Max “HandOfBlood” Knabe, one of the biggest gaming influencers from Germany, will be absent from the gamescom 2026. This was announced by Hänno’s management. Many people praise this decision.
What is the reason? On linkedin.com, Johannes Gorzel, CEO and co-founder of INSTINCT3, announced that Max “HandOfBlood” Knabe will not be at gamescom 2026. The main reason Gorzel cites is the development the Cologne gaming fair has taken in recent years:
The gamescom used to be a real games fair: trying out unreleased titles, news, technology. In the 2010s, this changed – because of the influencers. A symbol was MontanaBlack’s tour, which even became a security risk because the fan crowd forgot all consideration for other visitors. […]
Gorzel refers here to MontanaBlack’s appearance at gamescom 2022, which caused a massive upsurge. Last year, the topic came up again because Monte complained that he would have to stay away from gamescom because his reach would be detrimental.
The official response from the gamescom organizers painted a somewhat different picture: MontanaBlack was granted accreditation for gamescom under special security conditions, particularly regarding streaming. It seems the streamer did not want to agree to this.
gamescom live from Spandau
What does HandOfBlood plan for 2026? Last year, they already accompanied gamescom 2025 from the studio in Spandau, and it was such a great success that they want to build on it this year. Gorzel explains:
An outside reporter looks past the booths, then Max tests the games in the usual setup. This even brings more reach to the fair content than if he were there in person.
Fan meetings with creators of this size wouldn’t work at an event like gamescom anyway. No matter how efficiently one plans and executes this, in the end, many are left disappointed. For such things, there are now better opportunities like the Corrupted Blood events. Additionally, they are planning major events in Berlin and NRW for the coming year.
The gamescom organizers are receiving a lot of praise from the Hänno management:
This development has been recognized by many – including the organizers. I find it very commendable how the gaming association and koelnmesse have engaged with security issues surrounding creators over the past years, sought dialogue with industry players like us, and emphasized the focus on games.
How do reactions turn out? Under the post on LinkedIn, there are mainly positive responses.
- Sebastian Schotten writes: “Right decision! As a gamescom visitor since 2012, the fair has shifted too much in recent years from a gaming fair for gamers to a fair for brands that want to reach gamers. […] Last year, I noticed that the focus was more strongly on games themselves again. I sincerely hope that this trend continues.”
- Clemens Beier also celebrates: “Strong and well-considered decision. At the event, perhaps the games will finally come back into focus rather than marketing. Hopefully, others will follow suit and create more space at trade fairs for regular visitors. Cool action.”
- Vanessa Julius agrees: “This makes the gamescom enjoyable again from all sides. […] My hope is that more creators will follow this example and be more digitally present at the fair.”
What do you think? Would you have liked to see Hänno and other influencers at gamescom, or are you glad that the streams are taking place away from the exhibition halls? Feel free to let us know in the comments. By the way, our Twitch dad would have liked to see this step years ago: Gronkh is concerned about gamescom: He would exclude himself and all other creators from the gaming fair
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