GTA 6 massive launch and upcoming demo GTA 6: Expanded Edition Netflix was planned before the show started and did not come to the attention of Gamescom management.
Brand director Stefan Heikhaus and exhibition director Tim Endres stressed in interviews that while such projects act as a “north star” for the industry, they cannot overshadow the diversity of the event as a whole.
According to the organizers, what attracts visitors to Cologne is not a particular game, but the opportunity to immediately evaluate hundreds of unique projects from 1,600 exhibitors. While Rockstar’s new blockbuster will inevitably grab some of viewers’ digital attention, player interest will quickly return to other releases, as gamers rarely focus on just one product.
That being said, the rapid growth of the indie scene over the past 15 years proves that Gamescom is successfully fulfilling its role as a platform for a variety of studios and genres.