Cosplayers, gamers visit Gamescom in their thousands
An estimated 2.6 billion e-gamers worldwide who will spend some $148 billion on games, reports.
COLOGNE (Reuters) - Connected devices are challenging consoles at the world’s largest online gaming fair, as hundreds of thousands of fans jostle to see top e-sports stars in action and give feedback that can decide whether a new release is a hit or a flop.
The gamescom fair in Cologne, Germany, opened to the general public on Wednesday after a series of sneak-peek events to whet the appetite of a rising generation of enthusiasts who spend more time on gaming than they do watching TV.
Independent developers will also be in the spotlight.
Fans will get an up-close look at their heroes demonstrating forthcoming releases, with developers and industry analysts observing queues and interviewing visitors to assess which might turn out to be hits.
Robin Heinz has been visiting Gamescom for 11 years. The avid gamer even has the Gamescom logo as a tattoo. Heinz is hoping for more indie contributions away from the mainstream games, but is pleased with what he has tested so far.
It is one company strategy to show games to select players and then develop the games further using that feedback.
There are an estimated 2.6 billion e-gamers worldwide who will spend some $148 billion on games and related products this year, according to research from Newzoo cited by Mirabaud Securities.
That figure is forecast to rise to $174 billion by 2021 as e-gaming gains in popularity thanks to faster mobile connectivity and the spread of technologies like artificial intelligence and virtual reality.
That makes online gaming - and following e-sports pros on social networks such as Amazon’s streaming platform Twitch - a lucrative channel for advertisers and marketers as mainstays like TV stagnate.
Gamescom 2018 saw 370,000 visitors to the fair, Gamescom is open to the public from 21-24 August.
