Devcom 2023 Attracts 3,400 Industry Professionals

The Devcom Developer Conference in Cologne, Germany, drew in 3,400 attendees this year. Although slightly lower than last year's 3,500, which included side events, the organizers noted that Devcom 2023 set a new record for conference attendance. Feedback from participants revealed that networking was the primary reason for attending, followed by the diverse range of talks presented by over 250 speakers across 160 sessions during the three-day event. Highlights included a keynote by Funcom's Anna Brandberg, a Q&A session for Return to Monkey Island, and a panel discussion featuring African games industry experts, moderated by Vic Bassey, co-founder of Games Industry Africa. Partner events, such as Xsolla Game Night and Courage Cologne, were significant attractions, according to Devcom's closing report. Devcom's managing director, Stephan Reichart, noted that pre-sales had increased by 40% by July, indicating strong international interest. Reichart expressed his delight at the opportunity to listen to numerous experts and opinion leaders in Cologne, highlighting their willingness to share knowledge and cementing Devcom's position as a key industry conference. This year saw a 14% increase in senior attendees, with 80% of participants holding senior, lead, or director-level positions. Concurrently, Gamescom is expected to host over 1,220 exhibitors, marking a 7% increase from 2022.