gamescom 2025 established itself as the world’s largest gaming celebration by bringing together 357,000 visitors from 128 countries and achieving new records in exhibitors, international participation, and exhibition space. Among the highlights of the event was Odd Dreams Digital, an indie studio founded by former CD Projekt Red veterans, which was presenting its new game in development Everything is Crab, the animal evolution roguelite ('Spore' meets modern roguelites' structure and re-playability).

In an interview, Denis Asensio, the founder of the studio, highlighted the relevance of participating. "As a newly found studio, this is the first time that Odd Dreams Digital got to participate in Gamescom, so our frame of reference is limited. That being said, when comparing it to other industry events, the scale is just at a different level, both size and relevance-wise. For indies, especially the ones located in Europe, it is key to have such an impactful event at a reasonable distance, since other big events (such as GDC) are out of reach for many teams."

When talking about the studio’s main plans and objectives during the festival, Denis explained that the focus was on preparing for the future and their upcoming release. "Since we had already secured a publishing partnership, our main objectives in Gamescom were Networking, and Press and Influencers contacts in preparation for our upcoming publisher reveal and Open Playtest, which will come in the following weeks. We wanted to secure some coverage to maximize the impact of our game being publicly available for the first time."

Their presence in the business area also proved strategic. According to Denis, "Gamescom was a bit of a cherry on top for us rather than a key milestone, and we were able to attend thanks to being one of the games sponsored by the Creative Europe MEDIA retinue. We were also part of the B2B area instead of the B2C, so our focus in this case was not to engage with the Community, although from what we heard our stickers made quite the impact! On the side, we have been working with our publisher to prepare the announcement and secure as much coverage as possible, and Gamescom provided another sizable intake of contacts that will hopefully help spread the Crab-word."

The expectation surrounding the studio’s next title, Everything is Crab, was present throughout conversations with partners and the press. The game, which will soon have an open playtest, was prepared to gain more visibility from the contacts made during the event.

Among the results achieved, Denis highlighted the impact with influencers and content creators. "Yes, we wanted to maximize the Influencers/Streamers and Press contacts, with a few key people in mind, and we managed to establish contact with many of them."