Game Studies Watchlist 2026 #32

People

G+ Researcher Spotlight: Stephan Jacob

One of the heads behind the Raw Talent booth collective of universities at gamescom, Stephan Jacob is Professor of Creative Technologies at Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences and Chairman of the German Society for Game Studies. We portray him in our ongoing series about games researchers.

By Pascal Wagner • 7 min read

People

G+ Researcher Spotlight: Greta Hoffmann

One of the heads behind the Raw Talent booth collective of universities at gamescom, Greta Hoffmann is Professor of Game Design with a focus on Independent Games at the Cologne Game Lab of TH Köln. We portray her in our ongoing series about games researchers.

By Pascal Wagner • 5 min read

Campus

AKGWDS Views Abolition of Physical Games Media with Concern

The Working Group on the Humanities and Digital Games (AKGWDS), the biggest scholarly games association in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, has posted an open letter with demands on how to better the situation of games archiving in the wake of the Sony Disc and EU initiative situations.

By Pascal Wagner • 1 min read

Business

The Public Gaming Privatization Wave: Why Public Equity Markets Are Losing Their Grip on Video Game Publishing

In his new update industry expert Zoran Roso analyses why the rigid demands of linear quarterly earnings are causing a systematic valuation breakdown against the multi-year, hit-driven development cycles of interactive entertainment.

By Zoran Roso • 5 min read

Business

ZBD Launches Payments Stack Built for Games

ZBD has announced a new platform offering embedded financial infrastructure for money lifecycle in games. This new line of products sees the company expand to support PC and console games.

By Marcel Kleffmann • 2 min read

Daily

GamesMarket Daily – 20 August 2026: Mattel, ProbablyMonsters, Womenize! Federal Funding, Black Pony Immersive & More

Federal funding received by Womenize! is the news of the day, making a good thing better. Two Mattel news congregate, although they are not necessarily related. And we collected new service offers for you.

By Pascal Wagner • 5 min read

Business

Harvey Smith and Ben Horne Set Up Black Pony Immersive

Veteran game developers Harvey Smith and Ben Horne have founded Black Pony Immersive, a new game studio specialising in the design and development of first-person action RPGs - specifically, immersive sims - in which players create their own experiences through emergent game systems.

By Marcel Kleffmann • 1 min read

gamescom

Mattel to Debut at gamescom 2026

Mattel is set to make its debut as an exhibitor at gamescom 2026, bringing together playable digital games, giveaways, live entertainment, and fan experiences.

By Marcel Kleffmann • 1 min read

gamescom

gamescom Week 2026: All Evening Events

Never have a dull evening at gamescom 2026 with our party guide: Every sundown event, from Sunday to Sunday – now including the gamescom city festival.

By Pascal Wagner • 4 min read