Business MGZ NRW Launches Application Phase for MGZsheroes 2026 The Mediengründerzentrum NRW (Media Start-up Centre) is launching the next round of its empowerment and coaching programme for FLINTA individuals from North Rhine-Westphalia interested in starting a business. The programme’s success is already evident in the current cohort of the start-up grant. By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
Picture by Pexels/Jo Kassis Business Community of Madrid Provides €500,000 in Funding for Games Prototypes Micro-enterprises and small businesses based in the Madrid region of Spain can now apply for funding for their games projects. Up to 20 grants of up to €25,000 each are available. By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
Business Sustainable Games Alliance Highlights Power-Saving Plugins for Unreal, Unity, and Godot SGA is celebrating another success with the release of three plug-ins for game engines that improve the energy efficiency of games. The plug-ins were developed by German developers Hauke Thießen, Oliver Stock and Ashe Foltin in collaboration with the SGA Energy Efficiency Network. By Stephan Steininger • 2 min read
Business Newzoo: Less Playtime Does Not Necessarily Mean Lower Revenue in Free-To-Play Following the release of its new PC and Console Gaming Report, Newzoo has produced a further analysis focusing specifically on the free-to-play market. Although free-to-play playtime on PC, PlayStation and Xbox fell, revenue per hour played on PC rose by 10 per cent. However, it’s the exception. By Stephan Steininger • 2 min read
Ron Curry, CEO of IGEA | Picture by IGEA Business IGEA Survey Sees Only Minor Job Decrease in Australia's Games Industry IGEA has released the results of its latest Australian Game Developer Survey, which has been supplemented with data from Sensor Tower. The results show only a slight loss of jobs, a high willingness to hire new staff, and just how important the global market is to the Australian games industry. By Stephan Steininger • 3 min read
Events DevGamm Postpones Its First Dubai Conference Until 2027 In the end, it was inevitable: DevGamm is postponing DevGamm Dubai, originally scheduled for early April, until 2027. Ticket holders have already been contacted. By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
Insights USK Annual Statistics: One in Ten Games in 2025 Was Rated 18+ In 2025, the proportion of adult games reached its second-highest level since 2004. The number of games assessed using the traditional method rose to 1,675. In addition, there were 1.3 million ratings via the automated IARC system. By Stephan Steininger • 3 min read
Business Judge Rules Dismissal of Former Unknown World Manager as Unlawful An initial ruling has been handed down in the legal dispute between Krafton and the former managers of the studio Unknown Worlds. The dismissal of Ted Gill, Charlie Cleveland and Max McGuire was deemed to be without grounds. Gill is to be reinstated as CEO. By Stephan Steininger • 2 min read
André Bernhardt, Odile Limpach and Thierry Baujard (from left to right) People SpielFabrique Expands Its Team With André Bernhardt Joining as General Manager Ten years after the company was founded, SpielFabrique’s founders, Odile Limpach and Thierry Baujard, have brought an experienced professional on board to support day-to-day operations: André Bernhardt has taken up the role of General Manager at Spielfabrique with immediate effect. By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
GDC President Nina Brown | Picture by GDC Business GDC 2026 Saw a Drop in Visitor Numbers, But Did it Gain in Quality? With 20,000 visitors, the GDC saw its attendance figures drop by around a third in the year of its rebranding compared to the previous year. However, GDC veterans also see hope that this drastic cut marks the start of a genuine fresh start. By Stephan Steininger • 4 min read
Business Ceconomy Gets a New CEO Again, and MediaMarkt is Partnering With Decathlon Ceconomy, the parent company of Media Markt and Saturn, is looking for a new CEO for the second time in 12 months and has once again turned to the finance sector. Meanwhile, one of the Media Markt branches in Munich is welcoming a prominent subtenant: Decathlon. By Stephan Steininger • 2 min read
