Daily GamesMarket Daily – 23. July 26: EC x EA x PIF, Xsolla, Level Up, gamescom dev, UKIE, EA Sports FC 27 Electronic Arts and Saudi Arabia are the key talking points today. The EU has given the green light to the takeover, whilst EA has revealed the cover stars and release date for FC 27. And we take a look back at a panel from last year’s gamescom dev. Topic: The games industry in Saudi Arabia. By Stephan Steininger • 5 min read
Products Update: Jude Bellingham Joins Kylian Mbappé on the Cover of EA Sports FC 27 Electronic Arts has lifted the veil and revealed the global release date for EA Sports FC 2027. England star Jude Bellingham will also feature on the cover alongside Kilian Mbappé. By Stephan Steininger • 2 min read
Picture: European Union, 2018, licensed under CC BY 4.0 EU Commission Greenlights Electronic Arts Takeover Under the EU Merger Regulation, the EU Commission has no objections to the planned takeover of Electronic Arts by the Public Investment Fund (‘PIF’) of Saudi Arabia. The deal raises no competition concerns. By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
gamescom ESDigital, Toplitz, Konami – Exhibitor Update, 23 July With five weeks to go before the trade fair and following the release of the exhibitor directory, reports about games and exhibitors at gamescom are increasing. Without claiming to be exhaustive, we’ve summarised the key line-ups. Today’s round-up features ESDigital, Konami and Toplitz Productions. By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
Ian Murray, UK’s Creative Industries Minister (Picture: UKIE) Funding UKIE Calls For Continuity as Impact of Games Growth Package Becomes Apparent One year on from its launch, the UK games industry and policymakers have given an initial positive assessment of the Games Growth Package. UKIE chief Nick Poole has called for continuity. The successes achieved are a cause for optimism, but are still fragile. By Stephan Steininger • 2 min read
Abdulelah Alsharif, VP of Investments Merak Capital, Meaad Aflah, Co-Founder & CEO Starvania, Hani Hashem, CEO Fahy, Nika Nour, SVP International Business Development Savvy Games Group (From Left to Right) gamescom Gamescom Dev Talk Review: Pioneers of Play Not sure what sort of talks to expect at gamescom dev? Together with gamescom dev, we’re taking a look back at selected talks from 2025. The panellists are studio leads from the first wave of Saudi game developers and will provide an insight into the emerging MENA region. By Stephan Steininger • 2 min read
Funding Gamecity Hamburg Introduces Participants of Its Level Up Incubator 2026 The selection panel has chosen five projects from the submissions for this year’s Level Up Incubator programme run by Gamecity Hamburg. As well as a small grant of 15,000 euros, the teams and developers involved will, above all, receive coaching, expert support and access to a experienced network. By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
gamescom The Evolution of Video Game Monetization: Balancing Profit and Player Trust Advertorial | Video game monetization has changed significantly over the past two decades, moving beyond one-time purchases to include downloadable content (DLC), battle passes, subscriptions, and microtransactions. Visit Xsolla at Gamescom to learn more. By Xsolla • 1 min read
Daily GamesMarket Daily – 22. July 26: Spain, UK, G4C Awards, Paintbucket,EA, Powell Group Following a mega gamescom Tuesday, new market data from Spain is due out today. Meanwhile, the Games For Change Awards were presented in New York, where a German studio also had cause to celebrate. By Stephan Steininger • 4 min read
Business UK Industry Wants to Create Collaborative Framework for Collecting Video Game Culture Whilst the International Computer Games Collection project in Germany is on the verge of being scrapped, the UK industry association UKIE is organising a meeting for several museums in mid-August to establish a framework for the preservation of British gaming heritage. By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
Campus Powell Group Launches Learning Platform For Game Developers The Powell Group Business School is designed to serve as a professional development platform to help game developers build stronger businesses. To begin with, 14 online courses will be offered, with plans for ongoing expansion. By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
Paintbucket Wins Best in Learning at G4C Awards, Compulsion the GotY Category In New York, the highly acclaimed awards were also presented as part of the Games for Change (G4C) festival, with one award going to the German studio Paintbucket Games. Most of the awards went to Hexecutable, but the main category was won by Compulsion Games. By Stephan Steininger • 2 min read
