Jürgen Barke and Elena Yorgova-Ramanauskas, heads of the Ministry of Economics, Innovation, Digitalisation and Energy, are responsible for games funding in Saarland. © Oliver Dietze Business New Games Funding Programme to Launch with Increased Budget in Q1 2025 After a change in responsibility, games funding in Saarland remained largely quiet throughout 2024. Now, according to information from GamesMarkt, a new funding programme is set to launch soon, with €300,000 allocated for project funding, the Game Award Saar, and event and location marketing. The background to this development By Stephan Steininger • 2 min read
Geoff van den Ouden & Martine Spaans (BGPI), Christel van Grinsven & JP van Seventer (DGG) © Benelux Games Promotional Initiative Business Dutch Dev Event Indigo to Continue in 2025 Despite Dutch Games Garden's End With a new location and a new organiser, the major Dutch games event Indigo will continue in 2025, thanks to a joint effort by the Dutch Games Association (DGA), the city of Rotterdam, and the Flanders Audiovisual Fund (VAF). Following the announcement in September that the Dutch Games Garden—an By Stephan Steininger • 2 min read
© HTC VR-XR-MR HTC Lowers Prices for Vive Pro 2 Almost overnight, HTC has reduced the prices of the Vive Pro 2 complete system and standalone headset across Europe and the Middle East. However, even with the discount, the four-year-old product remains far from cheap. HTC has dropped the price of the Vive Pro 2 Full Kit by €200, bringing By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
The physical version of Kingdom Hearts 4 will be distributed by Bandai Namco Entertainment from 1 February 2025, like all other new releases from Square Enix. © Square Enix Publishing Square Enix and Bandai Namco Expand Distribution Partnership Square Enix is restructuring the distribution of its physical games in Europe, leaving Plaion, the current partner for Germany, out of the equation. Starting 1 February, Bandai Namco Entertainment will take over the distribution of Square Enix titles in Germany, the UK, Spain, Italy, and the Nordics. This deal is By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
© SGF Business Summer Game Fest Gets a Side Event for Thought Leaders With just over five months to go, Geoff Keighley has announced the date for this year’s Summer Game Fest (SGF). The event will not only feature the usual Play Days but, for the first time, will also include a special gathering for industry thought leaders, curated by Christopher Dring. By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
Dr Richard Wilson OBE, CEO of TIGA © TIGA Business TIGA Plans Conference During the London Games Festival The British Games Developers Association has announced its own business conference in London on 3 April, aimed at start-ups and founders in the British games industry. The event will take place during the London Games Festival, but is apparently not part of the LGF. The London Game Festival (LGF) itself By Stephan Steininger • 2 min read
Dr Andreas Bareiß and Arne Braun, State Secretary for the Arts in Baden-Württemberg © MWK Baden-Württemberg Campus Dr Andreas Bareiß to Succeed Prof. Thomas Schadt in May The renowned Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg is on the verge of a generational change: Dr Andreas Bareiß will take over as director of the film academy, which also offers game design courses, on 1 May. Bareiß will succeed Prof. Thomas Schadt, who has headed the Filmakademie since 2005. The supervisory board of By Stephan Steininger • 2 min read
FFF Managing Director Dorothee Erpenstein © Picture: FFF Bayern/Archive image Business FFF Confirms 2024 Games Funding Balance FFF Bayern has released its 2024 funding balance, confirming a total of €3.6 million in games funding—an amount that Bavaria’s Minister for Digital Affairs, Fabian Mehring, had already announced in December. However, it appears there was additional funding allocated to the XR sector. Traditionally, FFF Bayern presents By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
© IOC Esports First Olympic Esports Games Reportedly Postponed The U.S. magazine Sports Business reports exclusively that the first Olympic Esports Games will no longer take place in 2025. While the report has not been officially confirmed, industry insiders say they would not be surprised by such a decision. The inaugural Olympic Esports Games were initially planned for By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
© GM Business Astro Bot and Black Myth: Wukong Receive Seven GDCA Nominations Each The nominees for this year's Game Developers Choice Awards have been announced. Two studios from Asia received the most nominations. Most of the nominated studios from Europe are based in Sweden. From Germany, Osmotic Studios was at least able to make it into the list of honourable mentions. By Stephan Steininger • 4 min read
Felix Rentschler will transition from 1. FSV Mainz 05 to the Deutsche Fussball Liga (DFL) as Head of Virtual Bundesliga © DFL Business Felix Rentschler Heads Virtual Bundesliga at DFL Starting on 1 February, Felix Rentschler will transition from 1. FSV Mainz 05 to the Deutsche Fußball Liga (DFL; German Football League). As the new Head of Virtual Bundesliga, he will oversee the management of competitions now officially anchored in the DFL statutes. Rentschler will succeed Jörg Höfklich, who has By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
© MFG Business MFG: VFX and Games Industry in BW is Young, Successful, and Growing Rapidly Baden-Württemberg has become the most important location for animation and VFX in Germany. This is the core message of a new study by Goldmedia, commissioned by MFG. The success of funding is also visible in the games sector. However, the successes in the games industry were already evident in previous By Stephan Steininger • 2 min read
