Gamescom boss talks Geoff Keighley, Opening Night Live expectations and more

Felix Falk, managing director of game (the German Games Industry Association) and basically the big boss of Gamescom, spoke to Radio Times ahead of the 2024 edition of his huge gaming convention.

You can see the full video version of this interview in the player above, or on the Radio Times Gaming YouTube channel.

It should offer you an interesting overview of this year’s Gamescom, which kicks off tonight at 7pm UK time with its Opening Night Live showcase.

One of the things we asked Falk about was Geoff Keighley, who also hosts Summer Game Fest and became the de facto host of the whole industry in recent years. What’s it like working with an institution such as Geoff?

Falk told us: "He's not just an institution, but he's a great guy.

"I really liked him from the first meeting we had in LA, when... well, I don't know if I told somebody [before], but, like, he dropped me an email saying, 'I love Gamescom. I just want to let you know.'

"So there wasn't anything connected, it was just a really nice email.

"And then we said, 'OK, I should meet him and talk about this idea we had for years, and he will be the perfect fit.' And then Gamescom Opening Night Live was the end of that.

"So, yeah, he's a great guy. Really responsive, you know? Even when little indie studios say, 'Oh, we have this idea. We might want to pitch this to Gamescom,' he takes time for everyone and replies really promptly, checks the contents, says, 'Well, he needs to make a place in Gamescom Opening Night Live.'

"So it's a great partnership. And we built up from the first year, which was, I think, 2019. So we have, you know, millions of people and growing dialling in and tuning in, into Gamescom Opening Night Live. So I think that's great."

As for what the Gamescom Opening Night Live presentation will be like tonight, Falk told us: "Yeah, I think it will be a great ONL this year.

"Last year, as you might remember, Geoff before the show did some expectation management, saying, 'OK, the companies at the moment don't really have that many new world premieres,' but we had a really great show with content from already-announced games which were not shown before. So that was really interesting.

"And this year, it's a combination. So it will be, you know, already announced stuff […] but also there will be some exciting news. So I think it will be a great start into this week."

As for what in-person Gamescom attendees can expect on the show floor, Falk explained that there are several new areas this year.

"For example, we introduced a Cards and Boards Area, where trading cards and everything which is strongly connected to the games culture is presented in a big way with new partnerships. So that will be exciting.

"We have an Artist Area, where game artists not only sell their work, but they paint people in their art style. So that will be fun.

"And maybe a third one is our Social Stage. So, as you probably know, creators are becoming more and more important for the games culture and the games universe, and we created this curated stage for them." This will include signings, speed run competitions, charitable activations and shows.

"So I think that will be also fun and something new," Falk said in closing.

And if Falk had one piece of advice for Gamescom attendees, it would be to check out the Indie Area, where you’re very likely to discover new games and even meet their developers.

We’ll bring you more coverage from Gamescom in the days, weeks and months to come!

Gamescom Opening Night Live takes place tonight at 7pm UK time. The conference will run in Cologne for the rest of the week.

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