~170 employees from over 25 nations work at Ubisoft Mainz; about 100 of them work on the Anno brand; around 50 developers working on other major Ubisoft brands and technology solutions. ©Ubisoft Mainz Business Ubisoft Mainz: The Studio Behind Anno Celebrates 30 Years of Innovation Anno 1995 saw the founding of Related Designs, which became part of Ubisoft over ten years ago. To date, the studio has released six Anno games, and three of the four founders still work for the company today. We spoke to studio manager Thomas Pottkämper about the company's impressive history. By Marcel Kleffmann • 9 min read
Jonathan Lander, Board Member at LootLocker / Alexander Bergendahl, CEO and Co-Founder of LootLocker; © LootLocker Business LootLocker Raises $2.5M and Strengthens Publishing Initiative With Jonathan Lander LootLocker, the backend powering numerous live games, is expanding its remit to help publishers connect their catalogues and guide the player journey. To this end, they have brought on board Jonathan Lander, former SVP of Global Product & Publisher Operations at Bethesda. By Marcel Kleffmann • 1 min read
PlayStation 5 console; © SIE Business Sony Reports Strong Figures From the PlayStation Segment Sony's PlayStation 5 console continues to sell well, with sales slightly exceeding those of last year. Software sales are showing a similar trend, which is why Sony has raised its sales outlook. However, the outlook for operating income remains unchanged, partly due to one-off effects and tariffs. By Marcel Kleffmann • 2 min read
Painkiller; © 3D Realms, Saber Interactive, Anshar Studios Products Painkiller The cult shooter Painkiller is back. This time, however, it has undergone a radical transformation to become a co-op shooter with roguelike elements for up to three players. By Marcel Kleffmann • 4 min read
Berlin International Gaming (BIG) X Merkur; ©BIG Business Merkur and BIG Revive a Successful Tournament Format and Announce a Partnership Berlin International Gaming (BIG) has teamed up with its new partner, Merkur, to relaunch the Merkur Masters esports tournament as the Merkur Cash Cups. The tournaments will be held at the BIG Club on the Faceit platform, which already has over 115,000 members. By Marcel Kleffmann • 2 min read
Robin Flodin, CEO of RIG; © RIG Business New Gaming Holding Company: Roundtable Interactive Group A new holding company for the gaming industry has been launched: The Roundtable Interactive Group (RIG) unites Outright Games, Auroch Digital, GameMill and coherence. By Marcel Kleffmann • 2 min read
Social First was founded in 2021 by CEO Kim Soares (right) and President Mikko Kähärä (left). The company is backed by Play Ventures, Crowberry Capital, and a syndicate led by Joakim Achrén. © Jussi Ratilainen Business Social First Expands Into Real-Money Trading With GamerPay Acquisition Finnish game studio Social First has acquired GamerPay. This brings together an emerging game studio and a real-money marketplace for buying and selling in-game items. By Marcel Kleffmann • 2 min read
ARC Raiders; © Embark Studios, Nexon Products ARC Raiders Embark Studios, a Swedish developer, has pulled off a coup with ARC Raiders. Thanks to its outstanding design, they have made this extraction shooter accessible to the masses without compromising the sense of immersion. By Marcel Kleffmann • 7 min read
Products Gothic 1 Remake - Voices Across the Colony Gothic 1 Remake is set to be released in early 2026, featuring localised voice recordings in English, German, Polish and Russian. THQ Nordic and Alkimia Interactive have provided a glimpse of these recordings. By Marcel Kleffmann • 2 min read
Business Square Enix to Reorganise Operations in North America and Europe In the current fiscal year, Square Enix plans to restructure its Western publishing organisation fundamentally. Additionally, development activities will be concentrated in Japan, with AI also playing an important role. By Marcel Kleffmann • 2 min read
Earth vs. Mars; © Relic Entertainment Products Earth vs. Mars Earth vs. Mars is the first game released by Relic Entertainment under their Relic Labs label. Unlike Company of Heroes, Dawn of War and Age of Empires, it is a 'small' turn-based tactical game reminiscent of Advance Wars. By Marcel Kleffmann • 3 min read
Songs of Silence; © Chimera Entertainment Products Chimera's Songs of Silence Will Be a Free Game on the Epic Games Store Songs of Silence from Chimera Entertainment will be available as a free game on the Epic Games Store next week. At the same time, the Munich-based company will release a major multiplayer update. By Marcel Kleffmann • 1 min read
