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Stephan Steininger

Stephan Steininger

Stephan Steininger is Director of Operations and Editor-in-Chief of GamesMarket. He was one of the founding editors and is part of the magazine since its inception in 2001, he knows the GSA games industry by heart.

Political Guests of Honour Officially Open Gamescom 2026 — Gerald Böse, Hendrik Wüst, Henna Virkkunen, Lars Klingbeil, Dorothee Bär, Felix Falk and Lars Janssen (from Left to Right)

gamescom

Political Guests of Honour Officially Open Gamescom 2026

Even though the first day of the trade show is almost over, for the gamescom organizers, the so-called “political opening” is the highlight of the first day. And this year, the guest list was particularly impressive.

By Stephan Steininger • 2 min read

Klingbeil has Support But no Tax Breaks to Offers

gamescom

Klingbeil has Support But no Tax Breaks to Offers

Expectations were high, but in the end, politics sometimes takes time. Although Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil emphasizes how important the gaming industry is to the federal government, he is unable to announce the hoped-for breakthrough regarding the tax-based support model.

By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read

EGDF Elects New Board and Sets Agenda For Next 2 Years

People

EGDF Elects New Board and Sets Agenda For Next 2 Years

At the traditional general assembly held during gamescom, members of the European Games Developer Federation e.f. (EGDF) elected a new board and set the agenda for the next two years.

By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read

MediaMarktSaturn Celebrates Pre-Opening of New Tech Village in Cologne

MediaMarktSaturn Celebrates Pre-Opening of New Tech Village in Cologne

In line with the start of gamescom, MediaMarktSaturn is opening its new Tech Village Outlet in Cologne. Invited guests attended the pre-opening event, and tomorrow the newly renovated store in a central location will open its doors.

By Stephan Steininger • 2 min read

Record Number of Gamescom Exhibitors Rises to Over 1,700 Companies — Group booths such as the Indie Arena Booth are partly responsible for the extraordinary increase in the number of exhibitors (Picture: GamesMarket)

gamescom

Record Number of Gamescom Exhibitors Rises to Over 1,700 Companies

The record number of exhibitors at gamescom 2026 turned out to be even higher than expected: Thanks to numerous registrations from group participants, the number of participating companies ultimately rose to 1,700.

By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read

Thatgamecompany Launches Publishing Label Thatgamepublisher — SJ Xue, Vice President of Growth and Corporate Development at thatgamecompany, will lead the thatgamepublisher initiative

Publishing

Thatgamecompany Launches Publishing Label Thatgamepublisher

thatgamecompany, known for Journey, Flower, flOw and Sky: Children of the Light, has launched a new publishing label: thatgamepublisher wants to support “creative developers who use interactivity to expand what games can make people feel”.

By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read

EGDF and VGE Release Major Report on Europe

Business

EGDF and VGE Release Major Report on Europe

According to the data, the EU game industry has reached 6600 studios that employ over 95.000 people and generate a combined industry turnover of 24 billion euros.

By Stephan Steininger • 2 min read

Bär, Klingbeil, Steinmeier: Live Stream of Openings of Gamescom and Gamescom Congress — Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Dorothee Bär and Lars Klingbeil (from Left; Pictures: Steffen Prößdorf; Sandra Krafft; Bundesregierung/Steffen Kugler)

gamescom

Bär, Klingbeil, Steinmeier: Live Stream of Openings of Gamescom and Gamescom Congress

Even if you can’t be there in person, you can watch the political opening ceremony featuring Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil and Federal Minister Dorothee Bär, as well as the opening of the gamescom congress with Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, live via the Twitch stream.

By Stephan Steininger • 2 min read

Womenize! Rolls Out Its Masterclass Series Across Germany Thanks to Federal Funding — Archive Picture by Womenize!

Business

Womenize! Rolls Out Its Masterclass Series Across Germany Thanks to Federal Funding

With its project Womenize! Games and Tech Masterclasses 2026–2028, the initiative is doubling down on its commitment to enhancing visibility and equal opportunity for women in the German gaming industry.

By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read

Wings Interactive Introduces White Label Publishing and Finishing Funds

In addition to funding self-publishing projects, Wings has introduced two additional forms of financial support for games created by women and gender-marginalized developers. Wings is thus reaching out to developers who need publishing support or whose projects are already in the final stages.

By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read

Kai Wienke Joins the Xbox DACH & CEE Team

People

Kai Wienke Joins the Xbox DACH & CEE Team

The German Xbox team has brought on Kai Wienke, an experienced communications specialist, as Senior Communications Manager for Xbox DACH (GSA) & CEE. Wienke most recently worked at Freenet.

By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read

GamesMarket Daily – 18. Aug. 26: game, Market data, ENC gamescom, Original Force, Stray Fawn, Sidekick, asap, Giants

Daily

GamesMarket Daily – 18. Aug. 26: game, Market data, ENC gamescom, Original Force, Stray Fawn, Sidekick, asap, Giants

The German market was down, gamescom is on track to set a new record, the ENC has been postponed and there’s new funding – in terms of news, it was a day of ups and downs for the industry.

By Stephan Steininger • 6 min read