GamesMarket Daily – 12 Oct 26: Polaris, App Store x Indie, Artex, Chop Chop, Federal Funding, Womenize!, Toplitz, Assemble

Do indie games and mobile platforms, dear readers,

really go well together? Well, the simple answer today is: yes. Apple is launching the App Store Indie Week and celebrating it with the release of six outstanding indie titles. No Man’s Sky, which is set to debut on iOS at the end of October and is intended as the seventh title in this wave of releases, is also an indie title, although its commercial success has, for some in the market, catapulted it out of this category.

The reason why the combination of indie and mobile still sounds somewhat unusual is the fact that the in-app-driven monetisation of mobile games is rarely compatible with the concepts of classic indie games. Accordingly, the latest wave of indie game releases is, in a way, also a test of whether and how well business models outside the traditional free-to-play mechanics work.

I find this fascinating, particularly given that, at EU level, this very form of monetisation is increasingly coming under regulatory scrutiny when monetisation becomes the primary purpose of the game. From the perspective of many developers, it would be ideal if the audience of billions on iOS and Android did not discover free-to-play games for themselves.

Here are the news of the day!

Your Stephan Steininger

Fifth Polaris Reaches 55,000 Visitor Record

For its fifth anniversary, Polaris Convention in Hamburg has reached 55,000 people. It is the biggest German games & pop culture fair after gamescom.
(Read more...)

by Pascal Wagner

No Man’s Sky, Dome Keeper and Sifu Release on iOS During Apple’s App Store Indie Games Week

With seven new, high-profile indie games, Apple is not only celebrating App Store Indie Games Week from today, but is also supporting business models other than the traditional free-to-play model.
(Read more...)

by Stephan Steininger

Federal Funding Goes to Swift Games and Benjamin Lochmann New Media

Two more game studios have been awarded funding by the German Federal Government's Video Game Funding Programme. Grants were given to Berlin-based Swift Games and Nürnberg-based Benjamin Lochmann New Media alias Pixel Maniacs.
(Read more...)

by Marcel Kleffmann

More News of the Day...

Chop Chop Inc. Hits 100,000 Sales

In less than a year since its foundation, NullRef Entertainment has sold 100,000 copies of its debut game, Chop Chop Inc.
(Read more...)

Artex Enters the Friendslop Genre with American Cooking Simulator, Out Today

Shoot to Grill - with American Cooking Simulator, Artex Software is entering the friendslop space. The game has its surprise release on Steam today.
(Read more...)

Senior Game Designer (InnoGames)
Concept Artist (Snowprint Studios)
Senior Backend Developer (Snowprint Studios)
Game Analyst for Forge of Empires (InnoGames)
Marketing Artist (Hutch)

More Jobs

Strong Launch for Toplitz's Permafrost

Developed by SpaceRocket Games and published by Toplitz Productions, Permafrost was released on Steam Early Access on 9 October 2026. It has achieved the German-Austrian publisher's third-best launch to date.
(Read more...)

Womenize! Launches Its NRW Chapter Ahead of DEP in Cologne

On the day before the Deutscher Entwicklerpreis (German Developer Award) ceremony in Cologne, Womenize! is launching a new series of events in North Rhine-Westphalia.
(Read more...)

Assemble Retires Leisure Suit Larry Reboots

Likely for licensing reasons, Assemble Entertainment takes the two Leisure Suit Larry reimaginings by CrazyBunch off storefronts on 23 October. Leisure Suit Larry: Wet Dreams Don't Dry and Leisure Suit Larry: Wet Dreams Dry Twice are on sale until then. The license sits with EA through Codemasters.
(Read more...)

Record-Breaking Steam Event Builds Excitement For Finnish Games Week

A week before several in-person events take place in Finland as part of Finnish Games Week, the official Steam event has begun. Over 360 games from Finland are taking part.
(Read more...)

New Million-Sellers: Ace Combat 8 & Star Wars Zero Company

Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve has become the fastest title in the franchise to reach one million sales. Star Wars Zero Company has also surpassed this milestone, meaning that members of the Bit Reactor team can now be brought back.
(Read more...)

Magic: The Gathering Reveals First Marvel Set With Original Story for 2027

Marvel Darkhold Destiny will not only be the first Universes Beyond (UB) set for Magic: The Gathering in 2027, it will also be the first Marvel and UB set with an original story written just for the trading card game.
(Read more...)