Editorial
Decisions are essential in gaming. And yet I’m finding it extremely difficult to make up my mind right now. For example, which game I should play once this issue is printed.
The selection of AAA games that have been released in recent weeks or will be released in the coming weeks is overwhelming. Not to mention the many smaller titles and indie gems that are on my to-do list. It’s almost a relief that GTA 6 won’t be released until next year, giving me some breathing room in my tight schedule. For us, however, the packed release window means that we also have a packed overview of the most important releases as we look ahead to the coming weeks. And you don’t need to be a prophet to know that alongside football and the Battlefield vs. Call of Duty rivalry, it will be the Switch 2 and its game line-up that generate a lot of sales.
However, difficult decisions also have to be made in the gaming industry regarding which events to attend. The Corona crisis seems to have been long forgotten when you look at the development of the quantity and, fortunately, also the quality of many events. For me, gamescom stands out as always. By that, I don’t mean, or rather, I don’t just mean the main event in Cologne. As a truly global event brand, gamescom has had an extraordinary year, setting records in Cologne, making a phenomenal move to Asia, and holding two highly successful second editions of gamescom latam and gamescom LAN. And yet, of course, we mustn’t forget the many other events that not only do excellent work but also have their own justification in their own way like Game City Vienna or GIC in Poznan, which, in my opinion, is still underestimated in other European countries, even though the success and quality of the Polish industry should have been known to everyone. We also report on both events in this issue. However, the issue of sustainability is also underestimated, an area in which the European games industry is making great strides thanks to the SGA, which we also report on in this issue.
With this in mind, I hope you enjoy reading this issue on behalf of the entire GamesMarkt team!
Stephan Steininger
Content
03 EDITORIAL
06 BIG PICTURE
08 PEOPLE
Heads and headlines that have caused a stir in the games industry in the recent weeks.
MAGAZINE
14 HEADUP X SONORODE
A Munich indie success story: How Headup signed Warding Witches at GG Bavaria.
18 WOMEN IN GAMES
Sarah Müller ensures that games reach audiences in the right language and tone.
20 GAMESCOM REVIEW
From Latin America to Cologne and Asia: A look back at this year’s gamescom events.
24 GAMESCOM IMPRESSIONS
A selection of photos showcasing participants from various countries at gamescom 2025.
28 DEVCOM REVIEW
Prof Dr Malte Behrmann summarises his personal experience of this year’s devcom.
32 GAMECITY VIENNA
The fair’s success and the Austrian event landscape are discussed by Riedel and Sharif.
34 EVENT : GIC
An event report about one of the leading B2B events in the European games industry.
36 STUDIO PORTRAIT
Screen Juice even impressed Ubisoft. As a result, the publisher signed Morbid Metal.
38 INTERVIEW: HANS IPPISCH
Hans Ippisch discusses his book and insights gained from his experience in the industry
42 SUSTAINABLE GAMES ALLIANCE
Maria Wagner talks about the SGA and the Sustainable Games Standard in this interview.
46 RESEARCH STATUS
How policy makers are researching the environmental potential of games.
PRODUCTS
50 PACKED GAMES AUTUMN
From September to October, one major sales success followed another.
52 KIRBYAIR RIDERS
Action-packed races with Kirby and friends.
54 ANNO 117 : PAX ROMANA
The genre-defining builder franchise returns.
56 METROID PRIME 4: BEYOND
Samus Aran’s latest adventure awaits.
58 EUROPA UNIVERSALIS V
59 CONSTANCE
60 SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS: TITANS OF THE TIDE
61 HYRULE WARRIORS: AGE OF IMPRISONMENT
62 CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS 7
63 PROJECT MOTOR RACING
64 MOONLIGHTER 2
65 OCTOPATH TRAVELER 0
66 IMPRINT
66 EVENTS
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