Frederik Hammes, who stepped into the role of managing director of Gamescom Dev after Stephan Reichart earlier this year, points to the latest Gamescom Dev speaker survey as clear evidence that the most promising segment of today’s gaming market lies with smaller development studios. In his conversation with GamesIndustry.biz, Hammes emphasizes that even a tiny team can produce impressive results, but the need to manage the commercial side of the operation never disappears.
"You can achieve more with a lean team, yet business responsibilities remain essential," he explains. "If you’re a three‑person studio, someone still has to handle contracts, budgeting, marketing, and all the other non‑creative tasks.
I like to think of Gamescom Dev as a one‑stop hub where developers can access production know‑how, programming expertise, creative direction, design insights, and also learn the fundamentals of running a sustainable business. No matter how advanced the technology gets, solid business acumen is still a cornerstone of success." The event, which was renamed from Devcom to Gamescom Dev in August 2025, now effectively extends the main Gamescom festival into a full‑week experience. Hammes believes that aligning the two events creates a stronger, more cohesive offering for attendees.
"There are compelling reasons to bring the two conferences closer together," he says. "We now have a powerful partner in Gamescom, and that partnership brings many practical advantages. Previously, participants had to navigate two separate ticketing systems, two distinct schedules, and two different branding experiences.
Today it’s a single ticket shop, a single calendar, and a unified week of activities—from Monday through Friday you can move freely between Gamescom Dev sessions and the broader Gamescom exhibition. This simplification makes it easier for newcomers to understand what’s on offer and encourages cross‑pollination between the business and creative sides of the industry." This year’s program is ambitious, featuring 390 speakers and 220 sessions spread across 17 stages.
Hammes cautions, however, that the event’s success should not be measured purely by numbers. "It isn’t a numbers game," he notes.
"We don’t aim to hit arbitrary targets for speaker counts or session totals. The market is becoming more specialised, and the real metric is whether we are meeting the genuine demand for knowledge and networking. Quality and relevance trump sheer volume." One logistical challenge Hammes acknowledges is the capacity of the current venue, the Confex Center at Koelnmesse. While the space comfortably accommodates this year’s schedule, there is limited room for further expansion.
"At the moment we’re fitting comfortably within the venue, but there isn’t a lot of headroom for growth," he says. "If the industry continues on its current trajectory, we may eventually need to consider moving closer to the main Gamescom site or finding a larger facility. The democratization of game development—more small teams entering the market—means we’ll need more space to serve everyone effectively." Gamescom Dev’s origins trace back to 2017, when it was launched to fill the void left by the departure of GDC Europe. Although the San Francisco‑based Game Developers Conference shares a similar audience and topic focus, Hammes stresses that the two events coexist rather than compete.
"We’re distinct organisations," he explains. "Everyone wants to be profitable, but the atmosphere isn’t cut‑throat. The industry feels like a global circus in a positive sense—people travel from one conference to the next, sharing ideas and building relationships. It’s not about eliminating other events; it’s about all of them thriving, which in turn lifts the whole sector.
We’re aware that GDC is currently facing challenges due to external circumstances, and we sincerely hope they recover quickly. When one conference does well, it benefits us all." A notable new feature on the Gamescom Dev agenda is the series of Leadership Summits. These one‑day gatherings provide senior executives a private environment—no press, no microphones, no recordings—to discuss the turbulent conditions affecting the gaming market.
"The aim isn’t just to listen; it’s to speak openly and exchange ideas," Hammes says. "During the inaugural summit, we asked participants to raise their hands if they had delivered bad news to their teams in the past year, and every hand went up. When we asked who had heard bad news about their own company, the hands stayed raised. The current climate is undeniably tough, and leaders often feel pressure to project confidence even when they’re dealing with setbacks.
By creating a safe space, we encourage honest dialogue about challenges, strategies, and the emotional realities of steering a studio through uncertainty." The speaker survey also revealed a split view on artificial intelligence. While 47 % of speakers believe AI will be the most transformative development for the industry over the next three years, only 11 % consider AI literacy the top skill developers need to acquire. "That discrepancy is striking," Hammes observes. "It could suggest we’re either over‑estimating AI’s impact or under‑preparing for it.
In my view, the real priority is leadership. About 27 % of respondents identified leadership as the most critical skill.
This tells us that industry professionals recognise change is inevitable, but they don’t expect technology alone to solve every problem. They’re looking for leaders who can guide teams through disruption, make strategic decisions, and foster resilience." In summary, Hammes paints a picture of an industry in flux, where small studios are emerging as the engine of innovation, where business education must travel hand‑in‑hand with creative development, and where conferences like Gamescom Dev are evolving to meet the needs of a more specialised, leadership‑focused community. The event’s integration with the broader Gamescom week, the introduction of private leadership forums, and the ongoing dialogue about AI and skill development all signal a maturing ecosystem that values both technological advancement and the human capacity to navigate change.