Over the past six months, Warframe‘s developers all asked themselves the same question: “A convention centered around one game, would people even show up?”
Show up they did. TennoCon 2016, a convention exclusively for Warframe, took place this past Saturday. Digital Extremes, the game’s developers, hosted the event in their hometown of London, Ontario. Over 1,100 enthusiastic fans came together to celebrate all things Warframe, filling the convention center to capacity and blowing away the developers. Digital Extremes’s generosity was the most noteworthy statistic since all ticket sales — over CAD$78,000 worth — went directly to the Outward Bound charity.
“We didn’t know what to expect when we did this, and obviously this has exceeded — hopefully yours — and ours’ expectations,” said Rebecca Ford (Community Producer) during the Tenno Live conference.
Cosplayers from around the world gathered to show off their favorite frames and even the enemy Grineer. Experienced teams of Lunaro players — think Rocket League meets Warframe — clashed in tournament matches. Fans could also play together on PS4, Xbox One, and PC kiosks with the latest game updates. In addition, all attendees were randomly sorted into one of the five Tenno Schools. Everyone’s participation in TennoCon festivities contributed to their school’s ranking, and a real-life “Convergence Cup” was finally awarded to the top school (The tactical warriors of Naramon won this year). The line to hand in the scores was spilling out of the convention doors all day!
As soon as the doors opened, fans were already begging Digital Extremes to bring the convention back next year. They also suggested making it two days long or getting more floor space to expand it with more activities. While it was an event for the fans, the convention also excited the developers themselves. Speaking and interacting with the fans was energizing every developer I spoke with. The idea of making TennoCon even bigger in the future was equally exciting (and daunting) for the developers.
The shared enthusiasm was off the charts. I had a blast covering TennoCon and interacting with all of the fans and developers. I’m positive I wasn’t the only one who enjoyed the event and would love to see it return. This is how you start a tradition.
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