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 Montjuïc venue of Fira de Barcelona, has closed its doors with an attendance of more than 21,000 people. Regarding the industry, the professional area accommodated a total of 1,590 business meetings, in which more than 30 international publishers and investors also participated. “The success of the show comes when a studio manages to close a contract or find funding, or when a professional finds their dream job,” 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. The fair has vindicated 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. Also key were the support and technological tools from the Catalan company Link3rs, which allowed all of the hall'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 extensive 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 the 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 occasional change in the schedule nor the incident with the online ticket sales platform, which was beyond their control, prevented the event 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 location at the Fira de Barcelona. With the aim of boosting the Catalan capital's presence on the international video game map, the fair intends to grow in terms of content, participants, and audience by 2027.