On gamescom: Capital Crashes, AI Accessibility, and Partner Control

This August, Rokky attended gamescom 2026, marking our 15th year of attendance at one of gaming’s premier events! It was our biggest, busiest, and most productive gamescom to date, with back-to-back meetings, strategic catch-ups, and refreshing conversations. At gamescom, we hosted our first joint rooftop event with Kleos, bringing together partners, clients, and industry leaders to celebrate community and discuss the future of digital distribution.

But beyond the mixers and exhibitions, gamescom is always an indicator of where the gaming industry is heading. This year saw a record 1,743 exhibitors and a growing indie area, revealing to us that the industry isn't shrinking but getting more competitive, which also suggests less capital in an exceedingly growing market. With publishers becoming extremely selective about who they work with, cost-conscious, and focused on efficiency and control. It was the perfect environment to hear directly from the community about where the industry is going and how it's getting there.

Here are our key takeaways from on the ground to help you navigate this shifting landscape.

The first and major shift is how selective the industry has become with investment. Studios across different markets report that funding is harder to secure, development budgets are under much more pressure, and fewer projects are getting financed, even as competition and content quality haven't shrunk. 
Naturally, as the number of publishers and developers continues to increase in this already crowded market, funding will remain harder to come by, and with fewer projects being financed, studios will have to adapt, and fast.

AI's accessibility could accelerate how games are built, letting smaller studios build, test, and iterate on projects regardless of team size or development cycle. With AI reducing a game’s budget, studios can afford to experiment and find new audiences. On the other hand, AAA publishers face the opposite problem: development costs keep mounting, development cycles drag on, and player attention is hard to keep.  Inevitably, the industry will have to choose between either increasing monetization and pricing or becoming more efficient across development, marketing, and distribution.

This year's gamescom saw the Rokky team booked and busy with insightful conversations, back-to-back meetings, and frequent catch-ups. And after speaking with many on the distribution side, it’s fair to say that publishers are becoming more and more selective about who they work with. The conversation is shifting, and publishers are no longer placing emphasis soley on the number of distribution partners they have; they're focusing more on how much control and visibility they have over their partners. They are prioritizing pricing transparency, regional control, sales data, and full understanding of where products are actually being sold.

While the industry continues to navigate rapid change and market uncertainty, gamescom showed us that the industry continues to be full of creativity and optimism. The developer community continues to create incredibly ambitious projects and actively seek smarter, global, and controlled pathways to scale.
In order to maximize your launch potential, optimize regional pricing, manage PC key distribution safely, and protect your margins, all without losing control. Working with the right distribution partner is the way to go.

In order to maximize your launch potential, optimize regional pricing, manage PC key distribution safely, and protect your margins, all without losing control. Working with the right distribution partner is the way to go.

Whatever your size of studio, speak to Rokky about taking your game global.