Over 50,000 unique attendees were hosted by Gen Con at last weekend’s show, event organizers announced, the largest such event since the advent of the Covid pandemic in early 2020. Attendance was up dramatically from the 35,000 attendees at a rescheduled show last September (see “Gen Con Attendance Down 50%“).
While a healthy number, 2022 attendance represents roughly a 25% decline from the last pre-Covid Gen Con in 2019, when nearly 70,000 uniques attended the show (see “Gen Con Releases Attendance“). Prior to 2019, Gen Con had been drawing around 60,000 unique attendees each year since 2015.
“Our goal this year was a return to the level of scale and spectacle that make Gen Con a can’t-miss annual event for gaming fans from around the world, and we absolutely feel we achieved that,” Gen Con President David Hoppe said of the 2022 show.
As might be expected for the largest show in the category, Gen Con’s decline from pre-pandemic numbers was less than the decline experienced by Origins Game Fair a little over a month earlier, when it drew a little under 12,000 people, 43% fewer attendees than in 2019 (see “Origins Reports 2022 Attendance“).
Over 530 companies exhibited at the event.
Exhibitors reported strong sales, and despite the smaller crowds, a high level of enthusiasm was evident, not only in purchases but in games, demos and other Gen Con activities.
The event raised nearly $40,000 for the Patachou Foundation, an Indianapolis non-profit which serves meals and learning experiences for children.
Source: ICv2
