Int'l games expo GIST 2019 starts in Istanbul

By Gokhan Ergocun

ISTANBUL (AA) - International entertainment and games expo Gaming Istanbul (GIST) 2019 started in Istanbul on Thursday.

This year, the fourth edition of the event was organized on an area of 18,000 square meters (193,000 square feet) area at the Eurasia Show and Art Center.

Gaming tournaments with the prizes, cosplay contests, events for professionals as well as areas for a playground, shopping, retro-games will highlight the four-day event.

The event is also being attended by video game and technology giants such as Dell, HP, Sony, Fortnite, Nintendo, and Microsoft.

Several professionals and experts from the sector will deliver speeches at the GIST conferences during the four days.

Last year, more than 90,000 people visited the expo, while over 100,000 visitors are expected to be hosted this year.

Small-scale game developers and firms are opening booths freely to become part of the expo.

The expo was organized by France-based GL Events, which has so far arranged over 4,000 international events including the 2012 London Olympics and Cannes Movie Festival.

With more than $1 billion game exports last year, Turkey is a key player in the sector with its young population.