This knight builds his own castles: Insomnia MD and founder Mike Tkacz is the head behind the construction of the Indie Castle (Mike Tkacz) Business Insomnia Dev is Offering Booths at "Indie Castle" on gamescom Insomnia Dev is building a whole castle at gamescom as a new indie booth in Hall 10. Booth space is still available, prices are transparent. A new livestream under the brand is planned as well. By Pascal Wagner • 2 min read
Microsoft has lowered the prices for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. © Microsoft Business Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass Price Updates Microsoft has lowered the prices for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. However, future Call of Duty titles will not be available on Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass at launch. By Marcel Kleffmann • 1 min read
Toei Games © Toei Company Limited Business Toei Company Announces New Game Business Toei Company Limited, a Tokyo-based film, television, and animation production and distribution company founded in 1951, has announced the launch of its new gaming brand, Toei Games. By Marcel Kleffmann • 2 min read
Upjers © Upjers Business G+ Federal Funding Goes to Upjers Upjers has received funding from the German federal government's video game funding programme. The Bavarian company, which specialises in browser games & apps and is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, was awarded over €600,000. By Marcel Kleffmann • 4 min read
Picture: Leipziger Messe / Simon Carl Köber Business Caggtus Leipzig Remains on Track for Growth With a New Record With 22,400 visitors and 2,300 participants at the LAN party, Caggtus in Leipzig has set a new record for its key figures in 2026 as well. That is one of the reasons why the date for 2027 has already been set. By Stephan Steininger • 3 min read
Julia Pfiffer & Tim Schmitz, the two co-CEOs of astragon entertainment © Sabrina Weniger Business Julia Pfiffer Is Stepping Down From Her Role as Co-Ceo at astragon Astragon Entertainment and astragon Development have announced a change in the management team. Julia Pfiffer is stepping down from her role as co-CEO. Going forward, Tim Schmitz will be the sole CEO. By Marcel Kleffmann • 2 min read
Business Game Studies Watchlist 2026 #15 The Game Studies Watchlist newsletter, curated by Prof Dr Rudolf Inderst, is published weekly on GamesMarkt. This week's topics include project management as methodology in games, a LucasArts anthology book and more. By Rudolf Inderst • 3 min read
Stephan Reichart, outgoing Managing Director of game events GmbH | Frederik Hammes, Managing Director-designate of game events GmbH | Felix Falk, Managing Director - game - the German Games Industry Association © Reichart, game events | Hammes, game events | Dirk Mathesius Business Frederik Hammes Takes Over Leadership of Game Events From Stephan Reichart From May 2026 onwards, Frederik Hammes will take on the role of Managing Director at game event, succeeding Stephan Reichart, who has chosen to step down. Hammes has over 20 years' experience in the industry, including a long-standing tenure as Managing Director at Travian Games. By Marcel Kleffmann • 2 min read
Geoffroy Sardin, Chief Executive Officer of Pullup Entertainment, formerly Focus Entertainment | John Carpenter's Toxic Commando © Sardin/Pullup | Focus/Saber Business Three out of Four New Titles From Pullup Fell Short of Expectations Toxic Commando, MIO and Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War failed to meet Pullup Entertainment's expectations. This is why the company has adjusted its targets and will adopt an even more selective approach to future projects. Nevertheless, the French company's back catalogue remains strong. By Marcel Kleffmann • 4 min read
Business Escaping the "Algorithm Trap": Why Gaming Marketers Must Rebalance Brand and Performance In today’s hyper-competitive gaming and app landscape, the allure of immediate, trackable metrics is hard to resist. We optimize for clicks, obsess over Return on Ad Spend (ROAS), and pour our budgets into the bottom of the funnel. But are we sacrificing long-term IP health for short-term conversion wins? By Zoran Roso • 4 min read
From Left: Colin Anderson, Ross Laurie, and Peter van der Watt of Reforged © Reforged Business Reforged Studios Secures $30 Million Strategic Investment Reforged Studios, the Malta-based company that recently acquired Headup, has secured a $30 million strategic investment from MEP Capital to speed up its gaming IP platform strategy. By Marcel Kleffmann • 2 min read
The team of PandaBee Studios from Leipzig (Christiane Gundlach) Business Numbers, Facts & Truths: An Indie's Analysis of tilt frog In 2024, PandaBee released their tricky platformer tilt frog. Despite great echo from content creators, CEO Julien Schillinger says the game was a flop - and brings important learnings, data and numbers to GamesMarkt in a guest postmortem. By Julien Schillinger • 7 min read
