This article was originally published on August 21, 2026 - read the full issue

By James Batchelor

The approach of Gamescom has tens of thousands of industry professionals preparing for another busy week in Cologne. For those unable to attend, as with any physical event, there is often a sense of FOMO – but how vital is attending physical events in today's videogame industry?

At a time when digital showcases, online campaigns and Steam events are more abundant than ever, developers and publishers are able to reach millions of people with minimal expenses compared to physically exhibiting, or even visiting, a trade or consumer show.

Raw Fury CMO Susie McBeth says the rise of digital events has "moved the goalposts, and the industry has had to adapt."

"If we’re going ahead with a physical event, it has to be with purpose," she points out. "There has to be a genuine benefit beyond just showing up. We have to create something memorable. As an indie publisher, we don’t have infinite resources, so we do have to be selective. But we also know that part of building a great reputation is being visible at key moments."

McBeth emphasises that physical events are still valuable for the publisher, but "for different reasons than in the past." A key constant is the opportunity to create connections and moments that are impossible to replicate digitally.

"Trade shows are hugely important for bringing out the human side of businesses," McBeth continues. "Being in the same place as developers, platform holders, media, creators and other industry partners brings opportunities for conversations that may have taken months of emails to arrange. And, of course, it’s crucial to get a feel for what is moving the industry forward.

"Consumer events are great for discoverability, but equally real-time feedback. It’s much more revealing than a digital survey or feedback form. We can talk directly to players about what they feel, what they did or didn't enjoy, what they remember from a session. It’s less about the number of interactions and more about the quality."

Direct feedback is key to an event's appeal for developers, too. Ant Workshop managing director Tony Gowland observes that "nothing compares to standing back and watching players grapple with your game."

"Steam reviews, betas, YouTube videos, etc – nothing lets you get the same combination of seeing what areas folks are struggling with, what they're enjoying, and also finding mountains of bugs as they play in unexpected ways," he says. "In a single day at something like Rezzed, you could watch dozens of people playing your game and that was – and still is – invaluable."

He continues: "You also had press and streamers attending and checking out everything on the floor, and it was a great way to get a bunch of interviews and face-to-face time with those folks. When you're emailing these people about the game later in development, you have a real in-person connection to give you a bit more chance of being picked up. You also had platform teams and publishers doing the same, which again was useful for the same reasons if you were looking for funding and partners."

However, Gowland reports that the few remaining physical events are "too costly for what you get" – especially for indies. While Ant Workshop was able to secure space at the Gamescom Indie Arena Booth a few years ago – a relatively affordable way to attend the show itself – the overall cost rose significantly when factoring in flights and accommodation.

"These days we get our playtesting by attending local-scale events that are free to show at. These are usually only an evening or a single day, but still with good footfall. They don’t have Steam events, or press and platform holders attending, so you need to mix in different activities specifically for those."

For game scouts, such as Fireshine Games' Kerryn Frean, physical events can be instrumental in discovering new games to sign, but the value of any event is judged on a case-by-base basis. The easiest measurement, she says, is whether you met a developer that you later signed up to a partnership.

"First, developers have to come up to you, which isn't as straightforward as just showing up," Frean says. "Making appearances means that my network has grown, which means that my presence becomes better known amongst developers, so more people come up to me, which stacks up the probability of being introduced to a viable project. This is an important output from going to physical events that is hard to ultimately quantify.

"This isn't to say anything glamorous about the 'presence of my name' here, to be clear. Fireshine Games is what is known to developers, but I have aimed to build a reputation for being easy to approach. That has allowed me to be less of an entity associated with Fireshine and more of a professional that is known for their persona and – hopefully – welcoming nature."

Frean acknowledges that game scouting can be conducted remotely via video calls, especially if developers are unable to travel. While "nothing matches meeting them in person," having both physical and online meetings as an option is imperative.

"I've had some developers tell me they wouldn't sign with a publisher they hadn't met in person, and I have signed developers I have only ever spoken with on calls," she continues.

"As I've continued to go to events and work with their organisers, their importance in my day-to-day work has grown. Each event is ultimately a reflection of the energy that is put into them, so as I'm given more opportunities to be involved, I get more success from going to them."

This article was originally published on August 21, 2026 - read the full issue