Once again, Ukie is taking the UK Industry out to gamescom, the biggest annual European games show.
This is the biggest stand that Ukie have ever managed at gamescom, with over 80 of the top UK games businesses coming with us to the show to exhibit, meet international partners, demo new games, and represent the best of the UK's games sector.
The theme
Every year, our gamscom stand embodies a different Great British theme. For 2017, we’re excited to announce that the theme of our stand will be The Great British Pub.
The stand will include all the usual demo kiosks, meeting tables and private meeting rooms that our exhibitors are used to, but this year it includes the addition of a traditional public house bar right in the middle of the stand. The bar will be stocked for our two networking drinks receptions on Tuesday and Wednesday, and will be catered with a pub lunch every day, thanks to lunch sponsors Green Man Gaming.
Returning this year will also be the popular morning juice bar, run with massive thanks to TAKEOFF, and breakfast on the stand each morning courtesy of Pole to Win. Potentially most important of all is a big thanks to Amiqus for keeping all exhibitors and guests caffeinated throughout the three day show!
Our 'Great British Pub' will be equipped with lots of fantastic pub themed decor and props including bar mats sponsored by Loading Bar and parasol umbrellas by Unity.
Who’s on the stand?
We have over 80 top UK games businesses coming out to Cologne with us, from developers, publishers, PR companies, media groups, recruitment firms, as well as delegations from games clusters in Liverpool, Northern Ireland and Wales.
Here’s the full list:
Yogscast
Networking drinks and the Game of the Show Award
We’re also hugely excited to be bringing the UK Game of the Show back to gamescom 2017, sponsored this year by Reality Games.
The trophy will be awarded to the best UK developed but as yet unreleased game being shown at the expo. This will be the fifth year of the award at gamescom, where its aim is to shine a spotlight on the best of the UK’s development talent in front of a global audience.
The UK Game of the Show Award has a reputation for excellence, with previous winners including PaperSeven’s Blackwood Crossing, and The Escapists, developed by Mouldy Toof. The award was also taken to San Francisco for the first time this year, where the inaugural GDC edition was won by Spilt Milk’s Lazarus.
No application is necessary for companies to be up for the award. Anonymous judges will be making their way around the halls throughout the first two days of the expo to assess the top British dev talent on display, before the winner is announced at the Ukie stand during Wednesday evening’s networking drinks reception, in partnership with Runescape developer Jagex. All exhibitors on the Ukie stand and their guests are invited to attend this open event, and also our first drinks reception on Tuesday evening, which is run in partnership with games recruitment firm OPM Response.