Business Sony's Exit of Physical Discs: German USK Sees Importance of Its Digital Ratings Affirmed In Germany, age ratings for physical games are assigned on a different legal basis to those for online games. The USK is officially recognised for both procedures and views Sony’s withdrawal from discs relaxed from a youth protection perspective. What matters is the reliability of age ratings. By Stephan Steininger • 2 min read
Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced © Ubisoft Products Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced With over 230 million copies sold, Assassin's Creed is arguably Ubisoft's most important franchise. Although the release of Assassin's Creed Hexe is still some time away, the French publisher is launching Assassin's Creed: Black Flag Resynced, a remake of one of the most popular games in the series. By Marcel Kleffmann • 4 min read
Events Siggraph Increases Its Spotlight on Games and Hosts Its first-ever Games Summit For its 53rd edition, Siggraph is placing greater emphasis on gaming. Alongside the numerous technical topics covered throughout the conference, a curated Games Summit with a broader thematic focus will take place on the first day. By Stephan Steininger • 2 min read
Daily GamesMarket Daily – 08. July 26: PlayStation x gamescom, Michael Hebel, Xsolla, Charts, Joris Goossens, ICS, DGA Whether it’s confirmations or cancellations, tips for visiting with a toddler or new events on the evening programme – gamescom dominates the day’s news. By Stephan Steininger • 4 min read
Vision of a virtual ICS (Picture by ICS) Business Setback For Preservation of Video Games in Germany: ICS Will Not be Continued With the international computer games collection, what is arguably Germany’s largest project for the preservation of video game culture is coming to an inglorious end. Now that the preparations have been completed, there is a lack of public support for the project’s forthcoming institutionalisation. By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
In 2026, Sony Interactive Entertainment will once again not be having a stand at gamescom. Ten years ago, the PlayStation stand was a major attraction (archive image; photo: Koelnmesse) gamescom Sony Interactive Will Once Again Not Have a Booth at Gamescom As in previous years, Sony Interactive Entertainment will not be exhibiting at gamescom in 2026. It remains to be seen whether the company will participate in the event in other ways. By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
Part of the board of DGA, taken from the website (DGA) People DGA Introduces New Board Members, New Student Initiative, and New Award Categories The Dutch Games Association board has appointed Kees van der Zwet and Koen Deetman in place of Laurens Rutten and Viktor Wijnen, who left the board. DGA has also introduced a new student initiative to connect games education and industry better. The Dutch Game Awards got two new categories. By Pascal Wagner • 1 min read
Products G+ Gothic 1 Makes a Top-10 Debut in German Games Charts in June 2026 THQ’s role-playing game remake failed to take the top spot, partly because EA Sports FC has returned to number one, boosted by the World Cup By Stephan Steininger • 2 min read
Michael Hebel is professor for Game Art and Design at the Neu-Ulm University of Applied Sciences / HNU (Estelle Frey) Campus G+ Researcher Spotlight: Michael Hebel, Neu-Ulm University of Applied Sciences In our ongoing series about games researchers, we portrait the people wo bring game studies forward and define how game making is taught and learned at universities. Today in the spotlight is Michael Hebel of Neu-Ulm University of Applied Sciences. By Pascal Wagner • 6 min read
gamescom The Rise of Direct-to-Consumer Channels in Gaming Advertorial | The video game industry is witnessing a significant shift as publishers move toward direct-to-consumer (D2C) channels, bypassing traditional platform gatekeepers like app stores and console marketplaces. Visit Xsolla at Gamescom to learn more. By Xsolla • 1 min read
People Joris Goossens is Newzoo's New CEO Stepping into the role of CEO after three years as CRO, Joris Goossens is replacing Michelle Van der Wilk-Rouhof at market data expert Newzoo. By Pascal Wagner • 1 min read
Daily GamesMarket Daily – 07. July 26: Atari Europe, Thomas Lehr, Frithjof Michaelsen, Switch, gamescom, FROG, Portside Game Assembly Following yesterday’s big announcement at Microsoft, the focus today is on Europe, where Nintendo is withdrawing the Switch from the market in line with EU battery regulations, Atari is appointing a European head, and a small but significant event called gamescom is set to take place very soon. By Pascal Wagner • 5 min read
