adminGamescom Dev is placing greater attention on smaller game studios, which managing director Frederik Hammes sees as a major opportunity for the industry. Smaller teams can accomplish more with fewer people, but they still need to manage the commercial side of development alongside creative and technical work.
Gamescom Dev and the opportunity for smaller studios
Hammes says the event’s speaker survey points to small studios as an important part of the games market’s future. A compact team may be able to develop a game with fewer staff, but essential business responsibilities do not disappear. Someone still needs to handle planning, finances, partnerships, and the practical decisions involved in running a studio.
He describes Gamescom Dev as a place where developers can access a broad mix of expertise, from production and coding to design, creative direction, and business management. For a small team, learning how to build a game and how to operate a company can be equally important. A practical tip for emerging studios is to make business responsibilities part of project planning from the start, rather than treating them as an afterthought.
Gamescom Dev expands into a full business week
In August 2025, Devcom was renamed Gamescom Dev. Hammes says the change brings the event closer to Gamescom and makes it easier for visitors to understand how the two are connected. Previously, attendees faced separate conferences and ticketing arrangements; the new setup brings them together through one ticket shop.
The business week runs from Monday through Friday, and a Gamescom Dev ticket also allows visitors to attend Gamescom through Friday. For people deciding whether to attend, this shared arrangement can make it simpler to plan a week that includes both professional sessions and the wider event.
The 2026 programme features 390 speakers and 220 sessions across 17 stages. Hammes says the goal is not simply to increase the totals: the event is becoming more specialised, and its scale should reflect what attendees and speakers need.
Room to grow—and a focus on industry community
The event currently takes place at the Confex Center at Koelnmesse. Hammes says the venue accommodates the show, but offers limited space for further growth. The organisers are not currently planning a major expansion. However, if the growth of smaller studios and the wider democratisation of game development continue, the event may need more room and could move physically closer to Gamescom.
Devcom began in 2017 to address the gap left when GDC Europe ended. Although Gamescom Dev and the San Francisco-based GDC serve overlapping audiences, Hammes does not describe the relationship as a simple contest. He says conferences are part of a global circuit, with professionals travelling between events, and that the wider games industry benefits when different gatherings succeed.
Leadership Summits offer space for candid discussion
A new addition to the programme is a series of one-day Leadership Summits. These sessions are designed for senior games-industry professionals to speak without press, microphones, or recording. Hammes says leaders need a confidential setting where they can exchange views about a difficult market environment.
At one summit, attendees were asked whether they had delivered bad news during the year and whether they had received bad news at their company. Everyone in the room raised a hand for both questions. The example illustrates why private peer discussions can matter to leaders who are often expected to project confidence even when their organisations face uncertainty.
AI’s impact and the skills leaders will need
The speaker survey also found differing views about artificial intelligence. Forty-seven percent of respondents said AI would be the most impactful development for the industry over the next three years, while 11% identified AI literacy as the most important skill people will need to develop.
Hammes interprets the difference as a sign that leadership may matter more than any single technical skill. In the survey, 27% named leadership as the most important skill. As technology changes, teams need people who can help them respond and make decisions—not just knowledge of a particular tool. For studios, this means pairing technical learning with clear communication and thoughtful leadership.
What Gamescom Dev’s direction means for developers
Gamescom Dev’s emphasis on small studios, business knowledge, leadership, and practical industry exchange reflects the challenges facing game makers. Smaller teams may have more ways to create games with limited resources, but they still need sound business practices and guidance through change. For developers considering the event, its combination of specialist sessions, leadership discussions, and access to Gamescom offers several ways to learn and connect during the business week.
Image credit: Gamescom Dev
Image credit: GamesIndustry.biz
