center. 

Unlike other events that we have attended, Gamescom appears to be less product focused than a lot of the events that we have attended before. Gamescom is about games, showcasing them, playtesting them, and discussing them. Yes, there are a lot of products on show too, but they are not what takes center stage at Gamescom. 

At Gamescom, you can see a lot of games in action, a lot of poster, a lot of developers, and a lot of brands that are simply seeking the attention of gamers. Gamescom is a spectacle like no other.  

Over at the Razer stand we don’t see RGB keyboards, mice, motherboards and all other types of products. No, what we have here is a ninja warrior and some kind of bucking bronco. Now what we’d usually expect from Razer, but entertaining nonetheless. Razer’s attendance at Gamescom was designed to insert the name Razer into the minds of gamers, not necessarily to market specific products or components.

After seeing Gamescom, Cologne Germany is now “Sim City” in our eyes. Never have we seen such a large number of racing sims in a single location, nor have we ever seen a trucking simulator setup that is this authentic. If virtual trucking in your game, then Gamescom 2022 is your event. If you want a more realistic trucing experience, you will need to start working on getting an HGV license. 

There was no shortage of vehicles that were littered across Gamescom 2022, advertising a wide selection of products, games and companies that were in attendance. Some were made into racing sims, others weren’t. Not what we would usually expect from a gaming event.

 With the exhibition hall being so huge, some stands were multiple storeys high, with THQ Nordic’s stand being a big example. Exhibitors want to make the most our of their limited footprint on the Gamescom show floor, and making their stands physically taller than their competitors is certainly one way to garner attention.

If there is one word that can describe Gamescom, its dense. There’s so many thing on display that we could walk the same route around the convention three or four times and find different games, companies, and displays every time. Above, we can see signs for THQ Nordic, Outcasts 2, AEW Fight: Forever Caseking, Noblechairs, Glorious, and more. Below, we can see Western Digital (WD_Black), Planet of Lana, Brick Tales, The Last Hero of Nostalgia, and Thunderful games. That’s a lot of companies for just two images.