Rockfish Games Team in 2026 © Rockfish Games Business Rockfish Receives €8 Million in Federal Funding for New Everspace Game Hamburg-based independent studio Rockfish Games has received an €8 million grant from the German government to develop a new game in the Everspace franchise. This is the largest sum ever awarded by the Federal Games Funding Programme. By Marcel Kleffmann • 4 min read
Chris Hewish (President) and Berkley Egenes (Chief Marketing and Growth Officer) at Xsolla © Christer Berg / Xsolla Business "In 2026, I Expect Smarter Monetization Rather Than Bigger Monetization" In our GDC 2026 interview with Chris Hewish (President) and Berkley Egenes (Chief Marketing and Growth Officer) at Xsolla, we discuss monetisation trends, games concentration, direct-to-consumer growth, hardware cost pressures, distribution trends and XR. By Marcel Kleffmann • 7 min read
Events Game Industry Conference to be Held Twice in 2026 And is Seeking Speakers The organisers of the GIC - Game Industry Conference have launched their call for speakers. At the same time, the website shows that GIC 2026 will take place twice, at the usual time in October in Poznań and at the end of June in Katowice. By Stephan Steininger • 2 min read
Plaion X CI Games © Plaion & CI Games Business Plaion and CI Games Partner up for Lords of the Fallen II Following their collaboration on Lords of the Fallen, Plaion and CI Games have announced that they are joining forces once again. Plaion will be the global physical distributor for Lords of the Fallen II. By Marcel Kleffmann • 2 min read
Project Helix © Microsoft Business Next Xbox "Will Lead in Performance" and Play PC and Xbox Games Following the change in leadership at Microsoft Gaming, the new CEO, Asha Sharma, has revealed that "Project Helix" is the codename for the next generation of Xbox consoles. "Project Helix will lead in performance and play your Xbox and PC games," she said. By Marcel Kleffmann • 2 min read
World of Warcraft: Midnight Advertisement in TV Weather Report © Blizzard / wetter.com Business Blizzard Collaborates Again With Wetter.com to Promote WoW: Midnight The launch of World of Warcraft: Midnight was accompanied by another unusual marketing campaign in Germany, once again in collaboration with wetter.com. By Marcel Kleffmann • 2 min read
Business Game Studies Watchlist 2026 #9 The Game Studies Watchlist newsletter, curated by Prof. Dr Rudolf Inderst, is published weekly on GamesMarkt. This week's topics include the ecologies of indie games, CBC and the university of Malta. By Rudolf Inderst • 3 min read
Business The Economics of the Digital 'Third Place' In 'Zoran's Update', experienced games manager Zoran Roso comments on current industry topics on LinkedIn. This time's topic: How WoW's new Midnight expansion is transforming players into highly invested digital homeowners and what this has to do with Sonys 'Third Place' concept of the PS2 era. By Zoran Roso • 3 min read
Archive Picture by USK Politics USK Submits Statement to Expert Commission on Youth Protection in Games With a written statement and participation in a closed hearing, the USK has actively contributed to the development of recommendations on online risks and digital participation, which a commission of experts appointed by the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs is working on until the summer break. By Stephan Steininger • 2 min read
Android Ecosystem Update © Google Business Google Revamps Android Ecosystem, Reduces Fees and Ends Dispute With Epic Games Google has announced major changes to the Android ecosystem. These include more billing options, a programme for registered third-party app stores and lower fees for its own services. Additionally, the dispute with Epic Games has been resolved. Xsolla also welcomes this development. By Marcel Kleffmann • 4 min read
André Faure, CEO of Gameplan Studio | Hendrik Lesser, CEO of remote control productions © rcp Business Gameplan Joins rcp as Its First South American Studio The Brazil-based studio Gameplan has joined remote control productions (rcp), becoming its first ever South American member studio. Gameplan has over 13 years' experience in co-development, engineering and outstaffing. By Marcel Kleffmann • 2 min read
Picture by gamescom dev gamescom Gamescom Dev: Ticket Variations And Applications for Sponsored Indie Expo Spots Now Open The new 5-day ticket, which grants access to gamescom dev, is now available in 5 variants – from student to VIP – as part of the Early Bird offer. Indies can also apply for a sponsored spot at the gamescom dev indie expo for just 299 euros. By Stephan Steininger • 2 min read
