So this past weekend, gamescom asia 2024 rolled into town at the Suntec Convention Centre, attracting everyone from professional and casual gamers, to industry professionals, cosplayers, artists, and many others all passionate about gaming!
From up-and-coming indie games to jaw-dropping reveals from big-name studios, gamescom asia 2024 offered a glimpse into the exciting future of gaming in 2024 and going into 2025! We got a glimpse of what went on this year and how much this event means to the local and regional gaming scene.
The Triple-A Showcase
One of the highlights was definitely the live playthrough of Monster Hunter Wilds by the producer of the game and nearly the entire Monster Hunter series, Ryozo Tsujimoto! He, along with three other lucky fans picked from the crowd, played the game live on stage, getting a first look and experience at it before it releases officially in February 2025!
The fans snapped lots of pictures with Tsujimoto and were presented with gifts before they left the stage, with the programme concluding with some information on pre-order bonuses for those who get Monster Hunter Wilds early!
On the other side of the convention centre, we were able to try out FC25 and The Crew Motorfest! After a few rounds of football (where I lost heavily as Manchester United, just like in real life), the PlayStation organiser announced that there would be a mini-FC25 tournament – though we weren’t able to participate. Still, it was a great time, since FC25 is a little out of my budget at the moment.
As for The Crew Motorfest, which is a game I’m actually not familiar with as opposed to other famous racing franchises like Forza and the Formula One games. It was a fun experience, as you can compete in challenges across scenic locations rendered with impressive graphics, using a wide range of different cars! You can even customise your in-game driving avatar, along with all aspects of your car’s design.
But taking centre stage at the event—figuratively and literally—was for sure the CAPCOM Pro Tour SUPER PREMIER SINGAPORE! An officially licensed Street Fighter 6 contest under the Super Premier rating, the reward was qualification for the CAPCOM CUP 11 for the winner and runner-up! A global Street Fighter competition, the CAPCOM CUP consists of the best players from around the world duking it out in Street Fighter 6, with a combined prize pool of over a million dollars!
As a fighting-game novice, I didn’t understand most of the game lingo they were throwing around – I mostly figured out what was going on by the oohs, ahhs and other reactions from the crowd. Nevertheless, it made for an interesting spectacle.
Cosplay and Artists
As with any event involving games, the good folk of the arts are right around the corner, raring to show off their finest costumes and put their newest pieces on sale! Between all the cosplays and art for Honkai Star Rail, Genshin Impact and a whole laundry list of anime, it seemed like every creative in Singapore had turned up for gamescom asia 2024!
As we spoke to some of them, they let on about why they came to gamescom asia 2024 – what they expected and things they had experienced. One of them, dressed as Kakfa from Honkai Star Rail, expressed that she looked forward most to checking out all the merchandise available and meeting up with her fellow cosplayer friends!
There was a cosplay competition going on too, and based on the number of incredible costumes I saw, the judges for it will be hard-pressed to decide a winner.
As for Artist Alley, there were a ton of talented creators, with gamescom asia collaborating with the Neo Tokyo Project, organisers of the Doujin Market (Doujima) this year. With Doujima being Singapore’s largest pop-culture art convention and exhibition, the Neo Tokyo Project helped bring loads of brilliant and passionate artisans to gamescom asia 2024!
I visited one such booth, occupied by Daydreamer, an artist’s store selling keychains, stickers, posters and more! The person in charge spoke highly of the crowd and community at gamescom asia 2024, and noted that it was even more striking due to this not being their usual audience!
Usually present at events like Doujima and the Anime Festival Asia, most of their products are targeted at mainstream anime fans rather than gamers, so it was incredible to see a different community so passionate about their merchandise.
Hot Indie Prospects
Among the gems at the indie developers’ booths at gamescom asia 2024, Harpy Raiders stood out to me with its quirky premise and in-depth gameplay! In this RPG platformer, players take control of a slime – a creature often ridiculed as weak in fantasy worlds—on a mission to reclaim the lost glory of their people after being humiliated by other races.
Unlike your typical slime, though, the one you control has the power of mutation – adapting to different challenges along their journey, facing foes with a multitude of different powers. What makes Harpy Raiders even more exciting is the fact that you can control up to four different slimes at once, each with its own set of mutations!
Excitingly, I got to speak with Linus, the founder of the project. After talking with him, it’s clear that Harpy Raiders is more than just a game to him – it’s the culmination of a childhood dream, something he conceived with a friend when they were both children. The game has been in development for just over eight months, with Linus as the only full-time developer and various part-timers helping intermittently.
Despite being in its early stages, the response to the game at gamescom asia 2024 has been overwhelmingly positive. Linus talked about how fantastic the interactions he’d had over the past days of the event were, even getting to know other game developers whom he had inspired!
While still a work in progress, Linus is confident that all will go well for Harpy Raiders, targeting a release in 2 years. Backed up by some private investment to fund his work, I’m looking forward to seeing Harpy Raiders on Steam or in the Epic Games Store!
gamescom asia 2024
And that was my experience at gamescom asia 2024! In my view, it’s safe to say that this year’s edition was nothing short of spectacular! From breathtaking AAA showcases with Monster Hunter Wilds, to exciting possibilities for the future of indie gaming with Harpy Raiders; gamescom asia 2024 definitely delivered a great show for all things gaming.
The energy was palpable – cosplayers, artists, developers, and gamers alike all shared their passion for the industry! However, the great sense of camaraderie fostered really stood out to me. With the entire gaming community coming together to celebrate gaming, it’s heartening to see how positive and vibrant the people were. With all the good vibes, I know I’ll be looking forward to gamescom asia 2025!
If gamescom asia 2024 has you looking forward to next year’s edition as much as I do, head over to their website for more information and any updates! Additionally, be sure to check out the gamescom asia Instagram to catch the latest updates on gamescom asia 2025, and I hope to see you there!
Photos by Russell Loh of the DANAMIC Team.
