The opening of Gamescom 2025 was hijacked by divisive political statements, with one developer claiming on the stage that “Democracy is under attack.”
Gamescom Opening Night Live has always been billed as one of the biggest gaming showcases in the world, a night to celebrate creativity, entertainment, and the sheer joy of interactive art. Yet this year, instead of simply spotlighting games, audiences were treated to something else entirely: a scripted political speech about the state of the world, delivered under the guise of promoting The Darkest Files.
Developer Jörg Friedrich stepped on stage not just to talk about his detective game centered on post-WWII German fascists, but to declare: “We cannot simply stand by and watch, we must take action. Democracy is under attack right now. Minority rights are being violated.”
The speech was delivered in the middle of what’s supposed to be an apolitical, unifying celebration of gaming. And like clockwork, the gaming press outlets like Kotaku immediately lined up to cheer.
When Did Gaming Events Become Soapboxes?
The point of events like Gamescom, Summer Game Fest, and The Game Awards is simple: showcase games. Give fans a reason to get excited, let developers celebrate their hard work, and bring the community together.
Politics divides. Gaming is supposed to unite.
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Friedrich is entitled to his opinion. Nobody disputes that. As Vara Dark pointed out in her video on the subject, devs are free to tweet, write blogs, or post on X to their heart’s content. But hijacking the stage of the industry’s largest European gaming showcase to deliver a partisan lecture? That’s not what people tuned in for.
Splitgate 2 director Ian Proulx wearing a Make FPS Great Again hat
And let’s not pretend this hasn’t been the industry standard until now. Only a few months ago, Splitgate 2 CEO Ian Pru appeared on stage at Summer Game Fest wearing a hat that said “Make FPS Great Again.” That one gesture — which wasn’t even a speech, just a piece of clothing — was immediately ripped apart by access journalists and developers. They labeled it inappropriate, political, and damaging to the spirit of the event.
So let’s ask the obvious question: why is that condemned, but a developer standing on stage proclaiming that “democracy is under attack” is applauded?
Hypocrisy from the Gaming Access Media
Kotaku’s write-up of the moment wasn’t just neutral coverage. They called Friedrich’s remarks “a very important message” and framed the Gamescom stage as a noble platform for political commentary.
A meme shared on social media mocking critics by Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet actress Tati Gabrielle – Instagram, Tati Gabrielle
These same outlets cry foul when a developer makes a joke, a cultural reference, or anything that might be construed as political if it leans right-of-center. But when a speech parrots the worldview of the gaming press itself, suddenly it’s “brave” and “important.”
The double standard could not be more obvious.
The Result? Nobody’s Buying It
If Friedrich hoped his speech would move hearts and sell games, the numbers tell another story. The Darkest Files launched earlier this year and has been languishing on Steam. Its all-time peak was a paltry 201 concurrent players — and during Gamescom week, it briefly ticked up to 75. As of this writing, there are 44 people in the world playing. For context, that’s fewer players than some ten-year-old indie titles.
The concurrent players for The Darkest Files on Steam as of August 21, 2025 – Steam
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Gamers aren’t being swayed. If anything, they’re tuning out. On social media, the reaction to the Gamescom speech has been overwhelmingly negative. Vara Dark mocked the segment as “creepy” and “propaganda.”
Enough with this politics and censorship to our games!!
— 🔞BoomerGuy (@boomerguy6969) August 20, 2025
And she’s right. Political grandstanding might earn applause from journalists desperate to turn gaming into an extension of their activism, but it doesn’t sell copies.
Gamescom Cares? Or Gamescom Preaches?
The Gamescom organizers have been touting their Gamescom Cares initiative, a showcase for what they call “responsibility projects.” Alongside The Darkest Files, they highlighted games like Glasshouse (a “feudalpunk” CRPG) and Compensation Not Guaranteed (a point-and-click paperwork simulator about post-colonial land restitution).
Sound fun? Thought not.
A screenshot from Concord (2024), Firewalk Studios
This isn’t about fun. It’s about turning one of gaming’s biggest global stages into a lecture hall. And while journalists in the press room might lap it up, the average gamer is left wondering why their favorite hobby has become a vehicle for lectures they never asked for.
The Big Picture
Gaming can be art. It can tackle political themes when it makes sense — just as books and films sometimes do. But not every game has to be propaganda. Not every developer needs to grab a microphone and make sweeping political declarations in the middle of a showcase that millions watch for entertainment.
The problem isn’t that Friedrich spoke. The problem is that the industry and its press corps are increasingly encouraging this behavior — pushing politics where they don’t belong, and punishing only the voices they disagree with.
The main character for Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet – YouTube, PlayStation
The access media will continue clapping. But judging by player counts and social media reactions, gamers themselves aren’t buying it.
And maybe, just maybe, that’s the real message developers should pay attention to.
How do you feel about politics being celebrated at Gamescom? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
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If people had just listened to Grummz when he said we need to just not buy anything for the next couple of years, we’d have never gotten to this point. This is why I play old games and indie games that I vet before buying, I suggest others do the same.
Suggestion noted, and taken.
It’s so easy to not buy “entertainment” products in 2025. Just let ’em launch, check out a high seas copy and if it happens to be free of modern feminism, DEI, LGBT degeneracy, etc. then buy a copy to support the developer, but otherwise, just let their industry crash. We honestly need a gaming and Hollywood crash to jettison the people and companies pushing this crap.
Boy, ain’t your first sentence the truth.
I’m tired of the narrative that minorities are inherently victims and the rest of us are oppressors. If we were a fraction as oppressive as they let on, they’d be the one constantly censored not us. Genuinely despise these self righteous narcissists who either think the world revolves around them or have some saviour complex.
Poor jorg. Having his democracy taken away from him so easily. Thankfully not I, nor anyone I know, nor anyone I see throughout the course of the day has the same malady. Must be him. Poor jorgy.