Avoid Gamescom FOMO: You Don’t Need a Booth to Win Gamescom
I previously put together a more detailed guide covering practical ways studios can make the most of Gamescom without attending.
Every August, the games industry descends on Cologne for Gamescom. Social feeds fill with booth photos, announcement trailers, packed meeting schedules and networking events. If you’re not attending, it’s easy to feel like you’re missing the biggest opportunity of the year.
I’ve spoken with plenty of developers who worry that if they aren’t exhibiting, they’ll be invisible. It’s an understandable concern. Gamescom is one of the largest gaming events in the world and attracts publishers, media, creators and hundreds of thousands of players.
But here’s the reality. Gamescom is an incredible event, yet simply being there doesn’t guarantee wishlists, media coverage or commercial success. Every year studios invest tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars into booth space, travel, accommodation and promotional materials, only to leave wondering whether the return justified the investment.
At the same time, I’ve seen studios working remotely generate outstanding results without ever stepping foot inside koelnmesse. They understood one important principle:
Gamescom is a moment in your marketing strategy. It isn’t the strategy itself.
An event shouldn't sit outside your development and marketing plan
Gamescom, Steam Next Fest, demos, announcements and launch beats work best when they're part of a wider strategy built around the game.
Start with your objective
MONTHS before booking flights or exhibition space, ask yourself one question:
What are we actually trying to achieve?
Too many studios decide they’re “doing Gamescom” before defining what success should actually look like. The right approach depends entirely on the outcome you want. A publisher-focused strategy will look very different from a wishlist campaign or a media push, so your goals should be clear before you commit budget, time and resources. Once those objectives are defined, you can assess whether exhibiting is the best investment or whether the same budget could generate a stronger return through targeted marketing elsewhere.
Gamescom objectives checklist
Publisher and investor meetings
Identify the publishers, investors and partners you want to meet
Begin targeted outreach well before the event
Prepare a polished pitch deck and playable build
Schedule meetings in advance
Define the next step you want from each conversation
Prepare a structured follow-up process
Wishlist growth
Optimise your Steam page before Gamescom
Refresh your trailer, screenshots and key messaging
Coordinate creator and influencer coverage
Plan announcements around peak audience attention
Run community activities across Discord and social media
Track wishlist growth, demo downloads and conversion
Media coverage
Prepare a complete press kit
Create a stable preview build
Develop clear story angles and talking points
Contact relevant journalists before the event
Schedule interviews and preview sessions
Plan embargoes, announcements and follow-up coverage
Community and brand awareness
Set clear audience growth targets
Plan daily social and event content
Capture gameplay, interviews and behind-the-scenes footage
Give attendees a reason to share your game
Create a clear call to action
Continue publishing content after Gamescom ends
Before approving the budget
Define the primary objective
Set measurable targets
Estimate the full cost of attending
Compare exhibiting against remote campaign options
Decide how success will be measured
Confirm who owns follow-up after the event
Marketing momentum matters more than physical presence
One of the biggest misconceptions about Gamescom is that success comes from standing on the show floor. In reality, the most successful campaigns usually begin months before the exhibition opens. Developers who consistently generate attention are already teasing features, growing wishlists, building Discord communities, contacting creators and briefing journalists well before the first visitor walks through the doors.
Gamescom simply becomes another milestone in a much larger campaign.
This isn’t just my own experience. Browse discussions from developers who’ve exhibited at Gamescom and you’ll find a common theme: the studios that achieve the best results don’t rely on foot traffic alone. They spend weeks or months organising meetings, creator coverage and press opportunities before arriving in Cologne. Simply turning up with a booth is rarely enough to generate a meaningful return on investment.
The event creates attention. Good marketing knows how to leverage that attention.
If you’re attending, plan beyond the booth
If your team is travelling to Gamescom, your booth shouldn’t be the centre of your strategy. It should simply be one component of a much larger marketing campaign.
By the time you arrive, your meeting calendar should already be close to full. Journalists should know when they’re seeing your game. Creators should already have appointments. Your social content should be scheduled, and your team should know exactly what content they’ll be capturing throughout the event.
Just as importantly, don’t let the momentum stop when the exhibition closes. The interviews, behind-the-scenes videos, developer diaries and community content you capture during Gamescom can continue driving engagement long after everyone has flown home.
If you’re staying home, don’t disappear
Not attending Gamescom doesn’t mean your studio needs to disappear from the conversation. The event creates a major surge in attention from players, creators, journalists and publishers, and studios can still benefit from that interest without being physically present in Cologne.
There are plenty of ways to build visibility remotely, from launching a demo or trailer to coordinating creator coverage, running community events and timing announcements around the event.
I previously put together a more detailed guide covering practical ways studios can make the most of Gamescom without attending.