Marqed to host SK Gaming, Porsche at gamescom 2026

Marqed agency will run The District at gamescom 2026, a 3,000-square-metre esports area that spans Hall 8 and Outdoor Area P8 in Cologne. The space will feature SK Gaming, Porsche and a roster of hardware, automotive and consumer brands during the trade fair.

The District is designed to combine brand activations, community hubs and esports organisation showcases. Marqed said the programme will focus on cultural fit for each brand and use curated events and competitive content to reach specific gaming audiences rather than aiming for maximum footfall.

SK Gaming will occupy about 800 square metres in The District and will present community-oriented experiences alongside commercial partners Deutsche Telekom, Subway, SanDisk and REWE. Marqed described the layout as a mix of branded spaces, community zones and competitive stages.

Participants announced for the area include AGON by AOC, Philips EVNIA, GIGABYTE AORUS, HP HyperX, Maverick Games, Philips OneBlade, Acer, Logitech, Porsche, PwC, Sony and TCOMAS. Several non-endemic brands with prior ties to the League of Legends Techniker Prime League will also take part; those include KitKat, Nongshim and Techniker Krankenkasse. The Techniker Prime League is produced by onethreefive gaming GmbH, a sister company of marqed agency.

The District will operate alongside other gamescom events and the Esports World Cup schedule. Senior industry figures will meet at Esports Leaders, an executive summit held at the Hôtel du Collectionneur during the closing days of the Esports World Cup.

The arrangement follows a change in management of Hall 8’s competitive gaming footprint. At gamescom 2025 a similar 3,000-square-metre hub called the Knabe Kola Pro Arena was run by Freaks 4U Gaming and hosted more than 20 brand partners. Freaks 4U Gaming filed for insolvency in late 2025 after majority owner NODWIN Gaming withdrew further funding, leaving the Hall 8 programme open for 2026. Marqed has taken the space for gamescom 2026 with a strategy-led programme combining commercial activations, community work and competitive programming.

Marija Haenisch, founder and CMO of marqed agency, commented: “Not every brand needs to be everywhere. For us, it starts with the question of who a brand really wants to reach and in which environment it can show up credibly. The District is exactly that kind of place: focused on a clear audience and on brands for which competitive gaming is a relevant context.”