Cologne events will "open the floodgates" for new dev projects
GDC Europe and Gamescom will offer rich pickings for publishers scrambling to sign games and fill gaps in conservative release schedules, says Fernandez
August's major European games events, Gamescom and GDC Europe, will be prime opportunities for developers who have survived the first rocky half of the year to sell ideas and projects to publishers desperate to snap up new product.
That's according to Alexander Fernandez, CEO of Streamline Studios and board member of GDC Europe, who believes that a cautious publishing community is now finally ready to buy up new games and fill gaps in their looming 2010 and 2011 release portfolios.
"I'm looking forward to seeing the industry breathe again, specifically with publishers as the realisation that they have big holes in their 2010-11 release schedules hits so hard that they're like 'Crap, where are we going to get product?'," said Fernandez, in an exclusive interview published today.
"So then the floodgates open for developers who are out there staying lean and trim, trying to survive, have an opportunity to rush in."
The Cologne events begin on August 17 with GDC Europe, and continue throughout the week with Gamescom - the successor to Games Convention in Leipzig - open to the trade and the public and boasting support from all major publishers and format holders.
The level of support for the event is extremely positive for the industry, said Fernandez, in particular the development community which has taken a significant knock this year due to tough economic conditions.
"One thing I've found extremely positive is that everyone I've spoken to has already pre-booked 10-15 meetings, which by industry standards, for people to have booked meetings more than a month in advance... that's a like a miracle.
"And the fact that so many have done it just tells me that this show is important - and for multiple reasons," he added. "Not just the European context, but also the global context in that developers coming to this show are looking to place product. For some it's their Hail Marys, for others they want to get a good idea off the ground - but for publishers it's 'Sh*t, we need to buy something'."
The full interview with Fernandez, where he discusses the evolution from Leipzig to Cologne, can be read here.