How do game industry executives look back at 2025 and what do they think about 2026? We spoke to Julia Pfiffer & Tim Schmitz, the two co-CEOs of astragon, to find out.
GamesMarkt: What is your verdict as you look back on 2025?
Julia Pfiffer & Tim Schmitz: "In 2025, we built further on our strategy to strengthen astragon’s position as a leading simulation publisher. We expanded our long-term portfolio with two profession-driven, high-authenticity titles: Firefighting Simulator: Ignite and Seafarer: The Ship Sim.
Firefighting Simulator: Ignite was released in September for PC and consoles, delivering realistic and accessible firefighting gameplay. While Seafarer marked our first project with an internal development team. Its Early Access launch in October introduced a brand-new maritime simulation IP and added extra value to the portfolio.
Alongside these new releases, we continued to support our long-term brands with additional content for Construction Simulator and Police Simulator: Patrol Officers, reinforcing retention and lifecycle performance.
Overall, we observed that the ongoing increasing international interest and market engagement for simulation games continued this year. This is driven by a growing global demand for realistic yet accessible simulation experiences, which continues to benefit the genre directly. The simulation market also remains highly dynamic: more publishers and developers are announcing and releasing high-quality, deeply immersive simulation titles, further accelerating growth and raising standards across the category. We continue to deliver games with a high level of quality, immersion and authenticity."
GamesMarkt: What are your predictions for the gaming industry in 2026?
Julia Pfiffer & Tim Schmitz: "We expect players to reward games that move away from oversized live-service models and instead deliver tighter, more worthy updates. While console ecosystems remain strong, PC will continue to be a key growth driver, especially for smaller indie and mid-sized titles.
Furthermore, connecting platforms will remain an increasingly important priority within the industry. All our IPs support cross-play across all or selected platforms, including full cross-play in Firefighting Simulator: Ignite and Construction Simulator, fitting our co-op multiplayer approach. We believe cross-platform access will only become more crucial, because it lowers barriers for friends to play together and clearly increases a game’s long-term value.
At the same time, discoverability will remain one of the industry’s biggest challenges. With another wave of releases, from standout indie titles to highly anticipated AAA games, visibility will get even harder to earn. Reaching players will require sharper positioning, strong community building, and sustained marketing beats over time."
GamesMarkt: How is astragon positioned for 2026?
Julia Pfiffer & Tim Schmitz: "For 2026, we are well positioned to continue executing our long-term portfolio strategy. Firefighting Simulator: Ignite already has a Year 1 Season Pass announced, and Seafarer will receive continuous updates and improvements throughout its Early Access phase. We strongly believe that community building and long-term player engagement are essential drivers of success in simulation, and we will keep investing in both.
At the same time, we aim to further strengthen our well-known brands and grow dedicated, highly engaged communities around them. This creates a clear competitive advantage in a genre where longevity and trust matter.
In addition, we will expand the portfolio with a new simulation brand. With Ranger’s Path: National Park Simulator, we are releasing a new game in Early Access. The title is especially exciting for us because it shifts the focus away from vehicles and instead centers on nature, exploration, and environmental management as well as opening up new themes and audiences within our simulation space.
Overall, our clear focus for 2026 remains the same: delivering high-quality, authentic simulation experiences, supported by long-term content and strong communities."
Founded in 1998, astragon Entertainment GmbH is a German games developer, publisher and distributor of sophisticated 'working' simulation games. It is a subsidiary of Everplay PLC. Since 2023, astragon Development (formerly Independent Arts Software) has also been part of astragon Entertainment. The company's well-known IPs include Construction Simulator, Bus Simulator, Police Simulator, and Firefighting Simulator. Astragon also distributes products such as Farming Simulator (Giants Software) and Roadcraft (Focus Entertainment).
