© Flexion/King Publishing King Partners with Flexion for Simultaneous Release in Alternative App Stores The launch of Candy Crush Solitaire on February 6 is poised to be one of the most significant game releases of the year. For the first time, publisher King.com, in collaboration with Flexion, will launch the game simultaneously across five alternative app stores worldwide. This is not the first By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
Paul Schempp, CEO Aonic, and Mega Fortuna co-founder Şeyhmus Ölker © Aonic Business Exmox in Hamburg Gains from Aonic's Mega Fortuna Investment Aonic is investing $10 million in Mega Fortuna, a company that operates a mobile gaming discovery and loyalty platform. Plans are also in place to collaborate with Hamburg-based Aonic subsidiary Exmox, which doubled its workforce in 2024. The gaming tech company Exmox had an exceptional year in 2024 and stands By Stephan Steininger • 2 min read
© Pavel Danilyuk/Pexels Business Consumer Organisation Successfully Sue Against PlayStation Plus Contract Clauses The Berlin Court of Appeal has ruled in favour of the consumer protection organization vzbv in a lawsuit against Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe. The case focused on clauses related to price adjustments and the scope of PlayStation Plus offerings. The vzbv has achieved similar victories in cases against Netflix and By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
Robert Habeck visits HandOfBlood © Screenshot taken bei GamesMarkt Business Chancellor Candidate Robert Habeck Visits HandOfBlood As a cultural medium of the digital society, games and gamers are playing a significant role in the election campaign. This is likely why Vice Chancellor and “Games Minister” Robert Habeck made his Twitch debut during a visit to HandOfBlood. Robert Habeck is no stranger to the games industry. As By Stephan Steininger • 2 min read
The Global Game Jam by The Länd in Karlsruhe in 2024 was probably the largest GGJ in Germany, and it will take place again in 2025 © MFG Baden-Württemberg Development 38 Locations in GSA Confirmed for Global Game Jam As of now, slightly fewer locations in Germany have registered compared to last year. Among the participants are numerous universities, as well as hubs like Gamerei, R42, and Lab4u. Several studios, including InnoGames, Kolibri Games, and Limbic, are also joining the event. This year's Global Game Jam (GGJ) By Stephan Steininger • 2 min read
Olly Barnes and Simon Hade (from left) © Nextbeat Business Simon Hade and Olly Barnes Found NextBeat Backed by Supercell Following Supercell's full acquisition of Space Ape Games, former managers Simon Hade and Olly Barnes have launched a new company, NextBeat, taking the music-focused games Beatstar and Country Star with them. NextBeat aims to open up new revenue channels for the music industry through apps and games, with By Stephan Steininger • 2 min read
© DCP Business Submissions for the DCP Still Possible Until Friday Studios and publishers have until the end of the week to submit their products for the DCP, including entries for the international category. Nominations for Studio of the Year and Player of the Year are also still possible. The submission phase for the Deutscher Computerspielpreis (DCP; German Computer Games Award) By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
SPD General Secretary Dr. Matthias Miersch will talk to Felix Falk of game © SPD/MK Business Matthias Miersch is a Guest at the #gamechanger Talk on the 2025 Election The upcoming federal election will shape the future of games policy in Germany. To explore the parties' positions, Felix Falk from game will host conversations with leading political representatives in the coming weeks. The first guest in the new series of #gamechanger talks will be SPD General Secretary Dr. By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
Another Galaxus logistics center is being built in Neuchâtel, which will supply the German market as well as customers in Switzerland and France © Galaxus Business Galaxus Germany Is Growing Disproportionately With a 27 percent increase in sales, the German division of Swiss online retailer Galaxus has experienced significant growth. Compared to 2022, its sales have nearly doubled. However, the company is still far from achieving the same level of market dominance it enjoys in its Swiss home market. In Switzerland, By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
© Dataspelsbranschen Business Dataspelbranschen Reflects Positively on Scholarship Program The first King & Swedish Games Industry Scholarship concluded with a final game jam held at King’s offices in Stockholm. The Swedish association, Dataspelbranschen, has expressed satisfaction with the program and is already eager to create further opportunities for newcomers to the industry. A total of 25 women and By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
© Steininger Business BMWK Provides Information About New Funding and Corrects Misunderstandings On January 14, the BMWK and the DLR Project Management organise a webinar on the new federal funding guidelines. In its first funding newsletter of the year, the BMWK also addresses misunderstandings regarding the budgets of funded games and the rules for combining funding sources. The virtual kick-off event for By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
Gunnar Lott and Chris Schmidt © Stay Forever/archive picture 2017 Business Gunnar Lott Focuses on Stay Forever Co-founder Gunnar Lott has stepped down from the agency Visibility right before its rebranding as keySquare. Moving forward, he will dedicate his efforts to his long-running games podcast project Stay Forever. Lott co-founded Visibility Communications in 2013 (in German) alongside Carolin Freitag, who served then and will continue serving as By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
