Gaming events have not been what they used to be for the last few years, but things are finally starting to get back to how they were, with the exception of the absence of E3. Now, speaking of one of the biggest events of the year, Gamescom 2023 will have its most successful year yet by hitting a record number of exhibitors, with 1,220 attending next weekend (August 23-27) from 63 countries.
Compared to last year, this is a 7% increase, which saw 1,135 exhibitors from 53 foreign countries. To accommodate the extra 85 exhibitors, the size of the showroom will be increased to about 247,569 square feet (230,000 square meters). Like last year, it will still be at Koelnmesse, a venue in Cologne, Germany.
Gamescom 2023 Hits Record Number of Exhibitors
Announced through a press release, Gamescom 2023 exhibitors will range from gaming to some non-gaming entities. Attendees will see trailers, game announcements, and interviews with devs from AAA and indie companies. If you are there physically, then you will get to play plenty of titles. Geoff Keighley’s Opening Night Live also returns for a presentation on August 22.
While there are plenty of unknowns regarding what to expect, especially due to some major gaming events we have already had this year, like Summer Game Fest, taking up much of the foreseen gaming news, we still know some of what we can expect out of the Gamescom 2023 exhibitors. Xbox will have a major presence with 30 available games from 150 gaming stations, with presentations of Starfield, Forza, and Ara: History Untold. Nintendo will return as well, but it is unclear what will be delivered.
Going beyond the Gamescom 2023 exhibitors, there will be other things to entertain attendees. On August 25, there will be the Gamescom Award Show. On the final day, the cosplay contest returns for us to see the show close out, with people delivering their most creative cosplay creations.
Gamescom 2023 will run from August 23-27, with a pre-game show in the form of the aforementioned Keighley’s Opening Night Live. You can stream it on your preferred services, like YouTube and Twitch.