Weekend full of the best entertainment (not only) for gamers - summary of Poznań Game Arena 2023

Industry leaders present at the fair

Poznań Game Arena attracts the biggest and most important brands in the gaming industry every year. The list of over a hundred exhibitors included companies such as Xbox, Bethesda, Ubisoft, CD PROJEKT RED, Bandai Namco, Wargaming, 11 bit studios, and many others. Such a strong lineup allowed for the creation of a unique exhibition, guaranteeing long hours of entertainment at the highest level.

PGA attracts well-known brands not from the gaming industry. Rockstar Energy Drink became the main sponsor of Poznań Game Arena 2023, KitKat was a sponsor, and Doritos was a partner. The entire trio listed prepared impressive zones at PGA, providing entertainment for long hours.

Rich list of premieres

This year's edition of PGA was rich in numerous premier and pre-premier titles. Among them were hit productions that have stolen or will soon steal the hearts of players around the world. Games such as S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, Tekken 8, Assassin’s Creed Mirage, Ghostrunner 2, The Invincible, The Thaumaturge, Just Dance 2024, Prince of Persia The Lost Crown, and the latest update for World of Warships, based on the legendary production Heroes of Might and Magic III, appeared at Poznań Game Arena.

Exhibitors not only allowed playing new titles but also created unique thematic zones built around their own games. An ideal example is Bethesda, which took visitors to the world of productions such as Starfield, Fallout 76, or Elder Scrolls.

Esports competition at PGA

An integral part of Poznań Game Arena are the esports tournaments, which, as in previous years, enjoyed considerable interest. Football fans had a particularly rich selection to choose from. Both in the Ekstraklasa Games zone and the PZPN area, there were many stations for playing EA Sports FC and eFootball. Fans of Counter-Strike, League of Legends, and other popular games also found something for themselves. Visitors could choose from many competitions and tournaments organized by Poznań Game Arena exhibitors.

New features at this year's PGA

The Poznań entertainment and multimedia fair can boast a nearly 20-year history, built with over 600,000 gamers from Poland and abroad. Over this time, the event has significantly evolved, and the organizers constantly strive to introduce interesting new features to the program. This year, for the first time in history, an official LEGO zone appeared at Poznań Game Arena. Its biggest, quite literally, star was a huge 4-meter Bowser from the Super Mario series.

The LEGO stand was part of an entirely new space at PGA, the Family Zone. During this year's edition of the event, an entire pavilion was dedicated to attractions for whole families, especially the youngest gaming fans. Apart from the aforementioned LEGO, brands such as Nintendo, KitKat, and Doritos also appeared in the family zone.

A novelty at this year's PGA was also the introduction of new thematic stages. In addition to the Main Stage, an integral part of every edition of the fair, the event map featured a Family Stage and a Geek Stage. Over three days, numerous enthusiasts, creators, and experts from various fields related to gaming presented themselves on these stages.

Dozens of indie games at PGA

Poznań Game Arena could not miss independent creators, who once again surprised visitors with their creativity. The games they prepared were a lot of fun, and the wide range of genres that appeared in the zone meant that every game fan found something for themselves.

Among the productions present at PGA, the most interesting ones were traditionally chosen, awarding trophies in the PGA Awards poll. The jury of the competition awarded the following stands:

Best Indie Game:

Star Drifters – First Dwarf

Best Indie International:

Triomatica Games – Boxville (Ukraina)

Best Indie Booth:

Live Motion Games SA - Chornobyl Liquidators

Cosplayers once again put on a show

The participation of cosplayers adds extraordinary flair to PGA. Individuals dressed as characters from widely understood pop culture are present throughout all days of the fair, but it is the finale of the PGA Genesis Cosplay Show on the Main Stage that crowns their presence and serves as the icing on the cake of the entire fair.

The level of this year's competition was, as usual, very even, and the cosplayers amazed both the audience and the jury, which evaluated their costumes and presentations. The main prizes went to:"

• Grand Prix - Ashe z Overwatch 2
• Uniform - Algiedi Morgana z League Legends
• Show - Senua z Hellblade

Best stands at Poznań Game Arena

The Golden Acanthus is an award established by the Grupa MTP in 2003. It honors the best stands at trade events, including at Poznań Game Arena. The trophies, which were awarded during the official opening of the fair, went to the following exhibitors:

• Xbox
• BANDAI NAMCO
• Rockstar Energy Drink
• UBISOFT
• DORITOS
• KITKAT
• LEGO
• 11 BIT STUDIOS
• KOMPUTRONIK / LENOVO
• GENESIS
• COUGAR

Awards for the Best Games in Central and Eastern Europe

Poznań Game Arena and the concurrent Game Industry Conference (GIC) are events that promote game developers from Central and Eastern Europe. A similar idea guides the organizers of the CEEGA awards, whose final gala took place once again during the joint weekend of Poznań Game Arena and the Game Industry Conference.

The title of the best game was awarded to Hard West 2 by Ice Code Games. Here are the other winners:

• Visual art – Scorn studia Ebb Software
• Audio – Layers of Fear studia Bloober Team/Anshar Studios
• Design – Hard West 2 studia Ice Code Games
• Narrative – Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened studia Frogwares
• Technology – Gloria Victis: Medieval MMORPG studia Black Eye Games
• Hidden Gem – Midnight Fight Express stworzona przez Jakuba Dzwinela
• Best Mobile Game – Railbound studia Afterburn

Higher Attendance

Interesting stands, hit games, and numerous attractions were reflected in this year's attendance. Poznań Game Arena was attended by 52,749 visitors. The next edition of the event is scheduled for autumn 2024. The exact date is not yet known.