The Grand and Jubilant Reboot InfoGamer Has Begun

Four pavilions of Zagreb Fair will welcome tens of thousands of visitors to Reboot InfoGamer over four days.

The Biggest Reboot InfoGamer Yet

The 10th anniversary edition of Reboot InfoGamer will take place from November 14 to 17 at the Zagreb Fair. Spread across four pavilions—over 10,000 square meters—visitors can expect a plethora of exciting content to captivate gaming enthusiasts and tech fans alike.

In addition to showcasing the regional gaming industry, with a focus on Croatia, gamers of all ages will find approximately 300 gaming stations, an indie arena for independent developers, and the latest gaming hardware from major global and domestic brands such as White Shark, Asus, AMD, and Nintendo.

Esports Highlights

The event will also feature the finals of the 14th season of the A1 Adria League and the A1 Student eChallenge competition. Skilled gamers from local universities will compete in Counter-Strike 2, Rocket League, and EA Sports FC 24, while finalists from the Adria League will face off in Counter-Strike 2, EA Sports FC 24, FC Mobile, and Brawl Stars.

This year's esports competitions at Reboot InfoGamer will provide an excellent overview of PC, console, and mobile gaming.

The competitors underwent months of qualifications and league matches, with only the top four teams or individual players (depending on whether the game is team-based or solo) earning a spot in the grand gaming arena organized by A1, the event's partner. The full event title is Reboot InfoGamer 2024 powered by A1.

The prize pool for these seven esports finals amounts to €42,000, a significant sum sure to attract future participants to these competitions.

Focus on Cybersecurity and Education

A1 has emphasized cybersecurity throughout the year and, in collaboration with the Center for Safer Internet (CSI), developed an educational game for children. This game teaches young users how to behave responsibly online and stay safe while browsing. Visitors can try the game at the event and download it for their own devices.

The PISMO Project powered by A1 will also showcase its initiatives with a series of interactive workshops and events over the four days. These include a preschoolers’ workshop in the Croatian game Moopies and a game development workshop for primary school students, where they can create their first game.

For competitive attendees, a tournament in the game Swing By, developed by ANIQ studio (a PISMO entrepreneurial incubator alum), will also take place.

Industry Panels and Investment Discussions

The event kicked off with a panel discussing new incentives for investing in the Croatian gaming industry. Moderated by Aleksandar Gavrilović, Secretary General of the Croatian Game Developers Cluster, the panel featured Joe Stirling Lee, a researcher from the British consulting firm Olsberg SPI, and Krešimir Partl, State Secretary of the Ministry of Culture and Media.

Joe Stirling Lee presented projections from his firm, suggesting that state incentives could help grow the Croatian game development scene. The panelists then debated the pros and cons of such investment models.

Drawing from similar experiences in the film and TV industry, Krešimir Partl noted that incentives are a good idea but emphasized the importance of first investing in domestic (smaller) studios. He highlighted that incentives in the film and TV sector have led to foreign (larger) productions offering higher pay than domestic (smaller) ones, causing local talent to focus on these higher-paying opportunities at the expense of the local industry.

Source: vidi.hr / November 14, 2024