Thailand Named Official Partner Country of gamescom 2025
gamescom 2025 has its partner country, and for the first time it comes from Southeast Asia: Thailand will take the official partner role at this year's show in Cologne. Organizers Koelnmesse and game, the German Games Industry Association, signed the agreement with Thailand's Department of International Trade Promotion, and the partnership comes with a country pavilion showcasing a lineup of Thai studios. It is also a very deliberate warm-up for the new gamescom asia x Thailand Game Show launching in Bangkok this October.
Why Thailand, and why now
The choice is anything but random. Thailand ranks among the ten biggest and fastest-growing gaming markets in Asia, with an estimated market volume of around 1.3 billion US dollars in 2023 and nearly 32 million regular players, close to half the country's population. Gaming is deeply embedded in Thai everyday culture, and the country has built a lively indie scene, ambitious studios, and a growing development infrastructure around it.
The government is pushing hard to turn that domestic enthusiasm into international relevance. New tax incentives for foreign studios and targeted funding programs for local developers are designed to make Thailand competitive as a production location, particularly in storytelling, character design, animation, and esports. The gamescom partnership is the international showcase for exactly that ambition.
The bridge to Bangkok
The timing makes the partnership doubly interesting. gamescom asia merges with Thailand Game Show this year, moving to Bangkok as the region's biggest gaming event from October 16 to 19. The partner country appearance in Cologne is explicitly framed as the first step toward that event.
game managing director Felix Falk called Thailand one of the most exciting and dynamic games markets and a driving force in Southeast Asia, while Koelnmesse COO Oliver Frese described the double engagement, partner country in Cologne, new flagship event in Bangkok, as a strong signal for the company's international growth strategy. Thailand's trade promotion chief Sunanta Kangvalkulkij put it most vividly, calling the partnership a launchpad to showcase Thai innovation and invite the world to Bangkok.
What visitors will actually see
For gamescom visitors, the practical upshot is a Thai country pavilion filled with studios showing their games, a chance to sample a development scene most European players have had little exposure to. Partner country showcases in past years have been reliable hunting grounds for unexpected gems, and Thailand's mix of strong art traditions and a young, ambitious indie scene fits that pattern perfectly.
gamescom 2025 runs from August 20 to 24 in Cologne. Consider the Thai pavilion an appetizer, the main course is served in Bangkok two months later.
