Hello everyone!
We wanted to share a little write-up of how Gamescom went for us this year. After so many years of visiting the convention as fans, it felt amazing to be on the other side, showing our own game in the Press area with a FEROCIOUS themed booth. Gamescom has been part of our lives since we were teenagers. Leo (our main developer) grew up in Cologne and went to the convention as a kid, while Dom (our Narrative Designer) still remembers the days of the Leipzig Games Convention in 2006, showing up in his clan’s shirt to meet his Xbox Live friends.
We went in expecting the week to be exhausting, but it turned out to be more fun and motivating than draining. The closed booth helped: one visitor at a time, no chaos, just people playing while we watched. What stood out most was how naturally players found their way. We stressed as every developer that they were not going to get something, but it all worked out even for those playing it for the first time, which told us the design was working.
There were plenty of small highlights. One of the most memorable was meeting an editor from Gamestar, a German videogame news site we grew up reading. Having one of their journalists play FEROCIOUS and then compliment both the game and the story of how it started as a solo project felt incredibly good.
Another wholesome detail in the booth and perfect conversation starter were the custom dinosaur statues we commissioned for the event. So many people wanted to have a photo with them! At one point we even ended up holding them on our laps like Bond-villains holding their cats.
Players often jumped in their seats when the Diplocaulus suddenly lunged at the Parasaur, which was very entertaining to watch for us knowing what was going to happen.
Almost everyone tried to interact with the tiny baby crabs in Level 1, and it happened so often that Leo decided on the spot to add a proper interaction for them.
Throughout the week we kept decorating our exhibitor badges with dinosaur stickers from a sticker book we’d been given (you are never too old to not appreciate good dinosaurs’ stickers haha).
We also had the chance to reconnect with other developer friends showing their own games nearby. It was great to see them showcasing their games at the event.
Finally, once the convention was wrapping up and it was time to go home, we started cutting down the booth wall with the keyart of the game with a knife, determined to take it home. Only later we were casually informed that we could just lift them off instead…
Looking back, Gamescom gave us more energy than it took. It was great to finally meet people from the tinyBuild team in person, talk to players and press from all over the world, and see FEROCIOUS connect with so many different people.
Thanks to those who were able to visit, play, and write about the game!
See you on the Island!
~Leonard and Dominik from OMYOG