Tobias Springer, CEO of tobspr Games. © tobspr Games Business shapez 2 Is off to an Excellent Start in Early Access With almost 8,000 players active at the same time, shapez 2 by tobspr games from Aachen, has had a very successful start in Early Access on Steam. The predecessor was beaten in record time. shapez 2 had 7,956 concurrent players at its Early Access launch on Steam yesterday. By Marcel Kleffmann • 1 min read
Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders © Megagon Industries Publishing Megagon Announced Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders Megagon Industries, the Berlin-based indie team behind the successful biking game Lonely Mountains: Downhill, have announced a skiing sequel, Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders, at the Wholesome Steam Celebration. Megagon Industries, an independent game studio founded in Berlin in 2013 and with now 14 employees, has announced its next game: Lonely By Marcel Kleffmann • 1 min read
Fourth Floor © Convergence Publishing Convergence Games Showcase Announced The Convergence Games Showcase, a new creator-driven indie and AA digital showcase, will premiere at the end of September. Reveals from Kepler Interactive, Fireshine Games, Thunderful Games and many more are planned. The Convergence Games Showcase will debut on YouTube and Twitch on 26 September at 9pm CEST (3pm EDT/ By Marcel Kleffmann • 1 min read
Factory building and automation in 3D. © tobspr Games Products shapez 2 What is being developed in Aachen and on over 300,000 wishlists? shapez 2 by topspr games! The factory automation simulation will be released in Early Access on 15 August, and all signs point to a hit. Wube Software's Factorio has more or less created a new genre, By Marcel Kleffmann • 4 min read
OGame © Gameforge Business Outstanding Games From Baden-Württemberg The variety of games developed in Baden-Württemberg is truly remarkable, from experimental adventures to rescue games, from 4X browser universes to reimagined classics and cozy experiences. ##### OGame: Gameforge Although Gameforge is now better known for publishing MMORPGs such as Metin 2, Runes of Magic and Aion, the company from Karlsruhe By Marcel Kleffmann • 7 min read
The chicken-legged cottage companion. © Emberstorm and Fireshine Games Publishing Reka From Emberstorm and Fireshine Games Launches in September Berlin-based Emberstorm Entertainment and publisher Fireshine Games will launch the witchcraft adventure game Reka in Early Access on 12 September. Rhianna Pratchett has been announced as Lead Writer. On 12 September, the witchcraft adventure Reka will go into Early Access. It is the debut title of Berlin-based indie game studio By Marcel Kleffmann • 2 min read
Andrey Tsvetkov, Head of Publishing at Owlcat Games © Owlcat Games Publishing Owlcat Games Moves Into Publishing and Gains Control of Meta Publishing Label RPG developer Owlcat Games, the studio behind Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader and Pathfinder, has announced plans to become a publisher of indie games. Two RPGs have been signed. Owlcat has also taken full control of the Meta Publishing label. In addition to its own development efforts, Owlcat will also By Marcel Kleffmann • 1 min read
Walid Nakschbandi, Managing Director of the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW © Hojabr Riahi Business Film- und Medienstiftung NRW Funds Nine Games With Almost 600,000 Euros At its second meeting of the year, the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW (Film and Media Foundation of North Rhine-Westphalia) granted funding of 589,000 Euros to nine games. Two projects in production, five prototypes and two concepts were funded. Nine games are being funded by the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW, By Marcel Kleffmann • 1 min read
© game Business German Games Market Falls by 6% in the First Half of 2024 In the first half of the year, sales of games, game hardware and online gaming services in Germany fell by six per cent to 4.3 billion Euros. The games hardware sector even suffered a double-digit decline. However, the outlook is positive. After strong growth in recent years, the German By Marcel Kleffmann • 2 min read
Six new members at Tiny Roar © Tiny Roar Business Six New Members at Tiny Roar Tiny Roar has expanded its team with six new employees, including some from Threaks. The new hires have a very technical focus and expertise in code, VFX, tech art and prototyping. Back in April, the Hamburg studio had already expanded its team. The Hamburg studio is getting bigger and bigger. By Marcel Kleffmann • 2 min read
© Apple Business Apple Tweaks Rules for EU Market: New Fees, Fewer Restrictions on Link Outs After the EU Commission launched an investigation into Apple for violating the Digital Markets Act, Apple has now adjusted its App Store rules. There will be fewer restrictions on link outs to purchase digital content on other platforms, but two new fees will be introduced. Criticism from Spotify and Epic By Marcel Kleffmann • 2 min read
Tim Endres, Director gamescom at Koelnmesse / Stefan Heikhaus, Director of gamescom & Events at game - The German Games Industry Association © Koelnmesse / Dirk Mathesius/game Business gamescom 2024: Interactive, Intervowen, and International What will be different from previous gamescoms? Merchandise at the stands, cards & boards, the new social stage and more - this is what Tim Endres, Director gamescom at Koelnmesse, and Stefan Heikhaus, Director gamescom & Events at game, talk about in the second part of the gamescom 2024 interview. By Marcel Kleffmann • 4 min read
