Last 4 Days, The Spell Brigade, Roadside Research (from left to right) © GM Products Numerous Indie Games at the Belgian Games Booth As in previous years, the Belgian games industry will be represented in Cologne with a pavilion. Supported by regional associations, numerous indie developers from neighbouring Belgium will be travelling to the event. They have one of the shortest journeys of all the international guests: for Belgian games companies, the trip By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
The crystal version of the Minecraft figures will be available soon. © Minecraft.com Business Microsoft and Swarovski Collaborate on Minecraft Collection After Lego comes Swarovski! Microsoft and the Austrian jewellery and accessories manufacturer have apparently teamed up to create a Minecraft collection. Four figures are available. The game features a Crystal Suit. Microsoft announced the collaboration on the Minecraft website. The four collectible figures are available in Swarovski crystal are: Alex, By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
After years of growth, the number of gaming companies in Germany has fallen. © game Business Number of Gaming Studios, Publisher and Employees in Germany Declines After years of growth, the number of companies in the core gaming sector has fallen. The number of employees is also declining. The industry association game sees a connection with the now lifted funding freeze. For years, the German games industry has been growing in one direction only: upwards. This By Stephan Steininger • 2 min read
Nele Schmidt and Jascha Kruse © Nele Schmidt and Jascha Kruse People Nele Schmidt and Jascha Kruse Join LEZ.SH The Landeszentrum für E-Sport und Digitalisierung Schleswig-Holstein (Schleswig-Holstein State Centre for E-Sports and Digitalisation) has strengthened its media education department. Nele Schmidt will be the new head of the children, youth and media education department, and Jascha Kruse will be the new youth specialist. Nele Schmidt brings with her many By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
© South West Vision Business SimRacing Expo Takes Another Run at the USA SimRacing Expo is planning a spin-off event in the United States in May 2026. An initial attempt to hold the event in the United States in 2025 was cancelled. Instead of Austin, the event will now take place in Charlotte, a city with a passion for motorsport. The choice of By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
Felix Falk, Managing Director of game - The German Games Industry Association © Dirk Mathesius/game Business Game MD Felix Falk: 'Brake on Funding' Released As expected, the German industry association game reacted positively and with relief to the publication of the new call for federal funding. Nevertheless, a combination of tax incentives for games and a funding fund remains the goal. It did not take long for the game - The German Games Industry By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
© Dorothee Bär Tobias Koch Business New Call for Proposals Restarts Federal Games Funding in Germany The suspension of applications for federal funding for games has been lifted. The responsible Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space has published a second call for proposals and modified important regulations. Multi-year projects are once again possible, and the maximum grant amount has been increased. Just a few weeks By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
© Artex Business Jan Klose Revives Artex and Collaborates with Pithead and Other Indies Former Deck13 founder and CEO Jan Klose has launched a new indie publisher called Artex Software. At the same time, publishing partnerships with Pithead, Sigma Unit, Freedom Burger Games, Borb Games, Weltenwandler and Sebastian Grünwald were announced. The name of the new publisher, Artex Software, is not entirely new. At By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
© EA Products Electronic Arts and FC Bayern Sign Multi-Year Partnership At the same time as Jude Bellingham and Jamal Musiala were unveiled as cover stars for EA Sports FC 26, Electronic Arts and Bayern Munich announced a multi-year partnership. It's a win for Electronic Arts and EA Sports FC. German record champions FC Bayern and EA have signed By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
The Congress Centre North is located at the north entrance of the Cologne Exhibition Centre. © Koelnmesse Business TaKeTV Organises First 'across industries' Event for Brands and Agencies gamescom – across industries is another side event of gamescom taking place 2025 for the first time. Organised by gamescom LAN partner TaKeTV, gamescom across industries builds bridges between the industry and agencies and branded goods, giving them easier access to the world of gaming and its players. One of the By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
These games from Bavaria can be seen at the Indie Arena Booth (from left): Train Jumble, Tiny Auto Knights, Tavern Talk Stories: Dreamwalker, The Games You Make and Burn with Me © GM Products Games/Bavaria Brings These Five Studios to the Indie Arena Booth Nozomu Games, Gentle Troll Entertainment, Jumpy Bit, Mumpitz Games and Emerge Entertainment are the Bavarian studios that will be exhibiting at the Indie Arena Booth at gamescom as part of their partnership with Games/Bavaria. This was announced in a social media post by Games/Bavaria. Games/Bavaria is one By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
The DGA booth is a popular meeting place for the industry at gamescom. © Dutch Games Association Business Over 20 Participants at the Netherlands Pavilion Organised by DGA Although the Netherlands is not a Top 5 gaming market in Europe in revenue, its games industry is exceptionally strong. This is also evident at the Netherlands Pavilion of the Dutch Games Association, which will be home to over 20 partners at gamescom. The Dutch Games Association (DGA) has unveiled By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
