The new SAGA Barcelona Game Fest exceeds expectations and confirms a new edition

BarcelonaThe merger of the three major video game fairs in Catalonia has been a success, according to its spokesperson, Tina Font: “We have exceeded all the organization's expectations.” This first edition, which debuted at the Fira de Barcelona's Montjuïc venue, has closed its doors with an influx of more than 21,000 people. Regarding the industry, the professional area accommodated a total of 1,590 business meetings, which were also attended by more than 30 international publishers and investors. “The success of the fair comes when a studio manages to close a contract or find funding, or when a professional finds the job of their dreams,” she pointed out. Finally, the participation of more than 2,000 students and teachers during Friday's session, which was more oriented towards training and employment, stands out.

A plural space and the linguistic normalization of Catalan

Beyond the data, the space has demonstrated the plurality of its audience with the coexistence of the professional and academic ecosystem with the general public, gamers, and families. Through a dense and relentless agenda of activities, the fair has championed the video game as a cultural expression and a strategic industry, but also as a recreational and intergenerational activity that must take the Catalan language into account. The event has been a showcase for up to seventy games available in Catalan, and Font has recalled the fair's commitment to the language: “We want linguistic normalization and the social use of Catalan to be a fundamental value”.

The organization has ensured that Catalan remains the vehicular language of the event, even by providing resources for the signage of some exhibitors arriving from the rest of the State. The support and technological tools of the Catalan company Link3rs have also been a key piece, allowing all of the fair's audiovisual content to be enjoyed entirely in Catalan. Simultaneous translation options and subtitles have allowed the speakers at the talks and the tournament announcers to speak in their own language, as language barriers are practically eliminated in both directions.

A first edition that is already thinking about the future

But not everything has been perfect. Faced with a new exhibition space, the layout was occasionally uneven. A certain contrast was noted between some narrower aisles with a high density of gaming points and other more expansive areas with little content, a point to improve for the future. There are also those who have criticized the loss of prominence of the indie video game, despite having plenty of space, due to the merger of the three events and the diversification of content. Despite everything, the organizers of the former IndieDevDay assure that they have tried to keep the spirit of the original fair alive and that they want to continue giving importance to creators and developers.

However, neither any minor change in the schedule nor the issue with the online ticket sales platform, beyond their control, prevented the fair from running at full capacity during the three days, even selling out Saturday's tickets. Given the success, the event organizers have already confirmed the second edition of the SAGA Barcelona Game Fest, which will repeat its venue at Fira de Barcelona. With the goal of boosting the Catalan capital's presence on the international video game map, the fair intends to grow in content, participants, and audience by 2027.