Nordicity joined forces with Interactive Ontario to share highlights from the world’s biggest computer and video games trade fair, Gamescom 2022.
In the second episode in the Nordicity Recap series, our Managing Partner Kristian Roberts hosted a panel discussion with industry professionals about Gamescom 2022.
Gamescom is one of the largest game-centric consumer focused events in the world and a huge trade show held in Cologne, Germany. In the Nordicity Recaps podcast, Kristian Roberts offers industry insights and stresses that Gamescom is an opportunity for companies to secure investment, mainly in the form of project financing provided by game industry publishers.
Game publishers usually receive the majority of the initial sales revenue of a company they finance. Publishers can provide market advice, localization of services, marketing support, community management, and access to platforms based on their connections.
Kristian indicates that publishers can be helpful and beneficial for games developers to get their games into the market. However, he notes that games companies can give up the connection with the customer when pursuing publishing deals. “If the gaming publisher gets to talk to the community about your game on your behalf, it is usually they who get to own the fan base of that game,” Kristian says.
There are other forms of investment that occur in the gaming industry, like company investments. These types of investments can be from individual/institutional investors or strategic investors like Tencent and Embracer Group.
Based on statistics from InvestGame, in the first quarter of 2022, about USD 98 million of strategic investments and 57 deals were made. The most active investor in that period was the Saudi Public Investment Fund.
During the Nordicity Recaps Q&A panel discussion, Kristian, along with Mark Laframboise – CoFounder of Lightning Rod Games, Linn Søvig – COO at TRU LUV, and Noah Decter-Jackson of Complex Games, discuss their insights and experiences of attending Gamescom. The group talk about companies attend, the role of games publishers and investors, and discuss cryptocurrencies and NFTs.
To learn more, check out the video above or watch it on The Lodgge website or YouTube. And don’t forget to keep an eye out for the next Nordicity Recaps of MEGAMIGS in Montreal, Quebec.