Gaming
gamescom 2021: Meet indie gems by Hamburg-based devs – presented by Gamecity Hamburg
Gamecity Hamburg will present five companies and solo developers from Hamburg at the digital gamescom 2021 from August 25 to 29. The developers will show their new games at the joint Hamburg booth on the online platform Indie Arena Booth. gamescom is one of the most important events of the international games industry. In 2020, more than 2 million visitors attended the digital gamescom. The Indie Arena Booth Online will be accessible from August 25, 10 pm (CEST) at online.indiearenabooth.com and can be visited free of charge.
Hamburg presents itself as a games industry on the playable online platform Indie Arena Booth Online, which again invites visitors to discover numerous indie games at gamescom 2021 – free of charge and directly in their web browser. In addition to the Gamecity Hamburg location initiative, the Hamburg-based games companies Tiny Roar, Mooneye Studios, OneManOnMars, Klickaffen, and Radioactive Dreams will also be presenting their projects. Gamecity Hamburg enables the five studios to participate free of charge through the program “Road to gamescom 2021” to expand their networks, present their game projects to the media, influencers, and gamers, and win over future fans for their games.
Indie Arena Booth Online: A showcase for indies from around the world – innovation made in Hamburg
The Indie Arena Booth Online showcases the diversity of the indie game scene: visitors can explore the platform in their browser as avatars and discover a curated lineup of more than 120 games by independent developers from around the world at virtual booths.
The Indie Arena Booth is planned and produced by the Hamburg-based Super Crowd Entertainment, an event agency specialized in the games industry. In 2020, Super Crowd transformed the concept into a playable online platform within a few weeks – so that indie developers can present themselves to an international audience even in pandemic times. In May, Super Crowd was awarded a special prize for this at the German Computer Game Prize (Deutscher Computerspielpreis), awarded by the German Federal Ministry of Transport. For 2021, the Indie Arena Booth Online offers new features and sports a new look under the narrative theme “Summercamp of Doom”.
The five Hamburg indies at the Gamecity-Booth 2021
Tiny Roar: world-premiere for previously unannounced project „XEL”
Founded in 2015 in Hamburg, Tiny Roar will give the first glimpses of their sci-fi action-adventure XEL at gamescom 2021. XEL is currently being developed with the support of German federal games funding and publisher Assemble Entertainment. The official announcement of the game is planned for August 24, and on August 25 Tiny Roar will be featured with their game in the Gamevasion streaming program at gamescom.
Mooneye Indies present their first publishing project: „Haven Park”
Following the success of its own indie adventure game Lost Ember, Hamburg-based studio Mooneye now uses its marketing know-how to help other developers reach the right audience for their games under Mooneye’s new publishing label “Mooneye Indies”. Their first publishing project Haven Park takes the player to a lovingly animated nature and camping park. It was developed by solo dev Fabien Weibel and was released on August 5.
OneManOnMars shows “Leif’s Adventure: Netherworld Hero”
OneManOnMars is the company of experienced game developer Roman Fuhrer, who is currently developing the hand-drawn 2D adventure “Leif’s Adventure” as a solo dev. He went through Gamecity Hamburg’s Games Lift Incubator program with the project in 2020 and is preparing to release the game in early 2022.
Radioactive Dreams: first playable demo of 2D-Platformer „Turbo Shell”
In 2020, three experienced game developers from Hamburg joined forces under the name Radioactive Dreams to develop a 2D platform game with novel game mechanics. The team received prototype funding through Gamecity Hamburg for their game Turbo Shell 2020. At gamescom 2021, they will show a playable demo of their project for the first time.
Klickaffen Studio: „Unbuild”
For 10 years already, freelance motion & interactive designer Matthias Mach has been producing games under the name Klickaffen for the “most personal gaming device ever”, as he calls his favorite platform – the smartphone. At the gamescom, he presents his work to an international industry event audience for the first time and shows his mobile casual game “Unbuild”.
Gamecity Hamburg: Tailored support for the Hamburg games industry
Gamecity Hamburg is the publicly financed location initiative to support the games industry in the northern-German City State of Hamburg. In addition to programs such as “Road to gamescom 2021” that aims to represent Hamburg and the companies based in Hamburg at international industry events, Gamecity Hamburg supports the regional industry with other tailored support programs:
Through the Games Lift Incubator, up-and-coming game developers and start-up founders from Hamburg receive intensive coaching and mentoring from international industry experts in addition to financial support. Gamecity Hamburg also supports the development of games prototypes in Hamburg through its Prototype Funding program. Each year, 400,000 euros are available for games prototypes from Hamburg, of which up to 80,000 euros can be applied per project. For the first time, there will be a second round of prototype funding in 2021. From August 30, developers, teams, and SMEs based in or relocating to Hamburg can apply for funding.
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Call of Duty
Monster Energy and Call of Duty Unite Again with Exclusive In-Game Rewards and Expanded Program Timing
Monster Energy is teaming up once again with Call of Duty to deliver bonus in-game rewards, bonus 2XP and an expanded promotional window that gives fans even more opportunities to fuel up and power their gameplay.
Gamers and Monster fans can start collecting codes to stockpile rewards ahead of the highly anticipated release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 on November 14. Following the record-breaking success of the last year’s program – the 2025 campaign has been extended and will run through March 31, 2026, with code redemption available until April 30, 2026.
Players who purchase specially marked Call of Duty cans of Monster Energy, Monster Zero Sugar, or Monster Zero Ultra can find a unique code under the tab and redeem it online at callofduty.monsterenergy.com. Every can unlocks bonus in-game items and double experience points.
2025 in-game rewards include:
• 1 Can = “Energy Flash” Large Decal + 15 min 2XP
• 2 Cans = “Peacekeeper MK1 – Hyper Green” Weapon Blueprint + 15 min 2XP
• 3 Cans = “Green Fury” Operator Skin + 15 min 2XP
• 4 Cans = “VS Recon – Green Thunder” Weapon Blueprint + 15 min 2XP
• 5 Cans = “Daylight Ripper” Operator Skin Recolor + 15 min 2XP
In addition, select retailers will feature specialty bonus in-game content such as Emblems, Charms, Weapon Stickers, and Dual 2XP.
And as an added bonus, fans who create an account on callofduty.monsterenergy.com before October 31 will score a Black Ops 6 in-game skin – no purchase required.
“Monster Energy is built on fueling competitive spirit and our collaboration with Call of Duty continues to push that to new levels. With expanded timing, bonus rewards and the unmatched value of Double XP in every can, this year’s program is our biggest and most exciting yet,” said Dan McHugh, Global Chief Marketing Officer at Monster Energy.
“We’re proud to continue building on the success of our partnership with Monster Energy. Monster is the go-to fuel of gamers and they are going to drink up these exciting in-game rewards,” added Cody Neal, Associate Director of Global Partnerships, Call of Duty.
The limited-edition Monster Energy Call of Duty cans are available in 16oz in Original Monster Energy, Monster Zero Sugar and Monster Zero Ultra. Special 4, 12, and 15 can Monster Energy Call of Duty multipacks are on shelves now.
The post Monster Energy and Call of Duty Unite Again with Exclusive In-Game Rewards and Expanded Program Timing appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
Gaming
Gamescom 2025: New Records and Important Impetus for the Games Industry in Germany and Worldwide
Gamescom 2025 ended with numerous new records and strong momentum for the games industry in Germany and worldwide. Records were once again set, particularly in terms of key figures such as internationality (70% of visitors from abroad, exhibitors from 72 countries), digital reach (more than 630 million views worldwide by 23 August evening alone), exhibition space (233,000 square metres) and the number of exhibitors (1568). On site, 357,000 fans visited the world’s largest festival of games culture. The number of trade visitors rose to 34,000, with a particularly strong increase in participants from the US, China, Canada and Japan.
“This year, gamescom 2025 is sending out a particularly positive signal. After two challenging years for the games industry, you could really feel the mood improving this year. The new record figures underline not only the global appeal of gamescom, but also the upward trend in the entire games industry. gamescom 2025 is also a milestone for the German games industry: political support for the additional tax-based games funding at gamescom was stronger than ever – from both the federal and the state level alike. This creates hope that progress will be made quickly. But there were also positive signals on many other political topics, whether for e-sports from Federal Minister Bär at the political opening or from Federal Minister for Family Affairs Karin Prien, who was just as convinced of the important work of the USK in the protection of minors as she was of the enormous potential of games for the education sector,” said Felix Falk, Managing Director of game – The German Games Industry Association, the co-organiser of gamescom.
Political interest in gamescom 2025 was greater than ever before. In total, over 600 politicians came to Cologne to see for themselves the current developments in the games industry and the enormous economic, cultural and technological potential of games. Whether from the federal states, the federal government or the EU, the political guests came from all levels. In addition, a particularly large number of international delegations travelled to gamescom, for example from this year’s gamescom partner country Thailand as well as from Brazil, Indonesia and India.
Gamescom 2026 will take place from 26 to 30 August. It will open on 25 August 2026 with the gamescom Opening Night Live.
The post Gamescom 2025: New Records and Important Impetus for the Games Industry in Germany and Worldwide appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
The Gaming industry is growing day by day. It has already become a global entertainment giant. From sweeping open-world quests to quick, addictive mobile games, the industry has expanded into a multi-billion-dollar giant.
The global gaming industry was valued at over £135 billion ($184 billion) in 2023 and is projected to reach £184 billion ($250 billion) in 2030. It is driven by cloud gaming, which eliminates the need for costly consoles, high-speed internet, and immersive technologies like VR and AR. Revenues from VR gaming alone in 2023 exceeded £1.9 billion ($2.6 billion), and the AR gaming business is set to grow at a pace of over 30% annually.
The transition from physical to digital is virtually complete: in large markets, over 90% of games sold today are digital, with downloads, live services, and subscriptions replacing cartridges and discs.
Alternative Ways to Invest in Gaming
The gaming industry is not merely a business of copying the most recent blockbusting release; it’s a rich, diverse ecosystem with several streams of revenue, from historic game publishing to aggressive esports and the burgeoning betting and online gambling sector. Today’s investors are able to access entertainment-oriented and wagering-led segments, each with their distinct risk and reward profiles.
Video Game Development & Publishing
Envision house brands behind the mega-franchises of Call of Duty, FIFA or The Legend of Zelda. These brands have enormous fan bases and generate revenue that stretches far past the initial buy, with in-game purchases, downloadable packs and subscription content keeping gamers engaged and expenditures year-round.
Esports
Esports have now evolved from casual living-room games to multi-million-dollar tournaments streamed live in front of a global audience. Internet gambling on esports competitions is also becoming a niche but growing market, offering a new source of revenue for both organisers and financiers.
Online Betting & Casinos
This segment is focused on convenience, accessibility and growing demand for real-money play. Online gaming sites and casinos are taking advantage of more lenient rules in key markets, so that they now represent a more mainstream and profitable part of the gaming economy.
Spotlight on Online Gambling
Online casinos are no longer merely whirring slot machines; they’re pushing boundaries. Some of the top 20 online casinos have gone beyond traditional slots and table games, incorporating esports betting, skill-based game challenges and interactive live dealer games.
Why does that matter to investors? Easy. It signals flexibility. These platforms are captivating players where they are: at their phones, on streaming websites, and in hybrid entertainment spaces that blur the line between socialising and gaming. This flexibility is what can keep revenue streams consistent even when trends shift.
Why Investors are Paying Attention
The gaming market has something that a lot of others envy: loyal consumers who are spenders on a regular basis. It’s £3 ($5) on a character skin or £36 ($50) on a new game, but the spend is cumulative, and it doesn’t evaporate during poor economies.
And gaming pervades everywhere. A hit title in Japan can find fans in Brazil in days. And for companies, that global reach means multiple streams of revenue and endless room to grow.
Risks in Investment
There is no investment without risk. Regulations change overnight, especially in online gaming. Game developers also come and go with their biggest hit; one flop can jerk their stock price. And in this competitive environment, being new is a never-ending struggle.
Gaming Investment Strategies
Diversify among multiple corners of the sector. That way, you’re not betting everything on one game or one trend. Gaming-focused ETFs deserve a look as well if you enjoy a pre-packaged solution that spreads the risk.
The post Investment Opportunities in the Multi-billion-dollar Gaming Sector appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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