10 years after its inaugural event in Cologne, Germany, gamescom has finalized its move to hold the 2020 event in Singapore, a first for the largest video game related gathering in the world.
A barebones itinerary of next year’s events have already been rolled out, consisting of a two-day industry gaming conference, and a three-day trade and public exhibition. Gaming enthusiasts only need to wait a little over a year as gamescom 2020 is set for October 15 to 18 of next year. According to the Straits Times, there has been a memorandum of understanding between the Singapore Tourism Board and Koelnmesse, the gamescom organizer. This means that the upcoming Gamescom Asia will become a yearly occurrence.
The industry’s largest event attracted 370,000 visitors last year, which Singapore’s Tourism Board saw as an opportunity. This pertains to cementing the country as the region’s eminent leader in the “development and commercialisation of digital and gaming content, which in turn will support our digital media industry”, a notion coming from Keith Tan, chief executive of the Singapore Tourism Board.
Gamescom has been iconic in terms of the games presented, including Mass Effect 2, Star Citizen and Fortnite. It has also been the location for the first The International, the largest Dota 2 tournament in the world and at the time, held the record for the largest prize pool for any esports event. This year’s iteration is also shaping up to be a big one, even without the notable presence of gaming giant Blizzard Entertainment. Notably, attendees will be able to get their hands on the first fully playable build of TaleWorlds Entertainment’s Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord.
Asia’s burgeoning potential as market for video games is one of the main motivations for the move to Singapore. The board stated that there will be “business opportunities for both local and regional companies, as the event will allow them to tap into the region's flourishing and lucrative gaming market."
As to which titles publishers would be present in October next year is still up for spectulation. Until then, gaming fans in Asia, and all over the world, need to get through one more gamescom convention in Germany this year, which is slated for August 20 to 24.
