Upright Games from Frankfurt am Main showcased their PC game “Royal Revolt Warriors” at Gamescom 2024. Executive Assistant and Community Manager Christian Tillmann talks about his journey at the exhibition.
We are Upright Games, a young indie studio based in the heart of Frankfurt. Since our founding in 2020, we’ve primarily focused on mobile games, but now all our energy and creativity is going into developing our first PC game, Royal Revolt Warriors, a spin-off of our successful Royal Revolt series. We started working on it in March this year. Deciding to participate in Gamescom 2024 was a somewhat last-minute call, but luckily, our PR agency connected us with Home of Indies, who secured a booth for us. For rookie exhibitors like us, who had no idea what all goes into setting up a successful booth, it was a real jackpot. Chris and her team guided us throughout Gamescom, standing by us in every situation.
It was a huge relief that Home of Indies managed all the organizational details, allowing us to focus fully on promoting our game, networking, and engaging with players.
Christian Tillmann – Executive Assistant & Community Manager
The Perfect Start for Exhibition Newcomers
We only announced our game the Monday before Gamescom. Our team worked tirelessly through the weekend to finish the demo and deliver the best experience possible to visitors. Finally, we were able to showcase quite a polished demo, which we’re really proud of. During the preparation phase Chris gave us valuable tips, and her suggestion to recreate the booth setup in our studio was a game-changer. This helped us envision the layout and where everything would go.
We had booked an M-sized booth with two stations. Since Royal Revolt Warriors is a co-op survival game that can be played in both single-player and multiplayer modes, we always had at least four players at our booth, plus two or three of our team members assisting visitors. Thankfully, Chris secured us a corner booth with a bit more breathing room, or else it might have felt crowded.
For furniture and tech, we went with the full package provided by Home of Indies, only bringing our own speakers and controllers. It was a huge relief that Home of Indies managed all the organizational details, allowing us to focus fully on promoting our game, networking, and engaging with players.
Building Connections and Growing Our Wishlist
With five of us on-site, we worked in shifts. Each shift lasted about four hours, so everyone could get a break, and our CEO Felix had time for his business meetings. We worked together seamlessly, with everyone motivated and pushing through the long days. Gamescom was worth it for the networking alone. We connected with other developers, exchanged tips, and supported one another.
Our appearance at the event had a big impact on our wishlist numbers and visibility. We estimate that around 650 players tried our demo, plus those who snapped a photo of our wishlist QR code as they passed by. Nowhere else do you reach so many people in such a short time.
Through the Streaming Booth, organized by Home of Indies in partnership with Streamboost, we connected with even more people. Streamers were introduced to various indie games just for fun, including Royal Revolt Warriors. One streamer, ChrizzPlay, took notice and later invited us to his stream. He has already streamed our demo for over 25 hours. These connections are invaluable, and we’re thrilled when others get excited about what we’re creating.
Mission Gamescom: Practical Tips and Lessons
Our exhibition experience was smooth overall. We had a few initial hiccups with the power supply, but the issue was quickly resolved. Chris and Fabricio stayed calm and helpful the entire time, even during busy moments, which made us feel well taken care of. It’s crucial for exhibitors to stay calm when things don’t go as planned – there’s always a solution!
Our organization paid off, as we had a pre-planned shift schedule that kept us well-prepared. With all the permanent visual and auditory input – from flashing screens to constant background noise – breaks are essential, and we managed them well. We highly recommend planning how you’ll structure each day at Gamescom. Chris and her team handle a lot around the booth, but promoting your game is still on you, so it’s wise to have a strategy and not assume everything will run itself.
Quite a good idea was placing mini speaker boxes at each station so players could enjoy sound effects despite the surrounding noise. Merchandise was also a hit – our T-shirts were especially popular. When it comes to merch, it’s best to go for fun or wearable items that visitors are more likely to keep.
Since it’s impossible to talk to everyone, we decided to display a large QR code linking to our wishlist. This is something we recommend for any studio showcasing games on Steam. It allows people who pass by or don’t stop for a conversation to check out the game later. We also realized that our postcard-sized flyers were still too large; next time, we’ll bring more compact business cards with our game’s title and wishlist code, making it easier for visitors to take with them.
Seamlessly Supported and Surrounded by Positive Vibes
Our Gamescom experience was a huge success. Thanks to Home of Indies’ fantastic support, we were able to focus entirely on what mattered: our game. All the logistics around our booth were managed effortlessly, giving us peace of mind. Perfect for indies, particularly for those new to exhibitions. It was incredibly rewarding to meet so many people, receive live feedback, and feel the enthusiasm of players. The positive and supportive atmosphere among exhibitors made the experience even better. We truly felt like we made the most out of it, and we’re already looking forward to joining next year with Home of Indies for our game’s official release!
