<p class="title">Connected devices are challenging consoles at the world's largest online gaming fair, as hundreds of thousands of fans jostle to see top e-sports stars in action and give feedback that can decide whether a new release is a hit or a flop.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The gamescom fair in Cologne, Germany, opens to the general public on Wednesday after a series of sneak-peek events to whet the appetite of a rising generation of enthusiasts who spend more time on gaming than they do watching TV.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Stars of competitive online gaming, known as e-sports, are now making the kind of money earned by professional soccer or tennis players, with U.S. teenager Kyle Giersdorf scooping $3 million at last month's Fortnite World Cup.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Organisers say this year's event will focus on cloud-based gaming, amid a trend towards using a range of connected devices and away from consoles such as the Sony Playstation or Microsoft Xbox.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Cloud gaming is a very important trend - it's about being able to play the best, newest games on practically every device because the actual account is in the cloud," said gamescom's Felix Falk.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Independent developers will also be in the spotlight, added Falk.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Fans will get an up-close look at their heroes demonstrating forthcoming releases, with developers and industry analysts observing queues and interviewing visitors to assess which might turn out to be hits.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"This starts very early," said Jens Kosche, a developer at the German unit of Electronic Arts, which is behind games such as Anthem and Apex Legends.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"We show games to select players and they tell us what they think could be better, and what they like. With that feedback we can develop the game further."</p>.<p class="bodytext">There are an estimated 2.6 billion e-gamers worldwide who will spend some $148 billion on games and related products this year, according to research from Newzoo cited by Mirabaud Securities.</p>.<p class="bodytext">That figure is forecast to rise to $174 billion by 2021 as e-gaming gains in popularity thanks to faster mobile connectivity and the spread of technologies like artificial intelligence and virtual reality.</p>.<p class="bodytext">That makes online gaming – and following e-sports pros on social networks such as Amazon's streaming platform Twitch – a lucrative channel for advertisers and marketers as mainstays like TV stagnate.</p>
<p class="title">Connected devices are challenging consoles at the world's largest online gaming fair, as hundreds of thousands of fans jostle to see top e-sports stars in action and give feedback that can decide whether a new release is a hit or a flop.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The gamescom fair in Cologne, Germany, opens to the general public on Wednesday after a series of sneak-peek events to whet the appetite of a rising generation of enthusiasts who spend more time on gaming than they do watching TV.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Stars of competitive online gaming, known as e-sports, are now making the kind of money earned by professional soccer or tennis players, with U.S. teenager Kyle Giersdorf scooping $3 million at last month's Fortnite World Cup.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Organisers say this year's event will focus on cloud-based gaming, amid a trend towards using a range of connected devices and away from consoles such as the Sony Playstation or Microsoft Xbox.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Cloud gaming is a very important trend - it's about being able to play the best, newest games on practically every device because the actual account is in the cloud," said gamescom's Felix Falk.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Independent developers will also be in the spotlight, added Falk.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Fans will get an up-close look at their heroes demonstrating forthcoming releases, with developers and industry analysts observing queues and interviewing visitors to assess which might turn out to be hits.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"This starts very early," said Jens Kosche, a developer at the German unit of Electronic Arts, which is behind games such as Anthem and Apex Legends.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"We show games to select players and they tell us what they think could be better, and what they like. With that feedback we can develop the game further."</p>.<p class="bodytext">There are an estimated 2.6 billion e-gamers worldwide who will spend some $148 billion on games and related products this year, according to research from Newzoo cited by Mirabaud Securities.</p>.<p class="bodytext">That figure is forecast to rise to $174 billion by 2021 as e-gaming gains in popularity thanks to faster mobile connectivity and the spread of technologies like artificial intelligence and virtual reality.</p>.<p class="bodytext">That makes online gaming – and following e-sports pros on social networks such as Amazon's streaming platform Twitch – a lucrative channel for advertisers and marketers as mainstays like TV stagnate.</p>