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 evidence that today’s most promising opportunity in the gaming sector lies with smaller development studios. "You can achieve more with a lean team, yet business responsibilities remain essential," he explained to GamesIndustry.biz. "Even if your studio consists of just three people, someone still has to handle contracts, budgeting, marketing and all the other non‑technical aspects. I like to think of Gamescom Dev as a one‑stop hub where creators can access production expertise, programming know‑how, artistic direction, design insight, and also receive guidance on running a sustainable business.
No matter how advanced the technology gets, the fundamentals of running a company stay crucial." The event, originally known as Devcom, was renamed Gamescom Dev in August 2025, effectively extending the main Gamescom festival into a full‑week program. Hammes believes the rebranding creates a stronger link between the two events. "The rationale for aligning more closely with Gamescom is compelling," he said. "We now have a powerful partner behind us, which brings many practical benefits.
For attendees, the experience is simpler: previously there were two separate conferences, two ticketing systems, and little integration. Now there is a single ticket portal that gives you access to everything from Monday through Friday, allowing you to move seamlessly between Gamescom Dev sessions and the broader Gamescom exhibition." This year’s schedule is ambitious, featuring 390 speakers and 220 sessions spread across 17 stages. Hammes cautions, however, that success should not be measured solely by numbers.
"It isn’t a numbers game. We don’t set arbitrary targets for speaker counts or session totals. The market is becoming more specialized, and the right balance between supply and demand is what matters." A practical limitation for the event is its current venue, the Confex Center at Koelnmesse.
While the space accommodates the present program, Hammes admits that “there is limited room to grow” within those walls. Should the industry continue its rapid expansion, the organizers may need to consider moving closer to the main Gamescom site or finding a larger venue.
"We aren’t planning a massive expansion right now because that would require a more complex logistical shift, potentially relocating nearer to Gamescom. If the democratization of game development continues—more indie and micro‑studios entering the market—we’ll need additional capacity to serve everyone." Gamescom Dev traces its origins 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 emphasizes a collaborative rather than competitive stance. "There is a strong sense of community behind the scenes," he noted.
"We’re separate organisations, each aiming to make a profit, but the atmosphere isn’t cut‑throat. The industry is like a global circus where people travel from one conference to another. It’s not about eliminating rivals; it’s about all of us thriving together.
Our colleagues at GDC are currently facing challenges due to external circumstances, and we hope the situation improves for them as well." A fresh addition to the Gamescom Dev agenda is the series of Leadership Summits. These one‑day gatherings are deliberately designed without press, microphones or recordings, providing senior industry figures a confidential environment to discuss the turbulent market conditions. Hammes stresses the importance of such a “safe space.” "It’s less about listening and more about speaking up and exchanging ideas," he said.
"When we opened the first summit, every participant raised their hand to indicate they had delivered bad news that year, and the same hands stayed up when asked if they had received bad news themselves. The climate is undeniably challenging, and leaders often feel pressure to project confidence. By offering a private forum, we enable them to be candid, share setbacks, and collectively explore solutions." The speaker survey also revealed a split opinion on artificial intelligence. While 47 % of speakers believe AI will be the most transformative development over the next three years, only 11 % view AI literacy as the top skill to cultivate.
Hammes interprets this disparity as a signal that technical expertise alone won’t steer the industry through upcoming changes. "You could argue we’re either over‑estimating AI’s impact or under‑preparing for it," he said. "In reality, the most critical competency highlighted by the survey is leadership, with 27 % of respondents naming it the key skill.
This tells us that the industry recognizes change is inevitable, but it doesn’t expect technology to be a magic fix. Instead, we need leaders who can guide teams through uncertainty, make strategic decisions, and foster resilience." In summary, Hammes paints a picture of an industry at a crossroads: smaller studios are emerging as the engine of growth, the integration of Gamescom Dev with the larger Gamescom festival is streamlining the experience for attendees, and the event’s physical constraints may soon necessitate a move to larger premises. At the same time, the emphasis on leadership over pure technical prowess underscores a broader shift toward human‑centric management as the sector navigates AI, market volatility, and the continual influx of new developers.