Gamescom Asia Targets Record 206,000-Plus Attendance in Bangkok

Gamescom Asia x Thailand Game Show is aiming to beat last year's total of 206,000 attendees in 2026, with visitors from 29 countries, 20 national pavilions and an expanded showfloor. The figure comes from project director Daria La Velle, who framed the target as part of rapid scaling since the event's 2021 launch.

The Singapore-born show relocated to Bangkok in 2024 after merging with the 18-year-old consumer event Thailand Game Show. A second partnership, signed this year with anime event Ace Bangkok, accounts for half of the additional showfloor space added to the coming edition. Publishers and developers, chiefly PC and console focused, account for the rest.

What does this change for studios in the region? It removes a costly choice. The merger with Thailand Game Show means local firms no longer must decide between two events, and attendance costs — a significant expense for smaller studios — drop accordingly.

Who is exhibiting?

Japanese clients booked exhibition space early, La Velle said. The list includes PlayStation, Nintendo (represented by local licensee Synnex), Capcom, Bandai Namco, Sega and The Pokémon Company. New country pavilions for 2026 include Germany, Austria and the Philippines. Business attendees split roughly 40/60 between Thailand and international visitors.

"There are definitely more publishers and developers from Asia," La Velle told GamesIndustry.biz, "especially Japan, China, Korea, but also Southeast Asia. But we are also seeing exhibitors coming from the US, from Europe, or even as far as South America."

The B2B program runs four stages with a 70-person speaker lineup that includes John Romero, AdHoc Studio (developer of Despatch) and Rovio.

Why Bangkok instead of Cologne?

The show targets audiences who know the Gamescom brand but cannot afford the trip to Germany. Attendance cost remains a major barrier for small teams from the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand. "So instead of traveling to Gamescom, we tried to bring the Gamescom experience to their shows basically, to their backyard," La Velle said. The Gamescom brand's international clout "definitely opens doors."

Despite the Asia-wide title, the current focus is Southeast Asia: ten nations with different languages, audience habits and a strong preference for physical releases.

What does the indie program offer?

La Velle reports rapid indie growth across the region, driven by both young startups and spin-offs from large co-development houses — particularly in Singapore, which has courted larger firms to open APAC offices and is now seeing smaller startups rise alongside them. The show's indie offerings include:

• A dedicated showfloor area
• A pitching competition with cash prizes for the top three, open to developers from all nations
• A speed-dating round connecting developers, publishers and investors
• A new 2026 format: publishers pitch themselves to developers

The role reversal reflects escalating publisher demand for new titles. It also aligns with growing developer interest in self-publishing.

What comes next?

La Velle calls covering all of Asia the show's "north star," but the present mission is narrower. "At the fundamental level, we are a show for Southeast Asia's games industry and its fans," she said. She also positioned the event as a sourcing ground for Western capital.

"You want to find the next big thing in games, I would say, don't stay in your offices in Europe or in the US waiting for somebody to visit you. Hop on a plane and come to Bangkok and meet all the indies, as well as the AAs that will be coming to the show."

For context, the wider Gamescom franchise is growing on multiple fronts: the German parent posted record attendance of 368,000 visitors in 2026, up 6%, while Gamescom LatAm reached 175,000 attendees, up 17% year on year. Whether Gamescom Asia can convert its publisher pitch experiment into sustained signings from Southeast Asia's indie scene is the signal to watch when the Bangkok show opens.