Stage at MagicCon Amsterdam 2025 (Wizards of the Coast) Business MagicCon Amsterdam Returns 17-19 July 2026 Europe's biggest Magic: The Gathering event MagicCon returns to RAI Amsterdam from 17-19 July, with ticket sales open 19 March. The Pro Tour Series will be centered on Marvel Super Heroes. Newly added: an arcade area with retro games and the Gathering Grounds celebrating diverse communities. By Pascal Wagner • 1 min read
Matthias Linda, developer of Chained Echoes, recently announced a lawsuit against First Press Games (Linda/FPG) Business First Press Games: "Still Moving Forward as Planned" In reaction to Matthias Linda's lawsuit against them about delayed physical versions of Chained Echoes, First Press Games has released a statement to GamesMarkt that they intend to keep working on said game versions. By Pascal Wagner • 2 min read
The second batch of Level Up participants recently graduated from the programme (GamesMarkt) Business Applications Open for Level Up Accelerator Batch 3 Level Up Accelerator goes into round three: Until 30 April, indies and solo devs from Bavaria can apply. The program starts in June 2026. By Pascal Wagner • 1 min read
Business The Cost of Misalignment: Bluepoint’s Closure and the End of the "Prestige Support" Era In 'Zoran's Update', experienced games manager Zoran Roso comments on current industry topics on LinkedIn. This time's topic: Why the closure of Blue Point reflects an aggressive consolidation of Sony's first-party development resources. By Zoran Roso • 4 min read
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
