Game Studies Watchlist 2026 #24

Campus

G+ Further Education in Games Skills: An Overview

Just because you already work in the games industry, the joy of learning new things and the urge to educate yourself further doesn’t stop. Here, we collect opportunities of further education around game skills in all of Europe.

By Pascal Wagner • 2 min read

Campus

Survey Looks for Public Value of Archiving Analogue Games

A survey of Sabine Fürst at the BFI Wien is looking for the Public Value of Archiving Analogue Games. It is endorsed by several board game associations and archives from around Germany.

By Pascal Wagner • 1 min read

Campus

Game in Lab Funding Calls for Board Game Research Applications

Board game researchers, take note: Game in Lab, the board game research funding programme by Asmodee and Innovation Factory, is giving away up to 20,000€ per funded project. The call is open until end of September.

By Pascal Wagner • 1 min read

GamesMarket Exclusive

Azerbaijan as an Emerging Games Market

Azerbaijan is one of the emerging markets in the games sector that doesn't receive much attention. This interview with Shahin Aliyev, co-founder and CEO of Dynamic Box, and Anatoly Strutinsky, SVP of Government & Industry Relations, EMEA at Xsolla, offers a glimpse into this market.

By Marcel Kleffmann • 6 min read

People

Pokémon International's North American Champions Crowned in New Orleans

At the 2026 North American Pokémon International Championships, several EU players won the pot as well. Tournaments were held in Pokémon Go, Unite, the TCG as well as the classic Pokémon video games, although fought in Pokémon Champions.

By Pascal Wagner • 1 min read

Development

Unreal Engine 5.8 Is Now Available; Unreal Engine 6 Is Still Years Away

At Unreal Fest Chicago 2026, Epic Games released Unreal Engine 5.8, which is likely to be the final significant update to the engine. The company plans to launch Unreal Engine 6 in Early Access in late 2027.

By Marcel Kleffmann • 2 min read

Products

Godot 4.7 Director's Cut Out Now

The new Godot version 4.7, titles Director's Cut, is all about lighting: With AreaLight3D, HDR output support and more. A new asset store is also in the mix.

By Pascal Wagner • 1 min read

Business

Instinct3 And Drinks & More Expand the Knabe-Drinks Portfolio Ahead of Gamescom

Instinct3, founded by creator HandsOfBlood, has announced the launch of KnabeMix – a cola-and-orange mixed drink – in collaboration with drinks partner Drinks & More. To mark the launch, the Twitch series “Techno Freitag” is making a comeback. A campaign featuring Sonya Kraus is also planned.

By Stephan Steininger • 2 min read

Business

The €27 Billion Danger Zone: How the EU's Digital Fairness Act Threatens to Disintegrate the F2P Monetization Stack

In 'Zoran's Update', experienced games manager Zoran Roso comments on current industry topics on LinkedIn. This time, he is looking at the issue from an industry perspective to see what consequences the EU’s plans might have on the monetisation of free-to-play games.

By Zoran Roso • 4 min read