More money in the bank for board game authors, at least through VG Wort royalties (www.kaboompics.com) Business VG Wort Now Includes Boardgame Authors, Royalties for Game Materials The German VG Wort, collecting society for authors, now uses the board game database of of the Altenburg Game Archive and releases royalties for board game authors. Spiele-Autoren-Zunft demands funding for the continued database maintenance from the Federal Government. By Pascal Wagner • 1 min read
Events IIDEA Launches First Playable Coaching Programme for Emerging Developers With the aim of helping up-and-coming developers make the best possible impression at First Playables, the Italian industry association IIDEA has launched a coaching programme; between late March and early June, 12 coaches will be offering free one-to-one online coaching sessions. By Stephan Steininger • 2 min read
Products Super Meat Boy 3D Releases 31 March, Physical Releases Come 30 June The two Northrhine-Westphalian companies Sluggerfly and Headup are releasing Super Meat Boy 3D at the end of this month. The 3D version of the snappy precision platformers comes out for all platforms. Meridiem produces physical NSW2 ans PS5 versions in June. By Pascal Wagner • 1 min read
Products All Announcements From the Xbox Partner Preview in March 2026 Yesterday evening saw the Xbox Partner Preview. Hosted by voice actor Aaron Paul, the 30-minute show focused on games from third-party partners. A total of 19 games were showcased, including seven world premieres. Fourteen of these will be available to play on day one with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. By Marcel Kleffmann • 6 min read
The BCN Game Fest attracted over 17,000 visitors in 2025 | Picture BCN Game Fest Events SAGA Barcelona Game Fest Wants to Attract Over 5,000 Trade Visitors The organisers of Barcelona Game Fest, RetroBarcelona and SAGA Saló del Gaming are joining forces to establish the SAGA Barcelona Game Fest as Southern Europe’s leading gathering for the games industry. Over 20,000 visitors are expected, more than 5,000 of whom will be industry professionals. By Stephan Steininger • 2 min read
Business Game Studies Watchlist 2026 #12 The Game Studies Watchlist newsletter, curated by Prof Dr Rudolf Inderst, is published weekly on GamesMarkt. This week's topics include the unforgivable in stories, the new DiGRA DACH chapter page, the Elizabeth Magie Prize for student papers and more. By Pascal Wagner • 3 min read
Business Both Game Industry Conferences 2026 Have Opened Ticket Sales Katowice in June and Poznan in October: Both GIC in Poland have opened ticket sales now, with early bird discounts and a "buy one, get one 50% off" offer. The regular GIC in Poznan will once again take place next to Poznan Game Arena. By Pascal Wagner • 1 min read
Business The Great Age-Gate Shake-up: Is 2026 the Year Gaming Grows Up? In this week’s “Update”, Zoran Roso looks at the changes to the PEGI system and the potential implications for companies’ global marketing strategies if games are given completely different age ratings in the US compared to Europe in future. By Zoran Roso • 4 min read
Generation Exile © Sonderlust Studios Products Generation Exile Developed by Sonderlust Studios, Generation Exile has flown somewhat under the radar. This space-faring colony management simulation game received hardly any attention when it was released on Early Access, but deserved better. By Marcel Kleffmann • 4 min read
Politics Regional Association Games & XR Mitteldeutschland Sets Out Its Claims for Thuringia Games & XR Mitteldeutschland has drawn up a five-point plan to encourage politicians to support the games industry in Thuringia. The main focus is on implementing measures that have long been standard practice in other German federal states. By Stephan Steininger • 3 min read
Sudden Strike 5 © Kite Games & Kalypso Media Products Kalypso Media Will Release Sudden Strike 5 in April 2026 On 23 April 2026, German publisher Kalypso Media and Budapest-based developer Kite Games will launch Sudden Strike 5, the latest instalment in the World War II real-time tactics series, for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. By Marcel Kleffmann • 3 min read
Farming Simulator 26 for Nintendo Switch and mobile devices © Giants Software Products Farming Simulator 26 & Project Motor Racing 2.0 Giants Software has announced the release of Farming Simulator 26 for Nintendo Switch and mobile devices. Additionally, the Swiss publisher and developer Straight4 Studios has made Update 2.0 available for Project Motor Racing, the biggest update to the simulation since its launch. By Marcel Kleffmann • 3 min read
