The unveiling of Divinity included the mysterious statue in the desert. © Larian Studios Awards The Game Awards 2025 – All Announcements The flood of announcements at The Game Awards 2025 included new Star Wars, Tomb Raider and Dungeons & Dragons games. Divinity, Total War: Warhammer 40,000, Control Resonant and Ace Combat 8 were also unveiled, along with many more titles. By Marcel Kleffmann • 11 min read
Products Playing Mantis Announces Debut Title Solstride Founded in early 2025, the studio Playing Mantis announced its debut game Solstride at the German Indie Showcase. It is, in a sense, a test project for the studio builder by Thomas Rössig and Thorsten Hamdorf, which is currently in stealth mode. By Stephan Steininger • 2 min read
Leon Janßen is the new president of E-Sport Verband Bayern. Sandra Bloy has announced her retirement yesterday. (E-Sport Verband Bayern) People Leon Janßen is New President of the Bavarian Esports Association Sandra Bloy has retired as President of the E-Sport Verband Bavaria, her and the Digital Ministry announced yesterday. Her successor is Leon Janßen, former Organisational VP. Daria Cimpanu holds that position now. By Pascal Wagner • 1 min read
Business The Rise of "Friendslop": Why Low-Fidelity Social Chaos is Shaking Up the Games Industry In 'Zoran's Update', experienced games manager Zoran Roso comments on current industry topics on LinkedIn, speaking from the heart for many in the industry. GamesMarkt is now republishing the update with Zoran's consent. This time's topic: The Rise of 'Friendslop'. By Zoran Roso • 6 min read
John Carpenter's Toxic Commando, which will be released on March 12, 2026, is the first game that Plaion will distribute physically worldwide under the new contract for Focus Business Plaion and Focus Entertainment Expand Partnership With New Distribution Agreement Austrian distributor Plaion is further expanding its partnership with French publisher Focus Entertainment. Thanks to a new contract, Plaion will take over worldwide physical distribution of Focus' new releases, starting with John Carpenter's Toxic Commando. By Stephan Steininger • 2 min read
The crew of Games/Bavaria accepting the check for the first batch of money for 2026 from Digital Minister Fabian Mehring (holding the check) (StMD) Bavaria Doubles Games Funding in 2026 At the Christmas party of Games/Bavaria, Digital Minister Mehring confirmed that the funding for games, esports and XR will double to the target amount of more than 9 million euros in 2026. Minimum 4 million of that will go directly to studios. By Pascal Wagner • 2 min read
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Swept the Board at the Game Awards 2025 © TGA Business The Game Awards 2025 -The Winners Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 was the most nominated game in TGA history, receiving a total of nine awards. This game by Sandfall and Kepler Interactive was the big winner of the evening. By Marcel Kleffmann • 5 min read
Don't Scream Together © Digital Cybercherries How Don't Scream Together Recovered From Its Disastrous Launch The co-op multiplayer horror game Don't Scream Together from Digital Cybercherries didn't have the best launch on Steam. Technical issues with a key feature led to negative user reviews on Steam. However, the developers managed to turn things around by communicating openly and honestly. By Marcel Kleffmann • 2 min read
The Lonesome Guild © Tiny Bull Studios and Don't Nod Products The Lonesome Guild Relationships lie at the heart of The Lonesome Guild. This charming action RPG from Tiny Bull Studios and published by Don't Nod is all about loneliness - and fighting it together. By Marcel Kleffmann • 4 min read
Hero's Hour 2 © Benjamin Hauer, Unleash the Giraffe, LautaroArino and Hooded Horse Products Hooded Horse Signed Hero's Hour 2 During the Find Your Next Game Winter Showcase, Hooded Horse revealed its next portfolio addition: Hero's Hour 2, which offers players a fresh foray into the series' unique blend of fantasy, turn-based strategy and RPG action. By Marcel Kleffmann • 2 min read
Bavarian Digital Minister Fabian Mehring announcing the secured funding for the Gamerei until 2028 (Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Digitales) Munich's Gamerei Lease Secured Until 2028 at Least At Games/Bavaria's Christmas party, Bavarian Digital Minister Mehring had presents in store. One of them: The Munich games hub Gamerei will be securely funded as long as he is Minister, so at least until mid 2028. By Pascal Wagner • 1 min read
People Oliver Kaltner Hands Over CEO Role at Cherry With his current contract coming to an end, Cherry CEO Oliver Kaltner is moving into a consulting role. Rogier Volmer will take over as interim CEO on January 1, as Cherry enters a crucial phase. By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
