Tim Endres and Stefan Heikhaus on gamescom 2025, why it is never routine, and how they’re raising the bar again

Ahead of this year’s gamescom trade show, Tim Endres (director of gamescom) and Stefan Heikhaus (director of Germany’s industry trade body game) tell Vince Pavey about what makes this year’s event better than all of the other ones they’ve done before.

What’s the hardest part of organising an event like gamescom 2025?

Endres: Every year brings new and different challenges. One constant is the complexity of listening to feedback from all sides — the community, industry partners, creators, exhibitors, journalists, trade visitors — and translating that into the right improvements. In terms of this year specifically, the relocation of the event arena to Hall 1 has been a big logistical challenge. That move comes with significant technical and structural requirements, from production setup to visitor flow. But it’s an important step to keep up with rising demand and improve the experience for everyone onsite.

Is it a bit of a logistics nightmare every year, or is it like riding a bike (you never forget how) at this point? What systems do you have in place to make things smoother on that side?

Endres: Organizing gamescom is never routine — each year presents new challenges. Although we benefit from established processes and experienced teams, we are constantly refining a wide range of systems and processes to ensure operations run smoothly. For instance, during the setup period, Koelnmesse’s eSlot system enables our logistics partners to schedule delivery time slots, ensuring efficient and congestion-free access. For visitors, a dynamic wayfinding and parking system guides traffic on site, supported by real-time updates via the Koelnmesse traffic platform. We introduced tools such as digital queuing and free ticketing for signings, in order to prevent overcrowding. These are just a few examples — it’s the combination of many such measures that enables gamescom to operate on this scale.

What will make this year’s gamescom better than all of the ones that have come before it?

Endres: gamescom 2025 is set to raise the bar once again. With over 1,500 exhibitors and more exhibition space than ever before, this edition is set to be the most diverse yet. We’re expanding the entertainment area with an additional hall and significantly enlarging the indie area — giving fans even more space to discover new and original games.

At the same time, we’ve focused on making the on-site experience even more engaging. Community-driven areas such as the social stage and cards & boards area, first introduced in 2024, have been further developed based on visitor feedback. Improved crowd flow and clearer wayfinding will make gamescom 2025 more comfortable, accessible, and immersive for everyone — whether you’re here to play, connect, or simply take in the atmosphere. And our digital shows like gamescom Opening Night Live or gamescom awesome indies promise to have many exciting trailer and announcements. No matter what aspect of gamescom we are looking at, whether it is digital or on-site, each looks promising to create a unique experience for the community in Cologne and worldwide.

Geoff Keighley and gamescom Opening Night Live are going to open the show again this year. What can we expect from that?

Heikhaus: gamescom Opening Night Live is always a very special moment to us, to the 5,000 fans on-site and a global community. It is the moment; months of hard work start to roll out and people get to enjoy what our teams and the publishers and studios from all over the world have been working on. It is a moment full of excitement that we really are looking forward to. This year, Geoff Keighley returns to host gamescom Opening Night Live joined by the amazing Eefje “sjokz” Depoortere. 

Together, they’ll kick off the world’s biggest gaming festival on August 19 with an unforgettable show full of premieres, surprises and big moments. The community can look forward to major reveals like Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Silent Hill f, and World of Warcraft: Midnight. These are only a few teasers we can share at this point. The show will have many more highlights we cannot speak of yet. gamescom Opening Night Live 2025 promises to be a thrilling start to an epic week of celebrating games and the community behind them.

What, in your mind, makes Opening Night Live different from other Keighley events like Summer Game Fest and The Game Awards?

Heikhaus: gamescom Opening Night Live is unique because it’s deeply embedded in a week-long, hybrid celebration of gaming — it’s the official kickoff to gamescom. The close connection to the on-site event is what makes this show unique. Many of the games on stage are playable on the show floor or can somehow be experienced by the audience the days right after. That connection between digital reveal and real-world experience makes it special. 

Are you noticing any trends in what’s being showcased this year at gamescom?

Heikhaus: With this year’s growth to an additional hall for the entertainment area, the biggest indie area to date and the overall growth in size to 233,000 square meters we can see one trend for sure: The diversity the event brings to the table. What we will see at this year’s event isn’t just a specific genre, but it is the full variety gaming has to offer. This year’s event is going to be more versatile and diverse than ever before. It truly is an image of what makes the gaming industry special. We will see the full range from AAA blockbusters to indie insider tips. 

There’s been a bit of a corporate shift away from diversity, equity, and inclusion in general. What is gamescom doing to make sure visitors and exhibitors still feel respected, safe and included?

Endres: At gamescom, inclusion and safety remain a priority. Our Safer Space Policy and on-site Awareness Teams ensure that all visitors and exhibitors feel welcome and respected.

A cornerstone of our commitment is the gamescom cares platform, which brings together all social responsibility initiatives by gamescom, our partners and exhibitors. Accessibility also plays a central role. The entire event is designed to be barrier-free, with clear standards for booth construction – including step-free access, ramps, tactile floor markings, and Braille signage. Beyond physical accessibility, our team works continuously to foster an inclusive atmosphere across all areas of the event.

I’m noticing more and more American press at the show each year. Why do you think that is, and do you think American interest in gamescom will continue to grow?

Endres: Yes, we’ve also definitely noticed a growing presence from the US media, but also media from all over the world, and it makes perfect sense. As the world’s largest games event, gamescom offers unparalleled access to global gaming culture, the whole gaming industry, and the community itself. Our hybrid approach, including formats like gamescom Opening Night Live, has expanded international reach significantly, making gamescom more relevant for global coverage than ever before. 

Part of the reason also is the promise gamescom Opening Night Live gives: all the things you see on the show can either be played or experienced in some capacity at the event. That approach and concept is unique in its form, and it is what makes the event attractive for journalists worldwide. So, yes. We do believe that the interest of Americans, but also people from all over the world, will continue to grow in the upcoming years. This is very special to us and makes us proud to host the biggest games event in the world.

By what metrics do you measure the success of a trade show like gamescom? Are things still on the right trajectory by those metrics?

Heikhaus: We look at a mix of qualitative and quantitative indicators – surely, we are looking at things like the number of visitors, number of exhibitors or digital reach, but that is not the whole picture. What is also important to us is the feedback we receive from all stakeholder groups. 

If we manage to bring the global games community together, offer relevant content, and create a positive, memorable atmosphere on-site and online, then we know we’re on the right track. For 2025, the numbers we see so far look very promising. We can welcome more than 1,500 exhibitors for the first time, the exhibition space grows to 233,000 square meters for the first time and all the other metrics look promising as well. 

Now is that very exciting time of the year, when we are only a few steps away from the event and soon we will be able to celebrate the biggest games event in the world once more.

I think this year will be my fourth trip to gamescom. Where do you see gamescom four years from now?

Heikhaus: It is always hard to tell how gamescom will look like in the future. Not because we do not make plans; it is for the sake of staying agile and flexible. What makes the event special for all communities we welcome is that we listen to their feedback, adapt to it and evolve with the ever-changing needs of the industry.  

Not only in Cologne, but globally through our hybrid formats and international events like gamescom asia x Thailand Game Show and gamescom latam. We’ll keep evolving with the industry, expanding on-site experiences and digital reach, while staying true to what makes gamescom unique: bringing the global gaming community together.