Gamebook Studio Wins ContentShift Start-up Accelerator

The start-up, which enhances books with interactive content, receives a €10,000 innovation award. In addition, Gamebook Studios and the other finalists will receive workshop days and coaching.

It is a great success for Gamebook Studios and proof that books and games are not mutually exclusive media: Gamebook Studio won the ContentShift Accelerator competition and was named “Content Start-up of the Year 2024” at the Frankfurter Buchmesse (Frankfurt Book Fair).

This year, 36 start-ups, 13 of which were not from Germany, took part in the competition, which is sponsored by companies in the book and media industry. The winner will receive a €10,000 innovation prize. In addition, the five finalists will take part in intensive workshops and coaching sessions.

Explaining the jury's decision, jury chairwoman Carla Scheunemann said: "Gamebook Studio's products combine classic reading with exciting elements from gaming. This allows stories to be told creatively, individually and serially. This corresponds to the preferred media consumption of young people and is a playful way of promoting reading. For publishers, the web platform's low-threshold, modular offering provides an opportunity to further develop their new and existing brands and to find direct access to their communities."

What is particularly interesting about the Berlin-based start-up is that it also makes the gamebook technology available to other partners. This makes it possible, for example, to implement story-based visual novels without extensive programming experience. In the past, Gamebook Studio has worked with companies such as upjers and Skybound. Currently, a narrative crime simulation game called “Clue: Mystery Stories” is being developed based on the well-known Habsro IP. The Berliners themselves are working on “100 Lives!”, which they describe as the next generation of live simulation games.

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