Gamescom draws 254,000 attendees, 505 exhibitors

This past Saturday was the final day of Gamescom, which bills itself as Europe's largest gaming convention. However, according to attendance figures released today, the Cologne, Germany-based expo is the world's largest gaming event.

Gamescom organizers announced today that 254,000 people attended last week's expo, which was held at the sprawling Köln Messe. Of those, some 4,400 were members of the media, and a Cologne city festival held in tandem with the expo drew some 100,000 visitors. By comparison, the Tokyo Game Show draws around 185,000 visitors and the Electronic Entertainment Expo about 43,000.

Exhibitor-wise, Gamescom had 505 companies on the show floor--up from 458 in 2009. Those companies hailed from 33 countries, two more than the year prior.

As outlined in GameSpot's own Gamescom coverage, several companies used the German expo to make major announcements. Electronic Arts unveiled a new Need for Speed title, dated Dragon Age 2, and revealed that Mass Effect 2 is being ported to the PlayStation 3. At its press briefing, Sony unveiled a new 160GB PS3, which will replace the current 120GB model. A 320GB PS3 will also be available as part of a $400 bundle with the PlayStation Move motion-sensing system.