That’s a wrap, folks! The Hamburg Games Conference 2021, co-hosted by Gamecity Hamburg and GRAEF Rechtsanwälte, has concluded with record-breaking attendance in the show’s first ever digital edition.
Featuring an industry first in its innovative B2B multiplayer online format designed by Super Crowd, HGC 2021 took place on a virtual cruise ship divided into decks where attendees conducted meetings via video calls, toured more than 50 exhibitor booths, participated in a speed-dating networking session and watched various talks by industry experts. Overall 463 meetings were booked through the MeetToMatch system, resulting in over 2000 video calls – due to the addition of spontaneous calls among the attendees, which were possible for the first time at HGC because of the technical platform – and more than 350 hours spent online meeting, with an average playtime aboard the cruise ship lasting 4,5 hours.
Additionally, for the first time at HGC, a Games Conference Showcase Award of $5000, sponsored by Xsolla, was won by indie studio, Off the Beaten Track, for its title “The Cost of Recovery” a narrative adventure game that lets you experience the different emotional journeys of four protagonists when one of them suddenly suffers a stroke.
“Despite a year of pandemic which has quashed physical video game conferences, we are so proud of how well HGC came together this year,” said Dr. Ralph Oliver Graef, Managing Partner of the co-hosting media law firm GRAEF Rechtsanwälte. “This is the first time that spontaneous networking video meetings were possible in the context of an online event and we know – and now have seen – just how important that is for the games industry. Thanks to the innovative digital conference platform created by Super Crowd and to our strong partners, HGC has once again grown this year internationally, and we hope to see everyone again next year – hopefully in person here in Hamburg!”
“We are absolutely thrilled with the outcome of the Hamburg Games Conference this year,” said Dennis Schoubye, Project Lead at Gamecity Hamburg. “We put so much effort into a platform that was easy to use and familiar for the video games industry in its multiplayer format. It is enormously satisfying to see the stats from the event and receive positive feedback from the industry. And, of course, we couldn’t have pulled it off without our outstanding partners, who helped every step of the way in innovating and collaborating to bring the event to life.”
The Hamburg Games Conference 2021 was co-hosted by Gamecity Hamburg (www.gamecity-hamburg.de) and GRAEF Rechtsanwälte (www.graef.eu) and featured special events made possible by partnerships and support from Creative Ports and the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure, who hosted a Start-Up Day, Xsolla who hosted the speed-dating networking event, MeetToMatch and more.
The Hamburg Games Conference will return in the first quarter in 2022.
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