After his own malt drink, Maximilian Knabe (HandOfBlood) now also gets his own cola © Instinct3 Business HandOfBlood and Instinct3 Expand FMCG-Partnership With Krombacher Following the success of Knabe Malz, Maximilian Knabe (HandOfBlood), his agency Instinct3 and Drinks & More, part of Krombacher, are launching two cola drinks onto the market. Shortly before gamescom, Knabe Kola and Knabe Kola Zero Sugar will go on sale at Netto, Edeka, Globus and other selected retailers. The By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
© EFGAMP Business EFGAMP Offers Its Expertise in Game Preservation to the EU The European Federation for Game Archives, Museums and Preservation Projects (EFGAMP) has published a statement on the so-called Stop Killing Videogames Initiative. In it, EFGAMP welcomes the debate sparked by the initiative and offers the EU its advice and expertise as a partner. As an association committed to the preservation By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
© Screenshot Campus Raw Talent: German State Universities Organise Their Own Indie Booth Following a mini appearance at the Home of Indies Booth 2024, eleven state universities from Germany have joined forces to create their own Raw Talent Booth. Fifty teams comprising around 160 students will present their games in a 63-square-metre space. It is the dream of many game design students to By Stephan Steininger • 2 min read
© MFG Business Baden-Württemberg: New Funding Guidelines in Effect, Submissions Possible Following approval by the EU, the new and revised funding guidelines for games in Baden-Württemberg are now in effect. Applications can be submitted. The next deadline is 31 August. After a break, funding for games in Baden-Württemberg has resumed. MFG Baden-Württemberg had revised and further developed the funding guidelines for By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
Manual Bronstein during the RDC 2024 Stream © Screenshot People Chief Product Officer Manuel Bronstein to Leave Roblox Roblox has reported strong second-quarter figures for revenue, DAUs and payers. The net loss grew anyway. And Chief Product Officer Manuel Bronstein has announced his departure. Roblox continues to be a phenomenon. In the second quarter of 2025, the platform of the company of the same name recorded revenue of By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
© Itch.io Business NSFW: Itch Begins Relisting, Banking Partners Put Pressure on Stripe In its developer updates, Itch initially announced the relisting of free NSFW content. Itch also published a disturbing statement from its payment partner Stripe. According to its own statements, the Itch platform has begun relisting NSFW content. However, in a first step, only free adult content will be made available By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
The founders of Maschinen Mensch had to make a difficult decision (from left): Johannes Kristmann and Riad Djemili © Maschinen Mensch Business Economic Situation Forces Maschinen-Mensch to Cease Operations Maschinen-Mensch is yet another award-winning German studio to close its doors. Although the Berlin-based company hopes to make a comeback, it is initially focusing on supporting its team members in their search for new opportunities. The latest release from Maschinen Mensch, a studio founded eleven years ago, came out just By Stephan Steininger • 2 min read
CEO Martin Walfisz will leave Thuderful by the end of the year at the latest © Thunderful Business Restructuring, Atari Investment and CEO Change to Bring Back Success The Board of Directors of the Thunderful Group wants to get the company back on track with a series of measures. These include cost reductions and fresh capital from Atari. In addition, a change of CEO is planned and an extraordinary general meeting has been scheduled. The Swedish Thunderful Group By Stephan Steininger • 2 min read
The game data shows how the digitisation of game distribution is steadily progressing © game Business Only One in Three Games is Sold Physically in Germany The digitization of game distribution continues to advance, as new figures from game show. Physical sales of games on PC are effectively dead. For consoles, the digital share is rising to 44 percent. The trend away from physical sales of games towards purely digital distribution has been clear and irreversible By Stephan Steininger • 2 min read
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
