Esports athlete Sahriilol (in front) plays League of Legends for politicians Saskia Esken, Karl Lauterbach (left) and Torsten Burmester (right) © IMAGO / Panama Pictures Business SPD Top Politicians Visit the Esports Player Foundation As part of the election campaign for the office of Mayor of Cologne, the esports player foundation welcomed SPD candidate and former DOSB chairman Torsten Burmester to its headquarters. He was accompanied by prominent party colleagues, including SPD co-leader Saskia Esken and Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach. With early parliamentary By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
The ESBD has adjusted its definition of esports © acrhive image/Uniliga Esports ESBD Updates Its Esports Definition At its general meeting in December, the ESBD adopted a new definition of esports, which was published today. The updated definition, along with its three core characteristics, was developed in collaboration with the association’s scientific advisory board. According to the ESBD, the new framework is also suitable for use By Stephan Steininger • 2 min read
© GM Business Usual Suspects, Successful Exclusives, and the Missing Surprise Hit The game association has released the annual charts for the best-selling console and PC games of 2024. While the top positions are similar to previous years, there are notable differences in the details. The elephant in the room, however, is the absence of Black Myth: Wukong. As was the case By Stephan Steininger • 2 min read
© Sony Development Sony Announced XYN Solution for Spatial Content Creation During the CES press conference, Sony also presented its new XYN solution. These are software and hardware-based solutions for creating spatial digital worlds, some of which are still in the prototype stage. A central element is XYN Motion Studio, which will be available at the end of March. The main By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
© GM Business Markus Wilding Goes Freelance Under the Name Beyond the Wall Consulting In recent weeks, former 2K and Private Division director Markus Wilding has taken on numerous freelance assignments under the name Beyond the Wall Consulting, including projects for devcom and Harakka Studio. He spoke to GamesMarkt about his plans and vision for his new consulting business. Markus Wilding transitioned to self-employment By Stephan Steininger • 3 min read
© Paramount Business Sonic Breaks the $1 Billion Box Office Mark With its latest box office takings, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 has now grossed over $312 million. This brings the cumulative box office revenue of the Sonic movie franchise past the $1 billion mark—a tremendous achievement, though another video game character managed to reach this milestone with a single movie. By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
Sebastian Tyzak will join Manuel Fritsch and Michael Wieczorek as third host of Insert Moin © Insert Moin People Sebastian Tyzak Joins Insert Moin as Third Host Starting January 12, the hosting duo of Manuel Fritsch and Michael Wieczorek from Insert Moin will be joined by Sebastian Tyzak from Game Two. The podcast, which introduced changes to its content at the turn of the year, will benefit from Tyzak’s addition. These changes are based on feedback By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
© Unity Blog Image Development Unity Features Numerous EU Games in its 2024 Review Traditionally, Unity has concluded the year 2024 with a final Games Made with Unity. Over 300 are named, almost 60 are highlighted with a trailer, including productions from GSA. According to Unity, the list is by no means complete. On the contrary, studios are encouraged to report missing titles to By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
© Narranauten Events Narranauten Kick Off the New Year with an Event in Munich In collaboration with the HFF, the Narranauten have announced an event for January 9th focusing on documentary formats in film and games. Participation is free. The event, titled "Die Kraft des Dokumentarischen: Perspektiven aus Film und Spiel" (The Power of the Documentary: Perspectives from Film and Games), will By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
© Steininger Business Restart of Federal Game Funding with Restrictions and Reservations Immediately after Christmas, the German government surprised the games industry by restarting federal funding, albeit under less favorable conditions. The absence of a 2025 budget means uncertainty looms over how much funding will be available for larger projects and when it might run out again. While questions remain, the restart By Stephan Steininger • 2 min read
© RTL Business Toggo GG to Be Adapted for Linear TV Starting in January Starting mid-January, ten episodes of the gaming show Toggo GG will air on Toggo / Super RTL’s linear TV channel. It is not the first video game for kids to come from the digital realm and make it into the main program of a broadcasting station. The first episode of By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
© screenshot Business Harold Halibut Wins Indie Game Award for Visual Design At the Indie Game Awards, Cologne-based studio Slow Bros. took home the award in the Visual Design category. The big winner of the evening, however, was Canadian solo developer Local Thunk with Balatro. The decisions are in: during a streamed event on the night of December 19/20 (CET), the By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
