Gamescom 2026 Changed How I See the Games Industry

Gamescom in Cologne is enormous, and I don't think the numbers quite prepare you for it. 368,000 visitors. More than 1,700 exhibitors from 66 countries. 233,000 square meters of floor space, sold out completely for the first time in the event's history — and the convention center has already broken ground on an extension. The developer conference grew by 15 percent this year while GDC attendance dropped by 30. But standing in the middle of that trade show floor was something else entirely. There was an energy there, a sense of joy and excitement about the future of this industry, that I honestly haven't felt anywhere in the US in years. I came away more impressed than I've been by any industry event in a very long time.

And that impression is exactly what pushed me into making this video, because the other thing I noticed was how little the US actually featured in any of it. Xbox was there with a respectable booth but was dwarfed by Tencent. Epic was tucked into a corner. EA I couldn't find at all. Walking that floor, you'd conclude the games industry primarily happens in Asia — and that many of the companies driving it are ones my students will never get to meet, simply because of where they're based. So this video turns into a bit of a rant along the way, about what it feels like to visit from a country that has decided to isolate itself while the rest of the world carries on perfectly well without it.