Gamescom 2025: Layoffs and closures, but more games than ever

For 15 years, Gamescom in Cologne has been a thermometer used to measure the temperature of the video game industry. Its numbers are larger than those of any other event: the 335,000 visitors, the nearly 1,500 participating companies, and the endless 230,000 square meters of its halls, featuring colorful stages and sterile meeting rooms.

This year's edition was brimming with new video games poised to capture the attention of the more than three billion people who, according to market consultancy Newzoo, make up the global gaming public; but it was also a year of uncertainty due to the three-year-old crisis that has resulted in thousands of layoffs and closures.

Gamescom is a very important event for us, not only does it allow us to show our titles to the press, but also to see how our players respond. Yoshinori Ishida, CEO of Capcom

One of the companies that has been generating the most buzz is Japanese company Capcom, which unveiled three games that stood out for their gameplay quality and visual spectacularity: the new installment of the popular Resident Evil series, the science-fiction title Pragmata , and the samurai adventure Onimusha . “Gamescom is a very important event for us. It not only allows us to showcase our titles to the press and influencers, but also to see how our players respond,” says its CEO, Yoshinori Ishida.

At a time when the viability of big-budget video games is being debated due to their ever-increasing development costs, this executive says that "they will continue to focus on bringing blockbusters to market." In this regard, other major companies that played a significant role at the fair included Microsoft, which unveiled its line of ROG Xbox Ally portable consoles, which will go on sale in October; and Nintendo, which announced the return of one of its most beloved characters with Kirby Air Riders, which will arrive in November.

There are more games than ever and that makes it very difficult to stand out. Nami Hansen, Developer of 'Echoes of Mora'

It's curious, because the game that has generated the longest queues—of up to three hours—isn't a blockbuster, but an independent title: the highly anticipated Silk Song , from Australian studio Team Cherry. These smaller productions are now able to compete with multinationals, although there is also some unease due to the intense competition.

“With so many layoffs and closures, the situation is a little scary, but at the same time, there are more games than ever, and that makes it very difficult to stand out,” says Namin Hansen, a young Berlin-based developer who used the event to present her first project, an evocative underwater experience titled Echoes of Mora.

Another young startup is Catalan Oscar Villalobos, who with his team Dust Games has launched Roombattle, a fun vacuum cleaner-battle party game. “Although the situation is complicated for small studios, one good thing about this sector is that no one is afraid to speak up; we stick together, and that allows us to keep moving forward,” he says.

The video game industry is a creative industry, and it is now going through a transition phase. Eva Gaspar Co-founder and CEO of Abylight Studios

In an industry increasingly polarized between big-budget blockbusters and indie games, it's difficult to find mid-sized companies capable of surviving, but they still exist, as Barcelona-based Abylight Studios demonstrates. Its co-founder and CEO, Eva Gaspar, believes that this year the fair "has reached pre-pandemic levels and, as it is a creative industry, is now going through a transition phase." For this executive, who attends the event with her team in search of games to publish, these changes "are something that has been happening in the sector since its inception, and right now both business models and the audience itself are changing, demanding games that may not match what more experienced developers are offering."