‘Injection of energy’: gamescom aims high despite dwindling in-person scene

Other gaming events may have hit hurdles, but gamescom in Cologne is expecting record number of exhibitors

Like Glastonbury and Primavera for music lovers, huge video game conventions have traditionally been a beloved gathering place for gamers, and a focal point of the year for gaming news.

At events such as E3 in Los Angeles and gamescom in Germany, hundreds of thousands of fans would turn up to play forthcoming games in cavernous halls full of light and sound. But where music festivals have roared back since the Covid pandemic, video game conventions have struggled to regain their former essential place in the calendar.