Hot summer takes and freshly squeezed data
Game Conference Guide Insights - May 2022
Welcome back! Summer is around the corner with new announcements, world premieres, more time spent out of the office and getting sun kissed from the meetings taken outside.
But before we go there, a small reminder.
This is very important to me that you read this.
I presume, we are all attending events, but we are making decisions differently than two years ago. Choosing the next event to attend on the last minute, even preparing for the big ones at the 11th hour. Our habits changed and with that our preferences and priorities. When I was asking you last year how you are attending events, I got nearly 300 answers, currently I am barely at 100. I am sure we can do better.
Spare a few minutes of your time and share with me how you are attending events in the post-restriction era. Data and insights are useful for everyone, and it also show how we are attending them, but mostly how we (as conference organizers) can enhance the programme, predict and be prepared in the age of uncertainty. Data will be shared publicly once I gather all of them.
Thank you.
SUMMER IS GOING TO BE HOT AGAIN
Geoff Keighley is once again stealing the summer with his umbrella event Summer Game Fest which is becoming this year’s not-E32022 with satellite side-events like 8bit x Day of the Devs, Guerrilla Collective, Future’s PC Gamer Show and Future Game Show with many more announced in coming days and weeks.
Last year we have seen 16 showcases and fringe events in total from big companies sharing new announcements. Same as last year, hashtags are there to help you to figure out what is going on during the busiest days.
Go ahead and search for #summergamefest or if you are feeling nostalgic you can use #e32022 to highlight all the events in June, including major press conferences. Bear in mind more events are coming and major players (Nintendo, Koch, Ubisoft etc.) might announce their presence and their own “direct-like” showcase.
Same goes for gamescom, the hashtag #gamescom is live, the satellite events are being added as they are announced.
All the entries have start times in GMT and the entries are being updated in the calendar as well.
INTERESTING MATH
I am aware there hasn’t been a lot of math in this newsletter. Let’s look at how the first few months of the 2022 looked like compared to the same period last year.
Number of events announced per month is slowing down. There are multiple external factors affecting the momentum. Many events suffered a delay in 2020 and they managed to find a new date in 2021 or a rare opportunity to organize something in-person. Then there were handful of corporate events organized as one off’s (Vulkanised, Unity for Humanity for example) and they won’t be returning this year. Events in general are being announced closer to the starting date as well. And let’s not forget about the invasion of Ukraine extending the period of uncertainty for everyone and making life extremely hard for those in the area. Don’t forget to help those in need.
During Q1 2022 we have seen a 23% decrease in number of events announced compared to 2021 → from 102 to 79. In general, Q1 has always been the busiest period when it comes to the biggest number of events announced for that specific calendar year.
Currently, the whole database is shy away from 700 events in total. There is a visible slowdown in number of events happening every month, 11% less than in 2021 for the period from January to May (85 vs 96 events).
There is less events for sure, but still a lot to choose from. What I am suspecting, there won’t be 300 events in 2022 like last year. We can see there are way less cancelled events and there is no need to fill the void or organize a delayed event due to previous arrangements when restrictions are relaxed. Many countries dropped the mask mandate and lifted almost all restrictions for social gatherings. This of course doesn’t mean, we shouldn’t be cautious.
Speaking about numbers, by the end of this year 2/3 of all events will happen as physical first, meaning they are organized as in-person. Based on the current schedule the split between virtual and physical events is 34% vs 66% (75% vs 25% in 2021) which is a massive improvement. Bear in mind that the split is going to change as more events are going to be added to the database and many still didn’t shared the dates.
PARTNER OF THE MONTH
Galaktus is an agency with over ten years of experience in gaming and technology. We come from Poland, yet we operate internationally. We use our vast knowledge in PR and marketing in the technology industry. Still, we also cooperate with producers, publishers, and distributors of video games for many different platforms.
Our Quality Assurance department tests games to make sure that they are of the highest possible quality. Galaktus also organizes events and campaigns in European and American markets, allowing brands to promote themselves and increase sales. We have MSI, Gamedust, ZOTAC, Tracer, Trust, SteelSeries, Gaijin Entertainment, and many more among our clients.
Our team's expertise can also help brands build a strong community and engage influencers to reach more customers.
Do you like coffee like I do?
It helps me to stay alert and update the Game Conference Guide database on a daily basis, so you can find your next event.
Consider sharing a cup with me.
Thank you for reading and supporting Game Conference Guide. Consider sharing it with your peers, colleagues, and community.
Pavol Buday, curator @ GCG
[Game Conference Guide is tracking games industry & game developers’ events, trade shows, festivals, conferences and events around the world.]