EUROPOL, UNHCR and more: gamescom congress 2026 Reveals First Speakers

gamescom

BSR Breaks gamescom Sales Record for Fourth Year in a Row

"I don't know if we can top that", Black Screen Records CEO Kevin Schulz laughs: For the fourth year in a row, the Cologne vinyl retailer has broken its gamescom sales record in the Merchandise area.

By Pascal Wagner • 1 min read

gamescom

Gamescom Organisers Respond to Hardware Theft

At gamescom 2026, hardware was stolen from the business area. This fact quickly spread throughout the industry. While the organisers' initial response was largely met with rejection and criticism, they are now striking a different tone.

By Marcel Kleffmann • 2 min read

gamescom

Games Industry in Dubai Grows Strongly & Dubai's Biggest Gamescom Presence to Date

Dubai looks back on its largest gamescom pavilion to date and has launched a new accelerator programme in partnership with Xsolla, while the games industry in Dubai has grown significantly over the past two years.

By Marcel Kleffmann • 3 min read

People

Andrey Tsvetkov on the European Games Industry - GamesMarket Industry Leaders Survey 2026

How do gaming executives rate Europe's position in the global market? And what key challenges and trends are currently affecting the industry? We spoke to Andrey Tsvetkov, Head of Publishing Owlcat Games (Cyprus), to find out.

By Marcel Kleffmann • 2 min read

Esports

German Esports Summit 2026 Introduces German Esports Award for the First Time

On 23 October 2026, the German Esports Summit in Cologne will bring together leading figures from the worlds of esports, business, politics, education and associations. New additions this year include the Diversity Brunch and the German Esports Awards.

By Marcel Kleffmann • 2 min read

Business

Solarpunk: "One of the Biggest Successes Was Our Expectation Management"

With 250,000 copies sold in a rather crowded market, Solarpunk from the two-person Cyberwave studio and rokaplay has got off to a strong start. In a joint interview, the developers and the publisher celebrated the successful release of the game, discussing what had gone well and what hadn't.

By Marcel Kleffmann • 6 min read

People

G+ Arhi Makkonen on Control Resonant: "Level Design was at the Center"

Control Resonant is not just a sequel to Remedy's Control, but an entirely new experiment. We spoke to Senior Level Designer Arhi Makkonen about making Manhattan weird(er), excluding parry systems from the game and taking inspiration from great games.

By Pascal Wagner • 3 min read

Products

Control Resonant

It takes courage to make such major changes to a sequel. Instead of the third-person gunplay seen in Control, Remedy Entertainment has opted for intense melee combat and a new protagonist in Control Resonant, which is set in a game world brimming with outlandish and creative ideas.

By Marcel Kleffmann • 8 min read

Products

Serious Sam: Shatterverse

The Serious Sam franchise is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. To mark the occasion, Serious Sam: Shatterverse has been released. This co-op FPS features roguelite elements and has been developed by Behaviour Interactive rather than the series' creators, Croteam.

By Marcel Kleffmann • 4 min read