Gerhold: Building an Alternative to Established Labels Stephan Steininger May 24, 2024 – 2 min read Share this post Mario Gerhold © Gerhold Francisco Pio Pero from Italy, winner of the TCG Junior championship (The Pokémon Company) People Pokémon International's North American Champions Crowned in New Orleans At the 2026 North American Pokémon International Championships, several EU players won the pot as well. Tournaments were held in Pokémon Go, Unite, the TCG as well as the classic Pokémon video games, although fought in Pokémon Champions. By Pascal Wagner • 1 min read Picture by Medienförderung RLP People Medienförderung RLP Appoints Anika Thun to Its Board and Funds Five Games with €200k With the appointment of Dr Anika Thun from Kalypso Media, the board of the Medienförderung RLP has also gained an experienced games manager, who will now help shape the strategic development of the media funding programme. Meanwhile, the results of the 10th funding round have been announced. By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read EGDF MD Jari-Pekka Kaleva finds agreeable, but also disappointing points in the Commissions statement around Stop Killing Games (EGDF, Stop Killing Games) People EGDF: "Commission Should Treat Games Preservation as a Priority" EGDF is taking a dual-stance after the European Commissions statement on Stop Killing Games: While the association agrees that blanket legal obligations are no option, it asks for much more in terms of digital preservation of games nevertheless. By Pascal Wagner • 2 min read Mothkeep (Ivette Schmidt) Products Mothkeep Reaches 10K Wishlists Three weeks before release, moth documenting game Mothkeep by Munich solo dev Ivette Schmidt has reached 10,000 wishlists. By Pascal Wagner • Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Benjamin Dousa and Hazelight Studios founder Josef Fares | Picture: Caisa Rasmussen/UD Awards Sweden Honours Hazelight Studios With Government’s Export Award For CCI The Swedish Government has recognised the achievements of Stockholm-based Hazelight Studios as an export company. The studio behind A Way Out, It Takes Two and Split Fiction received the Government’s Export Award in the Cultural and Creative Industries category. By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read Business Narranauten Set up Registered Association In 2024, several narrative designers and game writers founded the Narranauten initiative, under which they organised events in Germany. They have now set up a registered association. By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read Anno 117: Pax Romana - Blooming Cities Pack © Ubisoft Products Ubisoft Releases Second CDLC for Anno 117 The second CDLC has been released for Anno 117: Pax Romana. The Blooming Cities Pack only includes cosmetic additions, while the team at Ubisoft Mainz continues to work on the next two DLCs for the game: The Hippodrome and Dawn of the Delta. By Marcel Kleffmann • 2 min read Johanna Schmid (PwC); Prof. Dr. Mathias Bellinghausen (HAM), Julia Wilner (PwC), Christopher Flato (ESBD), Markus Möckel (ESBD), Lars Christian Dach (PwC) © ESBD Esports Second Esports Report on the German Esports Industry The E-Sport-Bund Deutschland (ESBD) has published its second report on the German esports industry. It focuses on the industry's self-image, structures and future as it undergoes transformation. The report was prepared in collaboration with the Hochschule für angewandtes Management and PwC Germany. By Marcel Kleffmann • 2 min read New Markets as Future Goldmines © Xsolla GamesMarket Exclusive Azerbaijan as an Emerging Games Market Azerbaijan is one of the emerging markets in the games sector that doesn't receive much attention. This interview with Shahin Aliyev, co-founder and CEO of Dynamic Box, and Anatoly Strutinsky, SVP of Government & Industry Relations, EMEA at Xsolla, offers a glimpse into this market. By Marcel Kleffmann • 6 min read
Francisco Pio Pero from Italy, winner of the TCG Junior championship (The Pokémon Company) People Pokémon International's North American Champions Crowned in New Orleans At the 2026 North American Pokémon International Championships, several EU players won the pot as well. Tournaments were held in Pokémon Go, Unite, the TCG as well as the classic Pokémon video games, although fought in Pokémon Champions. By Pascal Wagner • 1 min read
Picture by Medienförderung RLP People Medienförderung RLP Appoints Anika Thun to Its Board and Funds Five Games with €200k With the appointment of Dr Anika Thun from Kalypso Media, the board of the Medienförderung RLP has also gained an experienced games manager, who will now help shape the strategic development of the media funding programme. Meanwhile, the results of the 10th funding round have been announced. By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
EGDF MD Jari-Pekka Kaleva finds agreeable, but also disappointing points in the Commissions statement around Stop Killing Games (EGDF, Stop Killing Games) People EGDF: "Commission Should Treat Games Preservation as a Priority" EGDF is taking a dual-stance after the European Commissions statement on Stop Killing Games: While the association agrees that blanket legal obligations are no option, it asks for much more in terms of digital preservation of games nevertheless. By Pascal Wagner • 2 min read
Mothkeep (Ivette Schmidt) Products Mothkeep Reaches 10K Wishlists Three weeks before release, moth documenting game Mothkeep by Munich solo dev Ivette Schmidt has reached 10,000 wishlists. By Pascal Wagner •
Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Benjamin Dousa and Hazelight Studios founder Josef Fares | Picture: Caisa Rasmussen/UD Awards Sweden Honours Hazelight Studios With Government’s Export Award For CCI The Swedish Government has recognised the achievements of Stockholm-based Hazelight Studios as an export company. The studio behind A Way Out, It Takes Two and Split Fiction received the Government’s Export Award in the Cultural and Creative Industries category. By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
Business Narranauten Set up Registered Association In 2024, several narrative designers and game writers founded the Narranauten initiative, under which they organised events in Germany. They have now set up a registered association. By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
Anno 117: Pax Romana - Blooming Cities Pack © Ubisoft Products Ubisoft Releases Second CDLC for Anno 117 The second CDLC has been released for Anno 117: Pax Romana. The Blooming Cities Pack only includes cosmetic additions, while the team at Ubisoft Mainz continues to work on the next two DLCs for the game: The Hippodrome and Dawn of the Delta. By Marcel Kleffmann • 2 min read
Johanna Schmid (PwC); Prof. Dr. Mathias Bellinghausen (HAM), Julia Wilner (PwC), Christopher Flato (ESBD), Markus Möckel (ESBD), Lars Christian Dach (PwC) © ESBD Esports Second Esports Report on the German Esports Industry The E-Sport-Bund Deutschland (ESBD) has published its second report on the German esports industry. It focuses on the industry's self-image, structures and future as it undergoes transformation. The report was prepared in collaboration with the Hochschule für angewandtes Management and PwC Germany. By Marcel Kleffmann • 2 min read
New Markets as Future Goldmines © Xsolla GamesMarket Exclusive Azerbaijan as an Emerging Games Market Azerbaijan is one of the emerging markets in the games sector that doesn't receive much attention. This interview with Shahin Aliyev, co-founder and CEO of Dynamic Box, and Anatoly Strutinsky, SVP of Government & Industry Relations, EMEA at Xsolla, offers a glimpse into this market. By Marcel Kleffmann • 6 min read
