Harley Zhao, Founder & CEO, Original Force, and Marco Pacifico, Studio Director Germany and Business Development Director (Pictures by Original Force) People Original Force Expands to Europe and Opens Studio in Mainz The Chinese external development specialist Original Force is entering the European market and establishing its ninth global office in Mainz. It will be led by Business Development Director Marco Pacifico, who also serves as Studio Director for Germany. By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
Business German Gaming Market Down at Mid-Year A decline in hardware sales, in particular, has caused the German gaming market to fall short of last year’s figures at mid-year. However, it is still too early to speak of a trend for the full year. By Stephan Steininger • 2 min read
Christian Mahnke, founder and CEO of EarReality gamescom EarReality Showcases Audio Games and Its Platform Twist Tales at Cinemo and ARD EarReality is showcasing its platform for interactive audiobooks and audio games at gamescom. At both the ARD booth and that of in-car infotainment specialist Cinemo, the studios shows how games work without a screen, thanks to its no-code engine Twist and the Twist Tales platform. By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
Business Mayor Visits Kalypso Media to Mark Its Anniversary The importance of games as an economic factor is particularly evident outside the major cities. For Worms, Kalypso Media is also an economic beacon, which is why Mayor Stephanie Lohr dropped by the office to mark the anniversary. By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
Business Beyond the Trailer: How Take-Two Turned GTA VI’s Marketing into a Revenue-Generating Product With the Netflix exclusive ‘GTA VI: An Extended Look’, Take-Two has turned promotional gameplay footage into a premium, event-style piece of content with potential license revenue. In his update, industry expert Zoran Roso analyses whether this is now the new gold standard in games marketing. By Zoran Roso • 4 min read
Business Mattel Establishes Its Own Game Studios Unit to Self-Publish Its Own Mobile, Fortnite and Roblox Games Mattel has announced the launch of Mattel Game Studios. The unit, which has nearly 300 employees, will be responsible for the development and marketing of the company's in-house digital games, particularly on mobile and platforms such as Roblox and Fortnite. By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
(Background: RDNE Stock project, Logo: Twitch) Business A Legal Perspective: What does Twitch's Automatic AI Training Mean? GamesMarket's IT law Expert Sandra Spensberger explains the legal problems around Twitch's new AI scraping of streamer content. From game content to personal data, she explains why Twitch's approach will be problematic - and why it's still no easy question. By Pascal Wagner • 4 min read
Business New Indie Publishing Label Blue Ridge Games Signs Mafate The new indie publishing label Blue Ridge Games has been established by IndieGameBusiness. Their first game will be French cosy adventure Mafate by Blue Ramen Studios. By Pascal Wagner • 1 min read
Business Kinetic Signs Shellbound by Fake Lobster Games Berlin studio Fake Lobster Games has hooked a big one: Their Shellbound will be published by Kinetic Publishing, the publishing arm of Phasmophobia dev Kinetic Games, along with titles from Half Mermaid, Cold Zephyr Games, Electric Saint and Vonder Games. By Pascal Wagner • 1 min read
Phil Rogers, Group CEO, Embracer Group; © Embracer Group IR Business Embracer Group Had a Strong Start to the Financial Year in Q1 Compared to the Embracer Group's internal expectations, Q1 was a strong start to the financial year. This is mainly due to the strong PC/Console segment and three games from THQ Nordic. By Marcel Kleffmann • 3 min read
Kreshnik Halili, CTO and Shareholder | Thorsten Feldmann, Managing Director of Thera Bytes © Thera Bytes Business Thera Bytes Refocuses on Co-Op Games and Secures €600,000 in Federal Funding German indie game studio Thera Bytes has completed a strategic and organisational realignment, focusing its future development on cooperative multiplayer games. Kreshnik Halili is leading the studio's technical direction. By Marcel Kleffmann • 2 min read
Dr Marie-Claire Isaaman, CEO of Women in Games (Picture and Logo by Women in Games) Business Women in Games Establishes Its Europe HQ in Almería in Spain Women in Games is opening a new chapter and formally establishing Women in Games Europe (WiG Europe). The new European HQ in Spain is a commitment to building a stronger European presence and creating deeper connections across the continent. By Stephan Steininger • 1 min read
