Gamescom 2022 will take place in Cologne, the organizers announced their plan, which could actually work this year. The corona pandemic had previously slowed down the video game fair several times and required the organizers to find creative ways to carry it out. Gamescom was not canceled, but the event was temporarily moved completely to the Internet. For 2022, the event will again be an on-site festival. 

The unique festival feeling of Gamescom is back: the world's largest event for everything to do with computer and video games and Europe's leading business platform for the games industry will again take place in the Cologne exhibition halls from August 24th to 28th. The on-site experience is combined with an extensive digital program. For Gamescom 2022, a hygiene and safety concept that has been tried and tested by Koelnmesse will be used, which is always in line with all currently applicable legal regulations and which will also ensure safety and a high quality of stay. Measures are implemented such as improved admission management, digital queue management, extra-wide aisles or limited ticket contingents.

Also new this year is the "Gamescom goes green" project, with which Gamescom as a whole will be made climate-neutral in the medium and long term by reducing and avoiding CO2 emissions and in the short term through CO2 offsetting.

Gamescom 2022 includes the following on-site and online offers:

  • entertainment area, business area and other areas, including for cosplay, retro and indie fans, with the unique festival feeling of Gamescom on site
  • Gamescom shows such as Gamescom: Opening Night Live, Gamescom studios and Gamescom: Awesome Indies with live audiences on site as well as streams broadcast on numerous channels
  • Bundled Gamescom content on Gamescom now
  • Interactive quests on all Gamescom channels and attractive rewards as part of Gamescom EPIX
  • Numerous collaborations with international creators and media partners

Felix Falk, Managing Director of game – Association of the German Games Industry: “All Gamescom fans and partners have been waiting for this for two years: Gamescom is finally returning to the Cologne exhibition halls and with it the unique festival feeling that we all love missed a lot. This year we are combining the best of both worlds: our extensive digital program with the incomparable Gamescom experience on site. Gamescom will set new standards again in 2022, for example in terms of sustainability: With our 'Gamescom goes green' initiative, we will make Gamescom a particularly climate-friendly event together with visitors and exhibitors. In doing so, we not only want to be a beacon for the many initiatives for environmental and climate protection in the international games industry, but also a pioneer for international events.”

Oliver Frese, COO and Managing Director of Koelnmesse: "We're finally back with Gamescom - in Cologne and online! And with a convincing tailwind from the games industry. That pleases me immensely. Together we have put together a strong concept, within the framework of which we naturally also guarantee the safety, health and well-being of everyone present." Frese is equally looking forward to the Gamescom goes green initiative: "We at Koelnmesse have long been working on to bring our economic activities into balance with society and the environment. That is what drives us.” It is good to have a strong partner like game at your side, as well as the exhibitors and visitors. Because it only works together: “Everyone has to make their contribution. With the Gamescom goes green pilot, we are now taking the lead when it comes to climate-friendly trade fairs – worldwide!”

Interested companies can now register their participation at gamescom.global/take-part compile and book directly.

Gamescom goes green: Taking responsibility for climate protection together

Environmental and climate protection play an important role in the games industry. Whether game developers or publishers, (esports) organizers, educational institutions or service providers from the games sector: they have all long recognized the urgency of the topic. The organizers of Gamescom are also aware of their responsibility for climate protection and have therefore initiated "Gamescom goes green".

Building on existing measures - such as free public transport tickets or the Gamescom forest - Koelnmesse and game-Verband want to make Gamescom as a whole climate-neutral in the medium and long term by reducing, avoiding and offsetting CO2 emissions. In the short term and as a pilot project, Gamescom 2022 will become even more climate-friendly along three pillars:

  • The core event with all areas for which Koelnmesse and game-Verband are responsible (including exhibition center infrastructure, themed areas, personnel and mobility) will be climate-neutral in cooperation with ClimatePartner. Koelnmesse and the game association offset the calculated CO2 emissions via two certified climate protection projects: a wind energy project in north-eastern Brazil and clean cooking stoves in Abuja, Nigeria.
  • visitors can make a voluntary contribution to climate protection by making a donation or buying a "green ticket". The proceeds benefit the Gamescom forest near Bayreuth, which started in 2020 and has already grown to almost 20.000m².
  • exhibitor can make a recommended contribution to climate protection depending on the size of the stand. This also supports the climate protection projects jointly selected by Gamescom and ClimatePartner.

Further information on Gamescom goes green can be found at Gamescom.de/Gamescom-goes-green.

For the first time, the Gamescom organizers are working with ClimatePartner to calculate the emissions generated during the Gamescom core event and the subsequent compensation. ClimatePartner is a solution provider in climate protection for companies and combines individual advice with cloud-based software that is unique on the market. Customers can use it to calculate and reduce CO2 emissions and offset the remaining emissions. In this way, products and companies become climate-neutral, which the ClimatePartner label confirms.

Susanne Wöllecke, Head of Sales Germany at ClimatePartner, sees Gamescom as one of the pioneers in the trade fair industry: “Climate protection always involves the same steps: calculate your own CO2 emissions, reduce them and offset the remaining CO2 emissions. The Event Carbon Footprint of Gamescom serves as the basis for reduction measures. Remaining CO2 emissions are offset by certified climate protection projects. It is also exemplary that Gamescom sensitizes both exhibitors and visitors to the topic of climate protection and provides the opportunity to get involved with climate protection contributions.”

Last updated on 26.05.2023/XNUMX/XNUMX / Affiliate Links / Images from the Amazon Product Advertising API. * = Affiliate links. Images from Amazon PA API