Sandbox Convention Recap

Tyler – PAX West

2024 was fun for me in that I got to experience both US PAX’s for the first time. Both were great shows in totally different ways, but I have to say I’m partial to Seattle (sorry Boston).

To start with the city itself, it was great to explore a little bit! I got to have some fantastic ramen, great burgers, and check out Pink Gorilla Games for the first time. I’d heard about this chain of retro game stores before, but was a super charming spot with a surprisingly wide collection of imports and older titles for how small it was! Helping out a few of our clients at The MIX was a blast, as it’s always fun seeing devs get to show off their games publicly for the first time.

I also had the chance to attend our friends at Larian’s anniversary party for Baldur’s Gate 3. They picked a super cool local venue with fun drinks, some crazy theming and a karaoke stage. I promise I’m good at karaoke – or at least – I’m okay…maybe…sometimes. Was good to catch up with and meet a ton of new folks – even if I may have briefly fanboyed meeting Ben Starr.

The convention was fantastic though! Was great to get hands on with a number of rad indies and see some really impressive booths. (Extra shoutouts to the Five Nights at Freddy’s and Infinity Nikki ones in particular.) Plus as a merch hound, I definitely walked out with just enough to squeeze into my suitcase. I wish I’d seen more of the tabletop hall, but now I have something to look forward to next year. Maybe I’ll bring a commander deck!

Elena – Gamescom

This year marked my third, attending and working at Gamescom, though each year has been a bit different. For those who haven’t attended the show, it functions a bit differently than most.

Gamescom takes place Wednesday through Sunday and is made up of different areas. In the past, I’ve been based in the business area, which is open only Wed-Fri and reserved for exhibitors, business folks, media, etc. When we do PR in this space it’s almost always by appointment, and with many of our partners hosting closed-door demos and interviews, I spent a good deal of the first couple days popping over to get some face time. This space is increasingly delightful the longer you’ve been in the industry, as you get to know more people and more games, and you’re sure to run into a friendly face or two every time you pass through.

This year, I was based in the consumer area – specifically, Hall 10.2, which is focused on indies. In this space, not only did I get a glimpse at a massive selection of upcoming indie gems, I also got to spend all five days with Dutch studio Twirlbound and their adventure game, The Knightling. It was such a pleasure to get to know the team, watch players try the game for the first time, introduce our media partners to the game, and learn all kinds of behind-the-scenes development stories along the way.

In addition to my time in the business and indie spaces, I took a few opportunities to explore the showfloor. Gamescom has some of the most incredible booth setups in the biz. It’s always worthwhile to take a wander and see the giant cats, life sized Space Marines, and towering vault doors. And beyond the walls of Gamescom, I learn something new about Cologne each year. This year, after learning my luggage was left in Munich, I spent a couple hours dashing around the shopping district as I scrambled to pull together a couple days worth of necessities. I also made a couple obligatory visits to Brauhaus FRÜH am Dom, nearly knocked my teeth in after tripping on some uneven bricks, and befriended the local train station.