All-digital video games trade show Gamescom brought in an audience of 13 million people this year.
That's according to event organisers Koelnmesse and German trade body Game, who said that this figure represents a 30 per cent increase on the number of viewers the show attracted in 2020.
Furthermore, the organisers say that the Opening Night Live event, hosted by Geoff Keighley, brought in 5.8 million viewers – again, a 30 per cent increase – with a peak of two million people tuning in concurrently.
"Gamescom 2021 was a tremendous success," Game MD Felix Falk said.
"Not only was the community closely involved through Gamescom EPIX, but the event also featured the entirely revamped Gamescom now hub and our programme of Gamescom shows, including Gamescom: Opening Night Live. We succeeded in taking a huge step forward with our digital concept – to the delight of our many partners and of the community as a whole. This offers us an outstanding digital foundation for the years to come, when Gamescom will be able to take place in Cologne once again and we can combine the digital experience with live, in-person visits.
"Be it the political opening of Gamescom or the Debatt(l)e Royale, I am pleased that all the parties have taken this opportunity a few short weeks before the German parliamentary elections to highlight the importance of digital and games policy for the upcoming legislative period. There was a cross-party consensus that further improvements in the conditions for Germany as a games location were on tap, including the simplification and continuation of games funding, efforts to attract specialist personnel, the deployment of serious games and the expansion of digital infrastructure. Thanks to these positive signals at Gamescom, our German games industry can look forward to the German parliamentary elections with confidence."
Gamescom held its first all-digital show in 2020 thanks to the COVID-19 coronavirus and had plans of holding a hybrid event for this year. These schemes were dropped due to the on-going nature of the pandemic, with Gamescom 2021 becoming an exclusively online affair.