The future of physical games distribution, dear readers,

is and will remain a key issue in the games industry. Distributors such as Plaion Partners are relying on – and must continue to rely on – other partners, as demonstrated by the agreement with Thrustmaster announced today.

And in future, games publishers will have to consider even more carefully which products they bring physically to market and how. This is also confirmed by Dr Anika Thun, CEO Kalypso, in our major survey. Given that physical products for PC and Xbox games are now virtually non-existent, she also expects boxed games to become marginalised in the PlayStation market.

The Nintendo Switch remains the platform on which boxed editions will continue to play a significant role. At the same time, however, she also notes a trend towards complementing digital sales with merchandising or premium products. So there are opportunities for retailers.

Here are the news of the day!

Your Stephan Steininger

Jannik Kasper Becomes Co-CEO Alongside Wolf Lang at Super Crowd

The Hamburg-based events company Super Crowd Entertainment (Polaris, Indie Arena Booth) intends to usher in the next phase of the company’s development with a dual leadership structure. With immediate effect, Jannik Kasper will join founder Wolf Lang as co-CEO.
(Read more...)

by Pascal Wagner

Dr Anika Thun on the European Games Industry - GamesMarket Industry Leaders Survey 2026

How do gaming executives rate Europe's position in the global market? And what key challenges and trends are currently affecting the industry? We spoke to Dr Anika Thun, CEO Kalypso Media Group (Germany), to find out.
(Read more...)

by Marcel Kleffmann

4Players Hires Ahmed Ouahab as Director of Sales and International Growth

With Ahmed Ouahab as their new Director of Sales and International Growth, 4Players GmbH wants to tap new regions in gaming and increasingly non-gaming contexts.
(Read more...)

by Pascal Wagner

More News of the Day...

Former GamesMarkt Publisher Ulrich Scheele Has Died

Without Ulrich Scheele, there would be no GamesMarket. From the 1980s onwards, the journalist and publisher built up Entertainment Media Verlag, within which GamesMarkt first appeared 25 years ago. The entrepreneur Ulrich Scheele passed away recently. He was 80 years old.
(Read more...)

Plaion and Thrustmaster Enter Into Strategic European Distribution Partnership

Gaming accessories manufacturer Thrustmaster and Plaion have announced a strategic pan-European distribution partnership. Under the terms of the agreement, Plaion will support the growth of Thrustmaster's gaming hardware and accessories in several European markets.
(Read more...)

Womenize! Inspiring Stories: Laura Gonzalez Fernandez
In their weekly interview series Womenize! features inspirational, diverse people who work in the games and tech industry, to share their experiences, give valuable advice and talk about their projects. In cooperation with Womenize! and Madeleine Egger, GamesMarkt is republishing these inspirations.
GamesMarketMadeleine Egger
+++ Jobs +++ Jobs +++ Jobs +++ Jobs +++ Jobs +++ Jobs +++
More Jobs

Federal Funding Goes to Edurino

Edurino, which is based in Munich, Bavaria, has received funding from the German Federal Government's Video Game Funding Programme for its "Edurino Episode 'Tina'". This is the company's fifth grant to date.
(Read more...)

Nerd Rock Festival: A 'Nexus' Becoming the Best of All Worlds

Despite music always taking center stage at Nexus Nerd Rock Festival in Leipzig, the combinatory concert, ren faire and pop culture convention has potential for game developers, not least because of the efforts of local and regional actors like Next Level: Saxony!.
(Read more...)

Achtung Autobahn Announces La Rosa Temprana

In this horror game during the Spanish Civil War, no creepier monsters than the fascists are needed: One of the few German coop dev studios, Achtung Autobahn, has announced La Rosa Temprana.
(Read more...)

European Space Agency and Pokémon Reveal Museum Exhibition, Pikachu in Space

The ESA and The Pokémon Company have detailed their cooperation for World Space Week in October. A traveling exhibition will show “Space and Pokémon” in several European museums. A Pikachu toy was also at the ISS this summer.
(Read more...)

Wardogs (Early Access)
Finally, some fresh ideas in the shooter genre, and Wardogs from Bulkhead and Team17 offers exactly that in Early Access. The game features dynamic, large-scale battles as well as emphasising and rewarding teamwork in a player-driven sandbox.
GamesMarketMarcel Kleffmann

Exhibitions & Events

21.09. - 23.09.2026: D.I.C.E. Europe (Athens)
22.09. - 25.09.2026: Game Devs of Color Expo (online)
23.09.2026: Open Stage Games BW (Suttgart)
23.09. - 25.09.2026: Northern Games Summit (Kajaani)
26.09. - 27.09.2026: Zurich Pop Con Game & Show (Zurich)
29.09. - 30.09.2026: DevGamm x FTW! (Belgrade)
02.10. - 04.10.2026: Hero Fest (Bern)
03.10.2026: IAM Gaming Expo (Moray)
04.10. - 11.10.2026: New York Games Week (New York)
07.10. - 08.10.2026: Mobidictum (Istanbul)
08.10. - 09.10.2026: Gamespace Conference (Zürich)
09.10. - 11.10.2026: Polaris (Hamburg)
09.10. - 11.10.2026: SAGA Barcelona Game Fest (Barcelona)
09.10. - 11.10.2026: PAX Aus (Melbourne)

Find more events in our GamesMarket calendar.

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Written by

Stephan Steininger
Stephan Steininger
Stephan Steininger is Director of Operations and Editor-in-Chief of GamesMarket. As part of the magazine since its inception in 2001, he knows the GSA games industry by heart.