As the dust settles on their trip to Gamescom in Cologne recently, Ardán reflect on a transformative experience for the game development ecosystem of Galway and the West.
They were delighted to support independent game developers travelling to the event through the Wild Galway Games Initiative. Throughout the week, the large Irish cohort including successful entrepreneurs, fledgling developers, and experienced creatives and developers from large companies, carved new relationships.
Positivity about the future of the Irish games industry was obvious at the largest industry event in the world, but this was tempered by a lost opportunity. The business area was filled with booths representing countries globally. The absence of an Ireland booth was disheartening, despite our international successes, number of attendees and the wealth of knowledge and industry skill.
They look forward to an annual booth at international Games industry events, supported by Enterprise Ireland and Screen Ireland. This year they unfortunately had to hold meetings standing at cafes, in passageways, or against the outer walls. A lucky few had access to the Creative Europe Media stand or the UKIE booth through Northern Ireland Screen.
They are grateful to Galway City Council and Creative Ireland for supporting the Games Development community of Galway and the West and to the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media for their support of #WGGI. Thanks to Northern Ireland Screen for their hospitality and to the game developers who shared their time and knowledge at #Gamescom2023.
