Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice-President in charge of competition policy © Stine Heilmann, European Union, 2019 Business EC Initiates DMA Proceedings Against Alphabet, Apple and Meta Investigations have been opened against Alphabet, Apple and Meta for non-compliance with the Digital Markets Act. This includes the rules that govern how Apple controls the App Store and how Google controls the Play Store. The European Commission has opened investigations against Alphabet, Apple and Meta under the Digital Markets By Marcel Kleffmann • 2 min read
Wooga's first "real" gamer event in Germany © Jadranko Marjanovic Publishing Wooga's first "real" gamer event in Germany The first "real" gamer event organized by Wooga in Germany took place last weekend in Bottrop. Around 200 players from the June's Journey community attended. On 23 March, Wooga held its first real-time community event. The Berlin-based company behind the billion-dollar hit June's Journey By Marcel Kleffmann • 1 min read
Metacritic #1 Game Publisher in 2023 Is Capcom. © Metacritic Publishing Metacritic #1 Game Publisher in 2023 Is Capcom Just like in 2019, Capcom has won the annual game publisher ranking on Metacritic. But how did publishers from Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Europe fare? Which publishers released the best games in 2023? This question is answered by Metacritic's annual game publisher ranking, now in its 14th year. By Marcel Kleffmann • 2 min read
Tencent shifts strategy to focus on own IPs. © Tencent Holding Publishing Tencent Shifts Strategy to Focus on Own IPs Despite strong year-end results, Tencent is not satisfied with its performance. In the future, the Chinese giant will focus more on its own games and less on third-party IPs. Tencent generated revenues of 609 billion yuan (78 billion euros) across all its businesses in 2023, up ten percent from 2022. By Marcel Kleffmann • 2 min read
The look of Harold Halibut is unique. © Slow Bros. Publishing Slow Bros. From Cologne to Release Harold Halibut in April The stop-motion game Harold Halibut by Slow Bros. will be released in mid-April 2024. It took more than ten years from the initial idea to the finished game. On 16 April 2024, the time has come: Harold Halibut by Slow Bros. from Cologne will be released on PC, PS5 and By Marcel Kleffmann • 1 min read
Helldivers 2 is celebrating an explosive debut in the US charts. © Sony Interactive Entertainment Business US Market Grows Slightly in February 2024 Despite Hardware Weakness In February 2024, sales of video games, hardware and accessories in the US grew slightly to just under 4.7 billion dollar. While sales of game consoles declined sharply, sales of accessories and mobile revenues increased. Helldivers II, Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth and Skull and Bones were strong performers. Projected By Marcel Kleffmann • 3 min read
Screenshot showing Industria 2. © Bleakmill and Headup Publishing Bleakmill and Headup Announce Industria 2 Industria, the narrative shooter from Bleakmill and Headup, is about to get a proper sequel. Industria 2 is scheduled for release in 2025. Bleakmill is an indie developer based in Berlin and Glasgow that makes narrative first-person games. They are once again working with Headup. Developer Bleakmill and publisher Headup By Marcel Kleffmann • 1 min read
Percentage share of each market segment in the games sector in France in 2023; dématérialisé means digital. © SELL Business Record Sales of Games in France in 2023, Normalization is Expected In France, the computer and video games industry achieved record sales in 2023. More than six billion euros were generated, which is more than ever before. The increase in sales is mainly due to the wider availability of hardware and the overall strength of the console market. Normalization is expected By Marcel Kleffmann • 4 min read
Sandra Meier, Lead Graphic Designer at Giants Software. © Meier/Giants Business G+ Sandra Meier: Bringing a breath of fresh air and seizing opportunities By Marcel Kleffmann • 3 min read
"Clawling" not "Crawling". © Stray Fawn Studio Publishing "Dungeon Clawler" is the Next Project From Stray Fawn Studio Even though the Swiss developer Stray Fawn Studio is still working on the Early Access hit "The Wandering Village", the next game has already been announced: "Dungeon Clawler". The game combines roguelike deck-building mechanics with a retro arcade classic: the claw machine. Stray Fawn Studio has By Marcel Kleffmann • 1 min read
Xbox Releases Gaming for Everyone Product Inclusion Framework. © Microsoft Development Xbox Releases Gaming for Everyone Product Inclusion Framework At GDC 2024, Microsoft releases the Gaming for Everyone Product Inclusion Framework for all game developers. Xbox has been using this framework since 2019. It provides a set of resources to help game developers weave intentionality and inclusion into their products. The Gaming for Everyone Product Inclusion Framework, previously only By Marcel Kleffmann • 1 min read
Carsten Widera-Trombach, Managing Director of Crenetic and Winfried Diekmann, Managing Director of Aerosoft. © Aerosoft Business Aerosoft and Crenetic Extend Successful Relationship Aerosoft and crenetic have signed an agreement to develop the next firefighting simulation. This continues a long and successful relationship between the two games companies. Aerosoft and crenetic have renewed their long-standing partnership with a new contract. The aim is to further develop the successful "Notruf 112" product By Marcel Kleffmann • 1 min read
