Events IIDEA: Preparations Underway For First Playbale 2026 And Italian Video Game Awards 2026 Italy's most important gaming conference will take place this year from 10 to 12 June in Florence. But it's not just First Playable 2026 that is in full swing; Italian developers can also submit their titles for the Italian Video Game Award 2026. By Stephan Steininger • 2 min read
Events Spanish Associations AEVI and DEV Cooperate for Beyond the Game Conference The Beyond the Game conference aims to shed light on the role of games in society and bring together experts from the fields of culture, education, technology and social affairs. It takes place in the run-up to the Mad Games Show, which is also a joint project of the AEVI and DEV associations. By Stephan Steininger • 2 min read
From left to right: Tom Bockhorn, Brenden Gibbons, Sarah Burrini, Thomas Rössig (CEO of Fourth Moon Games) © Green Parrot Games Business Green Parrot Games Launches in Collaboration with Fourth Moon Games Brenden Gibbons, Sarah Burrini and Tom Bockhorn have joined forces to establish Green Parrot Games in Cologne. This is the second studio to be established within the Fourth Moon constellation. By Marcel Kleffmann • 2 min read
Business Real Live WoW Quest by Pringles and Jung Von Matt Nerd in Germany Jung von Matt Nerd is running a launch campaign for World of Warcraft: Midnight with Pringles. The campaign is all about a 'Real Live Quest' that combines out-of-home, social and in-game rewards. By Marcel Kleffmann • 2 min read
Insights Newzoo: PC and Console Gaming Market Enters New Phase of Growth Good news for the industry, according to Newzoo in its new PC & Console Gaming Report 2026: the market is growing significantly again, leaving the post-pandemic plateau behind. However, the market has undergone structural changes. By Stephan Steininger • 4 min read
Project Helix: the next Xbox will play PC and Xbox games © Microsoft Business Big Ambitions for Project Helix and Xbox Mode for Windows 11 Microsoft aims to push the boundaries of rendering and simulation with the next Xbox console, in partnership with AMD. The gap between PCs and consoles is also closing: starting in April, Xbox mode will begin rolling out to Windows 11 in select markets. By Marcel Kleffmann • 2 min read
Michael Schade, CEO and co-founder of Rockfish Games © Gero Goerlich, 39pix.com Business Rockfish Games' CEO: "56.5% of the Dev Budget Comes Straight From Our Own Pocket" Rockfish Games recently received a record-breaking grant of €8 million. In this interview, CEO Michael Schade discusses the ~€20 million budget, the six-year development period, the importance of the grant for the Hamburg-based studio, and Germany as a location for the games industry. By Marcel Kleffmann • 5 min read
PEGI Director Dirk Bosmans and USK MD Elisabeth Secker have worked together on the changes (PEGI/USK) Business Lootboxes Now Automatically PEGI 16, in Changes Inspired by Germany Age rating system PEGI will incorporate sweeping changes to their classification of dark patterns, inspired by the German USK. Come June, lootboxes will automatically be PEGI 16, blockchain content PEGI 18 and punishment for not logging into games daily PEGI 12. By Pascal Wagner • 2 min read
Business Subscribe to GamesMarkt+ and Get a Pumuckl Switch or Steam Key We are teaming up with Quantumfrog for a subscription drive and giveaway: The next 10 annual subscribers to GamesMarkt+ will receive a Switch or Steam key of their choice of Pumuckl and the Crown of the Pirate King. By Team GamesMarket • 2 min read
Business LFG Con Organises Business Hub for the First Time and Calls For Speakers This year, LFG Con will also have a business hub for the first time. There, interested parties can learn about entering the games industry through talks, panels and workshops. The organisers are looking for interested speakers until the end of April. By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
The four-person team at Aldamami Games comprises: (from left to right): Alice Schneider, Katharina 'Mikey' Müller, David Cafisso and Marvin Braun. Katharina 'Mikey' Müller and Marvin Braun founded the studio. © Aldamami Games Business Aldamami's Bloodletter: Competing for Attention in Turn-Based Games Aldamami Games' Bloodletter is set to launch on Early Access at the end of the month. We spoke to Katharina 'Mikey' Müller about the wide variety of turn-based games available, the idea of altruism and healing rather than fighting, and the development of games in Berlin. By Marcel Kleffmann • 6 min read
Indie Arena Booth at gamescom 2025 (Indie Arena Booth 2025, Rolf Otzipka) Business Indie Arena Booth 2026 Submissions Open Until 13 April The submission period for Indie Arena Booth 2026 has opened today. Apart from several booth options, a range of counties from Europe as well as the bpb and Nintendo offer free exhibition slots. By Pascal Wagner • 1 min read
