What's going on for Gamescom Asia's virtual show and what can you get from it?

"What's going on?"

That's not a reference to Marvin Gaye's iconic song, but the question on almost everyone's minds when Gamescom Asia announced in September that their Entertainment Zone (the B2C portion of the trade fair) will be "fully online" instead.

No details of the virtual shows' programme were provided when the announcement broke but we finally got the deets during a virtual media briefing yesterday (Oct 12).

The virtual shows will bookend the physical Trade Zone event with Primetime on Oct 19 and Studio on Oct 23 and you can catch it on Facebook, YouTube and Twitch.

Both shows will be hosted in English with presenter Victoria Cheng taking Primetime and content creator Tashbunny taking Studio. The shows will also be hosted by YouTuber Dejet and Mint in Bahasa Indonesia and Thai respectively.

Primetime will air from 8pm to 9pm and is filled with news, first looks, game premieres and more from the ASEAN region and beyond.

Studio is a half-day affair with programmes running from 1pm to 7pm. The full schedule can be found below:

• Made in Southeast Asia (1pm to 1.45pm)

A Gamescom Asia special, this segment features Southeast Asian video games that are making waves in the region. You can expect trailers, gameplay and even hear from the developers themselves. It'll be hosted by Arief Johan and Andreas Betsche of Virtual SEA.

• Behind the scenes with Scopely (1.45pm to 2.30pm)

Scopely is a local mobile game developer and the studio has many games under its belt — including Stumble Guys and Marvel Strike Force. They'll be showing off the first trailer of their latest game along with a sneak peek into their creative process, followed by some fun highlights from the Stumble Guys live event.

• Awesome Indies and more (2.30pm to 3.15pm)

A special feature of a selection of award-winning indie games and more from around the world

• Singapore Showcase (3.15pm to 4pm)

Local exhibitors at the Singapore Pavilion of the Trade Zone will be getting their turn in the spotlight to share their insights during this segment.

• Land of the Rising Fun: What makes Japan's game scene so unique? (4pm to 4.45pm)

Get cosy with a fireside chat on Japan's gaming scene with Daniel Robson (chief editor of IGN Japan), Dylan Cuthbert (CEO of Q-Games) and Baiyon (director and music creator at Q-Games).

• World Warrior — Capcom Cup IX Qualifiers (4.45pm to 7pm)

Catch the broadcast of this double elimination Street Fighter V tournament as the top eight players in the competition vie for a chance to qualify for Capcom Cup, the world championship of Street Fighter. It'll be hosted by the best players in Southeast Asia — Razer Xian, Zhi and Mike Ross.

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In addition to the virtual shows, fans and gamers can also keep an eye on the Gamescom Asia Steam event page which will be open during the week of the event.

You can demo the games that will be on display at Gamescom Asia and wishlist them if you like them. There'll even be special offers available.

If you're missing the feeling of having a community, then pop on to Gamescom Asia's Discord where you can engage with other fans and gamers from Southeast Asia and beyond.

Prakash Ramajillu, division director at Koelnmesse Singapore, also acknowledged the lack of a physical B2C portion this year.

On the bright side, though, he explained the line-up of shows serve to "strengthen our digital footprint and build on for a really good physical B2C next year".

bryanlim@asiaone.com

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