More than 5,000 people fill the Fira de Barcelona trade fair complex on the first day of the SAGA Barcelona Game Fest

More than 600 meetings are held in the business area using the MeetToMatch platform. Over 30 publishers are present and the area hosts the “Mentorships for the Future” scheme sponsored by Larian Games.

The guest country at the big videogame event in southern Europe is Japan and more than 500 gaming points are on offer, as well as over 150 classic arcade machines, more than 200 independent videogames, tournaments and competitions for different titles, and talks and activities for the whole family

The first SAGA Barcelona Game Fest will continue tomorrow (Saturday) and on Sunday at the Fira de Barcelona Montjuïc site, with 20,000 visitors expected: tickets available here

Barcelona, 9 October 2026. More than 5,000 people have filled the Fira de Barcelona trade fair complex on the first day of the SAGA Barcelona Game Fest, the first year this event – intended to become the great videogame festival in southern Europe – has been held. On this first day, all eyes have been on activities for professionals from the industry, with more than 600 meetings held via the MeetToMatch platform, and activities for students, with more than 2,000 students and teachers visiting. The UB Alma Mater university League of Legends league has also kicked off.

The day began with the official visit of the Government of Catalonia’s Minister for Language Policy, F. Xavier Vila; the Commissioner for the Social Use of Catalan from Barcelona City Council, Marta Salicrú, and the Barcelona City Council’s Commissioner for Economic Promotion, Commerce and Catering, Nadia Quevedo. They walked through the main areas and were able to see at first hand the diversity of projects, businesses and organisations present at this first SAGA Barcelona Game Fest.

The spokesperson for SAGA Barcelona Game Fest, Tina Font, celebrated the opening of the event, highlighting its desire to connect Catalan talent with the international industry community. “What we’ve built is much more than a trade fair,” she said. “It’s a shared space, where the industry, game creators, institutions and the public are moving in the same direction. And we’re doing it from Barcelona, with Catalan as the event’s language, looking outward to the world.”

During the first day, the event confirmed its commitment to be a meeting point for the whole videogame industry. The professional area hosted business meetings between studios, investors, publishers, distributors and professionals from the industry. A total of 1,500 business meetings are expected to be held over the three days, with the participation of more than 30 publishers and international investors. As part of the event, there are also specialised Mentorships for the Future tutorials sponsored by Larian Games, connecting established professionals with new talents.

Scopely, the leading games company behind hits like MONOPOLY GO! and Pokémon GO, is one of the sponsors helping make this year’s SAGA Barcelona Game Fest possible. On the festival’s opening day, Scopely hosted an exclusive video game industry networking breakfast in collaboration with SAGA Barcelona Game Fest at its Barcelona hub, bringing together representatives from development studios, specialised media, publishers and industry organisations.

About 20 educational activities for students and future professionals

The first day was also important for the programme aimed at students, teachers and future industry professionals, with students from more than 50 different schools and colleges. Throughout the day, about 20 talks, round tables and activities linked to education, entrepreneurship and job opportunities in the videogame industry were organised. Among the activities scheduled were sessions aimed at setting up new development studios, with the participation of Barcelona Activa; activities on the funding of independent projects, a round table on the challenges of diversity in the sector and a session focusing on job opportunities in the industry promoted by DeviCAT.

Successful experiences in professional training linked to videogames were also presented by the Barcelona Education Consortium, along with different activities aimed at bringing courses and the digital professions closer to the visiting students. In this context, SAGA Barcelona Game Fest has hosted the official opening and launch of the UB Alma Mater League of Legends league, a competition promoted by the University of Barcelona and intended to strengthen the link between eSports and the university community.

International leaders and emerging talent

Today’s (Friday’s) programme has also included talks by leading professionals from the international industry. These included independent developer Rami Ismail, one of the best-known voices on the world indie scene, as well as sessions devoted to the development of independent videogames, marketing strategies for emerging studios, business models from the industry, and videogame cooperatives.

The professional programme was completed with meetings between developers and publishers, pitching sessions and networking activities promoted by initiatives such as Madrid in Game and WINGS and focusing on encouraging new opportunities for growth for participating studios.

“It has been a great success that professionals with such extensive careers and internationally renowned companies such as Larian Studios and Nintendo have been able to connect with the creators and studios who are developing their projects and showcasing them today to the SAGA Barcelona Game Fest audience,” said Dani Santigosa, co-director of the event, assessing the first day.

More than 500 gaming points throughout the weekend

Beyond the professional and educational activities, those attending have been able to enjoy the event’s first gaming and exhibition areas which, over the weekend, will offer more than 500 gaming points, more than 150 classic arcade machines, more than 200 independent videogames and an extensive programme of tournaments, competitions, talks and cultural activities.

The main attractions include the presence of Japan as guest country, the activities of the Videogame Museum of Catalonia, the Gaming en Femení exhibition and the Nintendo stand, where the latest launches from the Japanese company are being presented and can be tried out.

Movistar ensures the event’s connectivity

Movistar, as official technological sponsor, is providing technical connectivity, high-capacity networks and internet access in the whole trade fair complex, guaranteeing the essential infrastructure of the LAN zone, the competition stations and the live broadcasts from the three official stages. This deployment reflects Telefónica’s commitment to its aim of being the best way for citizens to access digital technologies, providing innovative experiences and helping offer more and better services to customers.

The first SAGA Barcelona Game Fest, organised by Retro Barcelona, Plataforma per la Llengua, and the Catalan Alternative Leisure Institute (ICOA), will continue on Saturday and Sunday with new competitions, family activities, talks, gaming areas and activities for all the family. Tickets to attend the last two days of the event are still available on its official website. Tomorrow (Saturday) will be a day of many competitions and family activities and Sunday will be finals day for the competitions, as well as featuring exhibition matches from Barça eSports.