Daily GamesMarket Daily – 07. July 26: Atari Europe, Thomas Lehr, Frithjof Michaelsen, Switch, gamescom, FROG, Portside Game Assembly Following yesterday’s big announcement at Microsoft, the focus today is on Europe, where Nintendo is withdrawing the Switch from the market in line with EU battery regulations, Atari is appointing a European head, and a small but significant event called gamescom is set to take place very soon. By Pascal Wagner • 5 min read
Products New Pokémon Lego Sets Include Pokéball Diorama, Rayquaza and Arcanine Five new Pokémon sets have been announced by Lego: Arcanine, Munchlax, Rayquaza, Trainer Red and an openable Pokéball diorama. The ball and trainer will release in October, the rest in August. All are open for preorder. By Pascal Wagner • 2 min read
Only opened in 2023 was the Istanbul studio. Now, it will be closed (IOI) Business IO Interactive Closes Istanbul Office, Gets Right to Project Fantasy IO Interactive has secured the IP for their Project Fantasy and will finish it independently. However, the loss of their publishing partner means they are closing down their Istanbul office, only established in 2023. By Pascal Wagner • 1 min read
Crimson Desert at gamescom 2026: Pearl Abyss is cooperating with Samsung (Pearl Abyss) gamescom Pearl Abyss Confirms gamescom 2026 Presence Pearl Abyss will cooperate with Samsung to bring Crimson Desert to the gamescom entertainment area on modern hardware this year. The developer will also hold two talks at gamescom dev. By Pascal Wagner • 1 min read
The Belvedere Museum Vienna is hosting FROG in 2026 (City of Vienna) Campus FROG 2026 Submissions Open, Include Subotron Game Jam Future and Reality of Gaming is leaning ever closer to the games industry this year: The game studies conference, held at Belvedere Museum in Vienna under new organisers, takes place from 20-22 November and welcomes talk submissions for the topic Playing Art until 15 September. By Pascal Wagner • 1 min read
Frithjof Michaelsen, Digital Policy Officer at French consumer association Que Choisir Ensemble (Cameron Bunney, Unsplash) People French Consumer Association on PlayStation: "Profoundly Unfair to Consumers" French consumer association Que Choisir Ensemble sees Sony's decision to stop making physical games possible on PlayStation as a net negative for consumers: Less choice, no second-hand market, no longterm playability are the consequence, says Digital Policy Officer Frithjof Michaelsen. By Pascal Wagner • 2 min read
Will no longer be sold in Europe come February 2027: The first Nintendo Switch (Nintendo) Products Nintendo Will Stop Selling Switch in Europe In preparation for the EU Battery Regulation, Nintendo will replace the Switch 2 and other products with new models. The Switch 1 in all variants as well as some special controllers however will be discontinued, since they will not receive exchangable battery models. By Pascal Wagner • 1 min read
(DGA) gamescom Netherlands Pavilion confirmed for gamescom 2026 The Dutch Games Association has confirmed the Netherlands Pavilion at gamescom 2026 business area. 24 companies and institutions from the Netherlands will exhibit there. By Pascal Wagner • 1 min read
(SWR X Lab, Paintbucket Games) Products "A Night in Moka Efti" is Paintbucket's Babylon Berlin Game Here's the German Disco Elysium: SWR X Lab and Paintbucket Games have revealed their Babylon Berlin game A Night in Moka Efti, a narrative psychological thriller RPG. It will release in September. By Pascal Wagner • 1 min read
Ross Scott is Founder of Stop Killig Games (SIE/European Parliament) People Stop Killing Games on Sony Killing Discs "There are a few ways to look at it, but none of them are particularly friendly for consumers"; we talked to Stop Killing Games Founder Ross Scott about Sony's decision to axe PlayStation disc production and what that means for the initiative. By Pascal Wagner • 2 min read
Products Cyberpunk 2077 Breaches 40 Million Sales As of today, Cyberpunk 2077 has sold 40 million copies over all platforms. By Pascal Wagner •
Managing Director Dietmar Tanzer and Division Manager Markus Streibl at Sony DADC presenting their micro optics project (Sony DADC/Kolarik) Business PlayStation Disc Stop: Reorders for Earlier Games Not Affected Sony's disc manufacturer Sony DADC in Thalgau, Austria has said that games released before 2028 will be able to be reordered as game discs after the production stops as well. By Pascal Wagner • 1 min read
