First Playable 2026 in Florence: A Look Inside

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

Business

G+ Rise And Fall: Mass Layoffs in the Games Industry

Following a strong upswing in the video games industry during and after the pandemic, the sector has experienced a difficult period marked by mass redundancies and studio closures. But what caused this?

By Marcel Kleffmann • 5 min read

Products

Gothic 1 Remake Sells 500,000 Copies in One Week

THQ Nordic welcomes half a million nameless heroes: Gothic 1 Remake sold 500,000 copies in its first week. Alkimia Interactive and THQ Nordic are delighted with this strong start.

By Marcel Kleffmann • 2 min read

Campus

New Zelda Anthology Book Calls for Methodology Texts

Game studies researchers Phillip Brandes, Carolin Puckhaber and Anja Gödl have launched a new call for a book that wants to demonstrate the vast possibilities of game studies methodology by example of researching The Legend of Zelda.

By Pascal Wagner • 1 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

Game Studies Watchlist 2026 #23

The Game Studies Watchlist newsletter, curated by Professor Rudolf Inderst, is published weekly on GamesMarket. This week's topics include a video essay on Lara Croft, Women in Games and the intersection of war and gaming through history.

By Pascal Wagner • 4 min read

Events

Paris Game Biz Returns October 2026

In a new venue and with more studios and publishers, Paris Game Biz returns in October for the third time. The B2B event, held by Paris region video game cluster Capital Games, connects investors with studios selected for quality.

By Pascal Wagner • 1 min read

Development

ARD Game Jam Nets Cash Prizes in August

The upcoming ARD Game Jam will take place right before gamescom dev. The theme will be announced on 21 August, when the Jam starts. The kicker: A cash prize of 2,500€ awaits. Games/Bavaria and game are partnering with BR Puls for the jam.

By Pascal Wagner • 1 min read