This year Gamescom has innovated with its online indie showcase, by inviting gamers to take part in an MMO event that will allow them to explore the indie arena of Gamescom as if it were its own video game.
The pandemic forced Gamescom to make the event fully digital and in 2020 they created an engaging and innovative hub for players to engage with developers and experience the excitement of the event from the safety of their homes.
This year’s event is known as the Summercamp of Doom. This event will allow players across the world to take part in a fully-fledged RPG, whilst also interacting with indie developers and viewing the 120+ showcased indie titles on offer. Working closely with SuperCrowd and using their in-house framework, Gamescom has created the most innovative iteration of the Indie Arena Booth yet.
Speaking on how this iteration of Gamescom has grown CEO of SuperCrowd, Wolf Lang said:
After the massive success of 2020’s event, the whole team at Super Crowd has worked hard to improve all aspects of our online event and we’re excited for players to get hands-on with our Summercamp of Doom MMORPG with its own storyline, quests and levelling system.
To get an idea of how the many talented indie developers at the event are handling this new method of delivery we reached out to some of the developers that would be attending this year’s event.
Speaking to a representative from Nordcurrent, the studio publishing the upcoming WW2 based narrative experience Torn Away, developed by Perelesoq, they expressed great appreciation for how the event is being planned:
The organizing team and other participants are great and very friendly so it’s a very fond feeling that you are a part of some bigger family event, where everyone is rooting for each other success
They also expressed the positive takeaways from being a part of digital game showcases:
now you can schedule everything and watch the whole showcase from the comfort of your office or home
However, Nordcurrent also noted that there were some obvious drawbacks to an online event:
you don’t meet people in person and don’t have a chance to see their reaction in person, talk to them and meet your peers in person
Nordcurrent’s Torn Away will be showing off its latest trailer and releasing a demo at the event.
Many other developers and fans have also taken to Twitter to express their excitement surrounding the event:
Congrats! A wonderful selection, and I saw a few games I hadn't even heard of. Excited to check it out!
— Rami Ismail (رامي) (@tha_rami) July 28, 2021
Awesome selection with quite a few new games to add to my watch list. I'll be looking forward to seeing more come show time.
— Get Indie Gaming (@GetIndieGaming) July 28, 2021
Alongside this exciting new iteration of Gamescom, attendees can also expect to see scheduled live content, a Gamescom content page with exclusive demos and discounts, and of course the annual Indie Arena Booth Awards show with the event running from the 25thof August to the 29th.
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