Gamescom Asia is evolving. This year, the third event in the annual Gamescom calendar has swapped Singapore for Bangkok after merging with Thailand Game Show in a bid to deliver a showcase organizers claim will be the largest in the region.
The hope is that the new-look event, dubbed Gamescom Asia x Thailand Game Show, will deliver a robust B2B and B2C spread that unites professionals, publishers, and players. But how are organizers working behind the scenes to deliver on that promise? We caught up with Koelnmesse project director Daria La Valle, who oversees the event, to find out.
Speaking to Game Developer, La Valle says the hope is that uniting Gamescom Asia and Thailand Game Show will facilitate widespread knowledge sharing between the East and West. She describes Asia as a “fragmented market” that can be difficult for those beyond its borders to parse, and feels it can be just as tough for Asian developers to make inroads in Western markets.
Therein lies an opportunity.
“Ultimately, it’s not about one region doing better than the other, it’s about global success as the world of gaming converges globally,” says La Valle. “Throughout the past few years, Gamescom Asia x Thailand Game Show has grown to be the largest B2B show for the games industry in Southeast Asia with a track record of bringing top international expert speakers to the region.”
She claims expanding the event in service of that mission is an “ongoing chase” that will require organizers to be candid about their own successes and shortcomings to ensure the event can meaningfully evolve in service of exhibitors and attendees.
“Take for instance the case of Gamescom Asia launching during COVID,” she explains. “We’re not gonna pretend that didn’t put us on the back foot and made things really difficult. Despite that, each year we’ve grown in scope, size and level of participation in both B2B and B2C.
This year, of course, we have a significant growth element for B2C as we take the show to Thailand. But to make sure we continue to achieve that goal, we need to maintain a space that attracts devs from across the world to come together and collaborate—to iron out issues they see in the industry and to form partnerships and grow together. We’re extremely aware of cost pressures for both exhibitors and attendees.”
Discussing the move from Singapore to Bangkok with that context in mind, La Valle feels it would have been difficult to expand the event’s B2C offering had Gamescom Asia stayed put.
“With the nature of Singapore being a relatively small market, that meant on the B2C side there was only so much growth that could be achieved. We still have a strong relationship with the Singapore government and are really grateful for the support they’ve given the show in its early years,” La Valle continues.
“How can we make the B2C portion of the event thrive? With a bigger and better consumer show, that’s going to be a self-fulfilling prophecy. The Thai games community is a fantastic one, from the gamers to the devs, they’ve welcomed us with open arms.”
La Valle also insists Gamescom Asia x Thailand Game Show will actively support local developers to ensure they aren’t overshadowed in their own backyard when the game industry’s major players come to town.
It’s a pledge that comes months after some Brazilian developers at Gamescom LATAM claimed they were mistreated by organisers in an open letter addressed to Gamescom management.
“Indie devs have been key to our success from day one. We’ve always had a dedicated indie area, hosted by some of the region’s leading devs,” said La Valle. “This year we have more than 200 devs exhibiting across our dedicated indie areas and country pavilions. There’s really no risk of indies getting sidelined at Gamescom Asia x Thailand Game Show.”
In addition, La Valle says Gamescom organizers are acutely aware of the costs associated with event attendance and are striving to deliver value with initiatives such as offering free business visitor tickets to those who pre-register and providing special rates to some trade bodies around the world.
“We’re extremely aware of cost pressures for both exhibitors and attendees and we strive to provide the most value. The way we do this is by putting together the best possible show and creating the most opportunities for people to meet, come together and collaborate.
A good outcome for the event is one where people can learn but also network. We invest heavily in parties, mixers and dedicated spaces where people can find each other,” said La Valle.
“These cost pressures are compounded in Asia as a very cost-conscious environment and we price things accordingly. Ultimately, we bring in a great audience and put together a great event and that shows from the fact that we have several repeat exhibitors from the indie dev community who’ve been with us for several years. We’ve literally seen them and their games grow.”
The proof, of course, is in the pudding. Stay tuned to Game Developer for more Gamescom Asia coverage straight from Thailand over the coming weeks.
https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/-it-s-about-global-success-gamescom-asia-x-thailand-game-show-director-outlines-vision-for-new-look-event
