Leipzig Games Convention Closes Its Doors

A few years ago in 2002, there arose a haven for gamers from around the world. A place where they could all gather and take a look at how the gaming industry was doing and what new things were coming out. The Leipzig Games Conference started out small with only around 80,000 visitors, 166 exhibitors, 3000 professional visitors, 750 journalists, and occupied a space of 30,000m. By 2008, just six years later, the convention had grown to 203,000 visitors, 547 exhibitors, 14,600 professional visitors, 3,800 journalists, and occupied a space of 115,000m!

With such a great turnout of people over the years you would think that the Leipzig GC would be operating for years to come. However, at the end of the 2008 convention, the Industry consortium BIU announced not to back a games convention in 2009 in Leipzig. Organizers of the convention have canceled the event citing an increased competition on the German trade fair market. In turn they announced a new convention, an online games-focused show instead. GAMESCom of Cologne, Germany, has been announced to be the successor to Leipzig’s GC.

A defriant Wolfgang Marzin, CEO of the Leipzig Trade Fair, stated that “if the industry is again in search of a platform for console and PC games and hardware with the know-how of the GC — Games Convention, we will immediatley be available.”

In talking about the new online event, Marzin stated, “We will be combining the real fair, that is, the offline event, with an online event. This means that millions of gamers are linked in on the internet and can take part in the Games Convention Online in Leipzig live. The Games Convention Online will host tens of thousands of visitors in Leipzig, and several million in the whole world.”

Needless to say many gamers may weep at this heartbreaking news of one of the biggest and best gaming conventions in the world closing its doors. with a final salute we say a fond farewell to the Leipzig Games Convention.

written by Zack Duncan