5 takeaways from Devcom and Gamescom 2024: Eastern influence, web shops rising, and Monument Valley returns

Well, that was fast.

As always with the big weeks like Gamescom and Devcom, the event is preceded with weeks/months of planning, and then it’s over in a flash.

As always, Devcom and Gamescom proved a great chance to meet with industry peers. Devcom saw a record 5,000 registered attendees, with the show packing in 350 speakers across 17(!) stages. Gamescom was its usual busy self - the number of networking events on Wednesday evening was eye-watering. And of course, not to be shown up, we held the Pocket Gamer Party that night, too.

We also held the Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards in association with Gamelight on Tuesday, a great chance for the talented people working in the industry to get the recognition they deserve, but don’t always get. You can check out the winners here.

So after a week of networking, what did we learn? It’s always tougher to come away with lessons from Gamescom - a largely consumer-facing show - then it is a GDC, but there are still a few takeaways from the week.

1. Developers continue to face reality

I’ve previously written about ‘survive to ‘25’, and while at GDC I mentioned the industry was reckoning with its challenges. The same feelings were present at Gamescom - this is a very tough time.

There are signs that things are on the up, however. The mobile games market is back to growth. But everyone feels it - it’s tough out there.

I spoke with Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast SVP for digital strategy and licensing Eugene Evans, who has been making games since the ‘80s.

While not downplaying the challenges the industry faces - in fact, Hasbro has been through its own layoffs, much like many companies I sat down with this week - he had one positive after being through a few industry upturns and downturns during his career.

Evans said the sector has gone from being a small hobby-based industry to a global sector that “in many ways surpasses” other entertainment spaces like film and music.

“I think we ultimately always innovate our way out of those downturns,” he said. “And every day new gamers are being born and more people play games today than ever before.”

And he has reason to be bullish. Hasbro is of course the license holder for the biggest hit of the year, Scopely's Monopoly GO!, which has quickly picked up $3 billion in revenue.

2. Eastern influence

Walking around the halls of Gamescom, and also from an anecdotal level of the meetings I set up this week, it’s clear how significant an influence games companies from Asia and now the Middle East have on the games industry. Krafton, Savvy Games Group, Gryphline, Tencent and HoYoverse were a few of the notable presences at this year’s show.

And even at the Mobile Games Awards, the impact of the big Eastern publishers was notable. Scopely, which took home three awards, is of course now owned by Savvy Games Group.

HoYoverse picked up two accolades, while Kuro Games, Huawei AppGallery, Appcharge and Futura Digital also picked up accolades on the night.

Our Mobile Legend was Nazara Technologies founder, CEO and joint MD Nitish Mittersain, recognised for his work in building India's first-ever public games company and supporting the growth of the local industry.

As more triple-A quality live service games from Asia come to the West, and as more companies increase investments, this influence looks set to continue growing.

3. Web shops rising

This week I felt like I couldn’t get away from web shops. Xsolla seemed to get its name everywhere - it was at Devcom, it had a large booth at Gamescom, and it even had its name plastered around the city - from the Hyatt Regency and the Marriott Hotel to its own party.

It’s a sign that (other than that Xsolla has a lot of marketing money to play with) alternative payment systems and web shops are growing significantly. During one Devcom session, Tilting Point producer Joan Luis Mudarra said Warhammer: Chaos & Conquest was generating as much as 50% of its revenue from its web shop.

It’s an outlier, but it shows the significant potential of the space - and how much developers and publishers are keen to get out of the 30% App Store and Google Play revenue share, keeping approximately 95% of those sales for themselves.

And hearing just how much money one payments company is making from just a small 5% cut, it’s hardly surprising.

4. Apple pot shots

On that note… it’s hard to get through an interview without mentioning the big elephant in the room: Apple.

The entire games industry is having a tough time, but Apple’s privacy measures have made things particularly tough in the mobile space. Interviewees often either deftly allude to these challenges in user acquisition or avoid calling out Apple altogether.

But as the industry reels and the Digital Markets Act and Epic Games’ lawsuits continue to bite at Apple, its name is unavoidable in industry discussions. 

Apple has cast itself as the villain, while Epic has garnered a lot of goodwill. It’s no wonder the App Store is going under a reorganisation. But will that stop the confusing mess its business terms in the European Union have become? Or will we still be discussing Apple in the same way at next year’s GDC and Gamescom? 

5. Monument Valley is back!

Ustwo is returning to the IP where it made its name: Monument Valley 3 is arriving on December 10th, 2024. And this time, it’s coming exclusively to Netflix.

It’s great to see such an iconic mobile game returning to the platform, and not, say, arriving on PC at launch instead.

It’s a sign how far the industry has changed that Monument Valley (which first released in 2014!) comes to an entirely new-look market. The conversation around premium games on mobile has ended, with experiences like MV3 given a lifeline on subscription services like Netflix.

Free-to-play, live service games rule the roost. We’ve all known that for over a decade now. But as it becomes even tougher for premium games - perhaps because of the subscription services themselves - it’s nice to see there’s still a good home for a true, classic, premium mobile title.