gamescom: 2017 edition dated, new schedule

gamescom 2016 isn’t over yet, but we already know when the 2017 edition will take place: from August 22 to August 27th. If you check your calendar, you will notice two major changes compared to the previous editions:

• the event now takes place from Tuesday to Saturday, instead of Wednesday to Sunday. The business area will remain open during the first three days (as usual), and the first day remains exclusive to the press and industry members;
• the event now takes place during the last week of August. This change does not apply just to the 2017 edition: even future editions of gamescom will take place during the last week of August;
• (the gamescom city festival will still take place from Friday to Sunday, as usual).

According to the press release, this date is “the optimal date to celebrate numerous premieres of new games and to present many games that the private visitors can play for the first time”. It also happens to take place “during the summer holidays of North Rhine-Westphalia and other German states”.

It’s true that gamescom is in a bit of a bad spot when it comes to announcements. It’s a mere two months after E3, where most publishers make their biggest announcements and reveals. In fact, the majority of them have stopped having press conference at gamescom, including Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft. However, one has to wonder if one week is really going to make much of a difference…

Finally, the Game Developer Conference Europe will still take place at the same time as gamescom, but the dates for 2017 will not be announced until the 2016 edition is over.

Source: gamescom