OLYMPIA, WA – Three Washington state companies will join international trade experts from the Department of Commerce at Gamescom, taking place in Cologne, Germany, Aug. 21-26. This is the first state-sponsored trip to the world’s largest tradeshow for computer and video games.

Gamescom draws hundreds of thousands of in-person and virtual attendees each year to see what is new in the industry. Last year, 320,000 visitors attended Gamescom, and this year’s attendance is expected to eclipse that.  A wide range of individuals, professionals, dignitaries and businesses attend the event, including publishers, eSports professionals, cosplayers, creators and government decision-makers.

“Gamescom has become the show for the global video game industry,” said Dan Laughlin, Gamesight Chief Revenue Officer. “We expect Gamescom to be a great boost to our sales pipeline, particularly across Europe.”

Gamesight is one of the three companies scheduled to exhibit in the Choose Washington booth (Hall 3.2, Stand C-43):

• Gamesight: Provides video game publishers with a marketing platform to build community, engage influencers and measure digital marketing performance.
• House of How: One of the largest independent end-to-end (E2E) game development studios in the world.
• One More Game: A Washington startup that specializes in online games.

“After nine years in operation, House of How Games is growing its footprint and looking to build more of a global client base,” said Jon Lutz, House of Games CFO/COO. “When the opportunity came up to join the Washington State Gamescom delegation we jumped at the chance. Gamescom is a place where we hope to build new connections and develop new opportunities to help our Seattle-based company continue to grow.”

Washington State’s delegation is led by Shannon Roach Halberstadt, Creative Economy Sector Lead, and Julie Monahan, International Trade Specialist, from the Department of Commerce Office of Economic Development and Competitiveness.

“Washington has more than 200 video game publishers and developers, employing 23,000 workers,” said Monahan. “Some of the world’s most well-known companies are located in Washington, including Valve, PopCap, Big Fish, Microsoft and Nintendo. Gamescom not only allows us to showcase the state as an industry leader but also introduce innovative new companies that plan to take gaming to the next level.”

Learn more about the Washington delegation to Gamescom: https://choosewashingtonstate.com/gamescom-2024/

The Washington State booth at Gamescom is supported in part by the State Trade Expansion Program (STEP), funded through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. Each delegate also received support from the STEP fund’s export vouchers to offset delegate fees and travel expenses.

Learn more about Commerce’s international trade and business development programs and services for small businesses at www.Choosewashingtonstate.com.