Facts & Figures: The German Games Ecosystem

Business

First Playable 2026 in Florence: A Look Inside

First Playable 2026, Italy's leading B2B event for the local games industry, has been taking place in Florence since 10 June. Here's an overview of the event, which aims to raise the profile of games bearing the 'Made in Italy' label.

By Marcel Kleffmann • 7 min read

Business

G+ Recruiting & Employer Branding: Gaming and Esports in HR

To attract new skilled workers and make companies more appealing to applicants, HR departments are turning to gaming and esports, beyond mere gamification. This serves as an effective employer branding strategy, as demonstrated by the following projects and initiatives.

By Marcel Kleffmann • 15 min read

Business

The 1.0 Illusion – Why Relying on a Post-Early Access Revenue Spike Is a Losing Bet

In this week’s “Update”, Zoran Roso on the latest data from GameDiscoverCo, debunking the myth that an Early Access launch just generates additional revenue. The data shows, tha a 1.0 patch notes update rarely triggers a mainstream breakthrough if the upfront momentum isn't already there.

By Zoran Roso • 4 min read

Funding

BzKJ Funding: Record Number of Applications, No Games Among Funded Projects

In the third round of funding from the BzKJ, the organisation received a record number of applications. The five digital projects selected for funding, which will receive a total of €240,000, have now been announced. However, there is no connection to games this time.

By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read

People

Games Hike 2026 Sees 60 Entrepeneurs At Lake Starnberg

The traditional Games Hike of FFF Bayern this year wasn't stopped by rain: 60 people from all ranges of the Bavarian games industry hiked to Ilkahöhe at Lake Starnberg.

By Pascal Wagner • 2 min read

Products

Ivy Juice's My Little Cafe Nightmare Sells 10.000 Units

Ivy Juice's and SethMadDev's cozy creepy simulator My Little Cafe Nightmare has sold 10,000 units in ten days.

By Pascal Wagner •

Tabletop

Tokyo Game Market Autumn Takes Place 17-18 October

The Autumn Edition of Tokyo Game Market takes place on 17-18 October this year. While the Spring edition is more tailored to International exhibitors, this one also accepts products from outside Japan. Booth sales open in June.

By Pascal Wagner • 1 min read

People

Womenize! Inspiring Stories: Edwige Lelièvre

In their weekly interview series Womenize! features inspirational, diverse people who work in the games and tech industry, to share their experiences, give valuable advice and talk about their projects. In cooperation with Womenize! and Madeleine Egger, GamesMarkt is republishing these inspirations.

By Madeleine Egger • 3 min read

Campus

First DGSW Conference Held in Darmstadt

For the first time, the German Society for Game Studies has held their academic conference at University Darmstadt. 70 faculty members from 40 colleges were on site, among them luminary figures from analogue gaming history.

By Pascal Wagner • 1 min read