Devcom 2024, held from August 18 to 20 in Cologne, was an incredible opportunity for me to attend the annual Developer Conference, a landmark event in the gaming industry.This year, they moved it to the new Confex exhibition complex in the familiar Koelnmesse district. Although the conference has grown significantly in size, it still managed to keep that cosy, intimate vibe I’ve come to appreciate. At the same time, it felt like the event had matured, taking on a much larger and more professional tone.
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Confex: A New Home for Indie Developers
The Confex building itself is impressive — spacious, with multiple floors and plenty of rooms for all sorts of conferences and briefings. The main hall was filled with booths, featuring indie developers and companies offering everything from cloud solutions to game development tools.
One of my favourite moments was stumbling across a small museum filled with old gaming consoles and computers in the lobby. I even got to play on a real Commodore 64, which is three years older than I am! I also had the chance to chat with some enthusiasts and learned something amazing: people are still making new games for these consoles that are over 40 years old. Not remakes, but actual new titles! I made sure to grab some contacts — this is something I want to dive into more in the future.
Indie Games, Networking, and New Discoveries
This year’s Devcom set a new record with over 5,000 attendees — that’s 45% more than last year. I was surrounded by representatives from 1,660 companies across 83 countries. It’s hard to describe how massive the event felt, but the energy was incredible.
The conference itself was packed with over 210 sessions spread across 17 different halls. The sheer number of presentations was overwhelming, and it was impossible to catch everything. Thankfully, the conference’s website and mobile app made it easy to plan which talks to attend. It’s a handy tool for anyone who wants to get the most out of the experience, especially for scheduling meetings and finding key people in the industry.
A Night of Games and Conversations
One of the highlights for me was the Developer’s Night Party at HERBRAND’s, on the other side of the Rhine. It started off laid back — a perfect opportunity to relax, grab a beer, and chat with fellow developers. But the night quickly shifted into something more exciting, with indie developers showcasing their projects as part of Courage Cologne 2024.
By 9 p.m., the place was packed, and the format of earning drinks by completing demo levels and providing feedback was both fun and a great way to engage with the games. It wasn’t just about having fun though — the developers really valued my input, and it felt good knowing my opinions could help shape these projects.
During the night, I played through dozen different games. A few really stood out, and I’d highly recommend keeping an eye on these:
- Monuments to Ruin (they do not have a steam page at the moment)
- Citadelum
- Projected Dreams
- The Rabbit Haul
Although the Developer’s Night Party was a great way to close out Devcom, for me, it was just the beginning. The next day, I was up bright and early at 6 a.m., heading straight to Gamescom 2024. Stay tuned — I’ll be sharing all the exciting details about this year’s biggest gaming event very soon!
Final Thoughts: Why Devcom 2024 Was a Standout Event
In conclusion, what makes Devcom 2024 truly special is not just its growth in size but the quality of its content and the connections it fosters. From seeing familiar faces to learning from thought-provoking sessions, the event felt like a true celebration of both indie and established developers alike. One standout moment was a round table dedicated to the fascinating intersection of gaming and real-world health research. This session explored how citizen science and real health studies, such as cancer and COVID research, are being incorporated into game mechanics. Players, through simple mini-games, can help train AI systems — a concept that’s both innovative and meaningful.
It was particularly exciting to see my good friends Bergur Finnbogason, the creative director of Eve Online, and Attila Szantner, founder of Massively Multiplayer Online Science, leading this session (read my latest interview with him during Fanfest 2025 about Cancer research). These fantastic men are doing incredible work, and it’s a topic worth diving deeper into — I’ve already got a post about citizen science in my backlog.
Devcom 2024 truly exemplified how gaming can push boundaries, not just in entertainment but in real-world impact. It’s an event that brings the community together, encourages learning, and fosters collaboration, making it a must-attend for anyone passionate about the future of games.
Photo Gallery from Devcom 2024
I’ve also added a photo gallery below to give you a sense of the vibe at Devcom 2024 — check it out to see some highlights of the event!
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