GAMESCOM WITH CHICKENS - PART 2.

The main purpose of our Gamescom visit was not only to connect with the visitors and showcase our demo, but to negotiate with publishers of course. Yes, a Gamescom booth is quite expensive to pay, so for a self-funded, small team, it is quite risky. (Not to mention travel, accommodation, meals, other expenses.)

As we mentioned in the first part of the this post, the game was tried at the event by somewhere between 800 and 1000 people and the feedback was extremely positive. (Almost suspiciously positive I have to say...!) Perhaps more importantly, we exchanged a lot of business cards and, of course, received a lot of useful feedback on the game.



Four of us went to the event so two of us could attend the pre-arranged meetings with the publishers, while the other two team members ensured that everything goes well at our booth.


The discussions with the publishers were quite instructive, and surprisingly smooth and friendly even with the biggest of them (where we felt like really small fry...). What we noticed was that everyone was (really) interested in our game and wherever we went, people were quite enthusiastic about us, the team, the game and our ideas.

Publishers' time is precious and relatively little. What's more, Gamescom was overwhelming and very crowded, so we had to be fast, concise and confident. But we never really felt like we were rushed - not at all! Everyone was relaxed and friendly, and fortunately, it wasn't just out of politeness, as all the publishers we talked to have been continuing to negotiate with us ever since.

That wouldn't have happened without Gamescom, so after the talks were over, we were 100% sure it was very much worth the attendance!


To our surprise, the stand and the game itself were so striking that the German and the Hungarian TV also made interviews with us, several smaller and bigger German, English, Italian and Russian magazines asked for interviews as well, and one of the most exciting: with Rocket Beans TV we had the opportunity to do a demo showcase, streamed live from the event.

You can view it here:
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]




The experience was overwhelming! The event was huge, in both its physical size and significance. (In 4 days, we couldn't even see the half of the event, maybe a quarter of it!) There were fantastic indie teams, many of us were friends and there are people we have been in contact with ever since. It was a soul-raising experience for sure!



But most importantly, we had a good deal of negotiations (this was the business part), and of course, we were able to put a smile on the face of a huge amount of players (that was the emotional part). It was fantastic to see the "glitter" in the players' eyes that replaced the initial shock of the chicken-headed detectives... Of course, it was really tiring to stand, talk, negotiate, pack and start the next day again, doing 10-12 hours of work a day (the camping didn't help) - so, yes, we died a bit, but in the end, we felt like it was well worth it.



If we can give some advice to those small and independent teams who are planning to go next year, give Gamescom a chance because even though the organization left something to be desired, the event itself, the huge and grateful audience and the fact that "everyone is there who matters" is definitely worth the fatigue.

If you have a specific question, contact us, we will help you as best we can!

So we'll see you there next year?

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

And don't forget to wishlist the game:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1084640/Chicken_Police/