Gamescom Asia 2022's Entertainment Zone will now be 'fully online' instead

Large-scale events are coming back after the pandemic hiatus and people are eager to gather again in droves. But for fans and gamers looking forward to attending Gamescom Asia 2022, you might want to rethink those plans.

Especially if you are flying in for the festival.

It was announced today (Sept 9) that the Entertainment Zone for consumers will now be "fully online" instead of a physical affair.

There will be two virtual shows — Primetime and Studio — along with a Steam event page. No further details about the shows were provided except that online segments of the festival will be made available for audiences on Oct 19 and 23.

While there wasn't a specific reason provided for the change, festival organisers revealed that the decision was made "in consultation with key stakeholders and feedback from industry players on factors including time and resource constraints".

They said: "We apologise to the fans who have been waiting to celebrate and interact offline with each other and their favourite games at the festival, and welcome them to join us for a borderless online experience this year.

"Our virtual shows will showcase up-and-coming games from Asia and beyond to a worldwide audience. Our Steam event page launches this year and will offer game demos and previews, flash sales and more for all to enjoy."

Meanwhile, the Trade Zone (focusing on the B2B side of the festival) will still proceed physically from Oct 20 to 22. It will consist of an Expo area, a trade conference, networking, and a developer-publisher-investor speed dating event.

bryanlim@asiaone.com