Gamescom Asia × Thailand Game Show has released the full list of exhibitors slated to appear at the 2026 edition, confirming the participation of industry heavy‑weights such as Capcom, Bandai Namco and The Pokémon Company, while Nintendo and PlayStation will be represented through their local partners. Notably, Sony will be absent from the exhibition floor this year, a stark contrast to the presence of both Nintendo and Xbox at last month’s event in Cologne.
In addition to the marquee names, a diverse collection of developers, hardware manufacturers and service providers will also be on display. Among them are indie studio 4Divinity, the creative collective Elementa, the action‑oriented publisher Gryphline, and the emerging Korean developer Kuro Games. Peripheral giant Razer, chipmaker AMD, and PC‑hardware leader Lenovo are also slated to run booths, offering attendees a chance to test the latest gaming peripherals, graphics solutions and computing platforms. The show’s dedicated business area will host pavilions from twenty‑five different countries and regions, expanding the international flavor of the event.
Visitors can expect to walk through national stands representing Austria, Germany, the Philippines, South Korea, Spain and the host nation Thailand, each showcasing local talent, export‑ready titles and regional market insights. These country pavilions are designed to foster cross‑border collaborations, allowing developers, publishers and investors to discover new partners and distribution channels. Beyond static exhibits, the programme includes a series of pitch and reverse‑pitch competitions.
These contests give emerging studios the opportunity to present their concepts to seasoned publishers, while established companies can reverse‑pitch, seeking fresh ideas or technology solutions from the indie community. Xsolla will underwrite the “Invest Circle and VIP XPerience,” a curated networking segment that brings together developers, financiers and media representatives in a more intimate setting, facilitating face‑to‑face discussions that can lead to funding deals or strategic alliances. The business zone will also feature a robust conference schedule, with more than seventy speakers drawn from over twenty nations sharing the stage across four separate auditoriums.
The headline keynote will be delivered by John Romero, co‑founder of Id Software, who will speak under the title “Why We Still Make Games.” In recognition of his lasting impact on the medium, Romero will also receive the event’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Supporting Romero’s keynote, a slate of additional speakers has been confirmed. Nick Herman and Dennis Lenart of AdHoc Studio will discuss indie development pipelines and funding models.
Zhen Fang, Vice President of Roblox and head of its international division, will outline strategies for scaling user‑generated content platforms globally. Jane Lau, head of production at Tencent, will share insights into managing large‑scale live‑service ecosystems.
Emilio Coppola, executive director of the Godot Engine project, will talk about the rise of open‑source tools in game creation. Finally, Yoan Fanise, creative director and founder of DigixArt, will explore narrative‑driven design and the challenges of bringing emotionally resonant stories to market. The 2026 edition is being co‑organized by Koelnmesse, Show No Limit and Online Station.
Prakash Ramajillu, General Manager for Asia‑Pacific at Koelnmesse, emphasized the event’s growing global orientation: “This year we are placing an even stronger emphasis on internationality. We are bringing leading global gaming brands to the entertainment area while expanding the business area with more country pavilions, networking opportunities, and greater support for independent developers through the indie area and the Thailand Pavilion, which is backed by Thailand’s Digital Economy Promotion Agency (depa) and the Thai Game Software Industry Association (TGA).” Pongsuk Hiranprueck, CEO of Show No Limit, added perspective on the market’s evolution: “Last year’s success, with over 200,000 attendees, clearly demonstrates that Thailand is not merely a consumer market but a driving cultural and creative‑economy force within Asia.” The venue for the event will be the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center in Bangkok, with the public exhibition running from 29 October to 1 November 2026. The business area will be open exclusively to industry professionals and press on 29 and 30 October, providing a focused environment for B2B meetings, press briefings and partnership negotiations.
For context, the inaugural Gamescom × Thailand Game Show in 2025 attracted 206,159 visitors representing 95 countries, while the business zone hosted 5,590 professionals from 81 nations over four days. The 2026 edition aims to build on that momentum, offering an even larger platform for international collaboration, technology showcase and cultural exchange within the rapidly evolving gaming ecosystem.