Gaming
The 5 up-and-coming game developer teams in Gamecity Hamburg’s incubator program present their projects and progress at Games Lift Graduation 2021
At the final event of this year’s Games Lift Incubator program, five teams presented their game projects live at the start-up center Factory Hammerbrooklyn in Hamburg on December 2. During the three-month intensive phase of the incubator, the teams received individual coaching, mentoring, and workshops from international games experts, as well as financial support of 15,000 euros per project and workspaces in a co-working space from the location initiative Gamecity Hamburg. All five teams reached important milestones in the development of their games and concepts.
“I’m impressed by the progress the teams have shown in just three months. I look forward to seeing more from the teams and their games in the future,” comments Wolf Lang, CEO of event agency Super Crowd Entertainment, co-founder of indie studio THREAKS and member of the Games Lift Incubator awarding committee.
“The Games Lift Graduation vividly demonstrates the great effects that targeted funding programs like the Games Lift Incubator can have in leveraging the potential at Hamburg as a games location,” adds Dennis Schoubye, Head of Gamecity Hamburg.
At the final event, “Games Lift Graduation,” the five teams publicly presented their projects for the first time and provided insights into the progress they had made in development as well as outlooks for the future. Twitch streamer Nina Dreßler “OddNina” and Dennis Schoubye led through the evening.
For the developer teams, the incubator offered the opportunity to critically examine their ideas in exchange with experienced mentors, to refine their game concepts, and to check the market potential. For example, the young developer teams planned and tackled possible changes to game titles, the right pitch for their ideas, and concrete plans for Kickstarter campaigns to finance further development.
These five teams successfully completed the intensive phase of Games Lift Incubator 2021 with their projects:
The Invitation by tool1
Timo Becker, Martin Kleingräber, and Stephen Sommerfeld have known each other since their university days and founded their game studio tool1 to realize the action-packed multiplayer looter-shooter The Invitation. Graphically rich and with a focus on dynamic player interactions, the players fight for survival with each other, for each other, and against each other in a post-apocalyptic world attacked by aliens.
PROSPECTOR by Symmetry Break Games
The team Symmetry Break Games around HAW Hamburg University of Applied Sciences graduates Anca Tutescu, Jan Barow, Julian Heinken is working together with Franziska Blinde and Cecilia Theophil on PROSPECTOR, a sci-fi adventure with a compelling story and an innovative dialog system. In the game, all characters wear mysterious masks for protection against toxic fumes, which possess other surprising functions.
Monstersongs VR by Denise Koch
Solo developer Denise Koch brings experience from the theater and musical world and is currently working on developing a “Musical 2.0”: Monstersongs VR is an adaptation of the successful “Monstersongs Rock Musical” as an interactive virtual reality story in a theater filled with monsters. As the project manager, Denise Koch brings together the threads of her team of experienced composers, illustrators, and VR developers.
supernightshift by consider it
Kevin Westphal and Timo Schneider from “consider it” are working on “supernightshift”, a mobile game based on a map app they developed which uses real-time traffic data. The players have to get to their destination in their mysterious “nightshift” with a tight budget of time and money and different means of transportation in real cities.
The Treepoids by SUPERNATURAL GAMES
Brothers Gerrit and Patrick Henschel founded their studio SUPERNATURAL GAMES together in 2019 and are developing a 2D strategy adventure game with lovingly hand-drawn scenarios. The alien plant creatures “Treepoids” solve puzzles, engage in strategic battles, and thus have to save the environment of a mysterious green island.
The support for the five teams through the Games Lift Incubator program does not end with graduation: In the next 12 months, they will continue to have access to the incubator’s extensive contact network, as well as individual support services from coaches, consultants, and a PR agency specializing in games. The aim is to aid the developers with long-term support in creating successful games for the international games market in Hamburg.
From May 2022, teams and developers can apply for the next Games Lift Incubator. All information about the incubator and the teams that have already completed the program can be found at: https://www.gamecity-hamburg.de/incubator/
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eSports
eWear launches aim.one – the world’s first functional gaming wear for esports athletes and gaming-fans
From hoodies to short-sleeved jerseys: the entire collection has been developed to meet the specific needs of gamers – uncompromising, highest-quality and thought-out down to the last detail.
“There is the right functional clothing for every sport – for soccer, tennis, golf… Gaming used to have this gap. Not anymore!”, say the founders.
The debut collection features 4 products and thus offers the right piece for all gamers: hoodie, longsleeve, shirt and pants. Each combines innovative functionality with comfort and style. Smart gadgets – including special ventilation zones, padding and other features to promote reaction, focus and grip – make this clothing a real support in the game.
Developed from the ground up specifically for playing at a PC, “aim.one is for everyone who wants to take their gaming to the next level – from high-end eSports pros to hobby gamers,” say the founders. “With this collection, gamers finally get their own clothing tailored to their passion!”
The product launch will take place via Kickstarter on the 5th of August!
Until launch, Gamers can unlock MVP status for only a €/$1 donation. This grants up to 35% discount during the campaign — plus a free nickname print on their apparel.
The post eWear launches aim.one – the world’s first functional gaming wear for esports athletes and gaming-fans appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Central Europe
Number of companies and employees in German games industry falls for first time in years
After years of growth, the number of companies and employees in the German games industry declined in 2025. This was announced today by game – The German Games Industry Association on the basis of data from gamesmap.de in cooperation with Goldmedia. According to the data, the number of companies in Germany that develop and/or publish games has dropped by 4 per cent within the past year, to 910. The boom in start-ups in the games sector, which was set in motion by the introduction of the German Federal Games Funding Programme in 2020, has now completely subsided. Last year’s figures already indicated a clear slowdown. This decline was due in particular to the consolidation of the global games market and the unreliable availability of games funding to date in Germany.
Three times since 2020, there have been months-long suspensions placed on funding applications. Despite the newly registered drop, the number of companies has risen by 46 per cent overall since the initial start of the games funding programme in 2020. Of the 910 present companies, 454 work exclusively in game development and 52 exclusively as publishers. The remaining 404 companies are active in both the development and publishing of games.
‘Last year was another very difficult one for the German games industry,’ says Felix Falk, Managing Director of game. ‘Germany’s international competitiveness was further decreased by the ongoing flip-flopping of the games funding policy, which ran right into the consolidation wave that swept the global games sector. Fortunately, the new federal government has already taken the necessary steps to level the playing field for companies in this country. The future funding budget is to be increased and thus adjusted to actual needs, and applications can be submitted from August onwards. These are crucial growth impulses that are urgently needed. The additional funds will not only give companies more planning security, but also time to implement additional tax breaks for games, as set out in the coalition agreement between the CDU, CSU and SPD. The improved conditions will finally give games companies a boost, which will hopefully soon be reflected in more start-ups and the creation of new jobs.’
The number of employees at games companies in Germany has also declined over the last year. Whereas game developers and publishers employed 12,408 workers in 2024, the current figure stands at just 12,134 – a drop of 2 per cent. As with the number of companies, the employee numbers had previously shown strong growth since the introduction of the games funding programme at the federal level: a rise of 23 per cent from 2020 to 2024. The recent decline indicates that the current conditions for the games industry, which offer limited scope for planning due to the repeated funding application stoppages and significant current funding restrictions, are having an impact on the job market. A year ago, there were still more companies with ongoing projects that were internationally competitive thanks to funding at levels comparable to those in other countries – financing that had stabilised Germany’s game sector, despite the global consolidation wave and a lack of funding certainty for the industry here. The game industry secures a total of over 30,000 jobs in Germany. In addition to jobs in development and publishing, these include, for example, skilled professionals in educational institutions, the media and the public and commercial sectors.
About the data
The data is drawn from a survey carried out by Goldmedia on the basis of entries on gamesmap.de. It was conducted on behalf of game – The German Games Industry Association for the period ending on 12 May 2025.
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METABORA, a global casual game developer and blockchain project operator, has announced a strategic partnership with LINE NEXT Inc. Through this partnership, METABORA will distribute Web3 games via the LINE Messenger–based Dapp Portal, expanding its reach in the Web3 gaming space.
The Dapp Portal is a platform built on the KAIA ecosystem that offers Mini Dapps (decentralised applications) directly within the LINE Messenger app. Users can enjoy a variety of Mini Dapps—ranging from games to social features—without needing to install separate applications. Since its launch in January this year, the platform has garnered significant attention, surpassing 100 million cumulative users.
Through this new partnership, METABORA and LINE NEXT will work closely to accelerate the growth of the Mini Dapp’s gaming ecosystem. Leveraging its network of development partners and global experience in game development and publishing, METABORA will supply Web3 games to the Dapp Portal. LINE NEXT will expand accessibility to Web3 games and support marketing of these games through its platform.
As part of the collaboration, METABORA will also expand the utility of its BORA token within the LINE Messenger–based Mini Dapp ecosystem. The company plans to implement a payment infrastructure that enables users to purchase in-game items currently planned for upcoming titles to be released under the BORA brand. Additionally, METABORA will apply Gas Abstraction technology, allowing users to make in-app purchases with BORA without needing KAIA tokens to cover gas fees. This feature is expected to be fully implemented in the second half of the year.
By expanding the utility of the BORA token, METABORA aims to elevate its value beyond the confines of the BORA Chain, laying the groundwork for broader integration across the Web3 ecosystem.
In addition, METABORA and LINE NEXT plan to continue their collaboration by researching and developing infrastructure to support the use of stable coins such as USDT, further enhancing the Web3 gaming experience within the LINE ecosystem centered on the Dapp Portal.
Lim Youngjun, Co-CEO of METABORA, said: “We’re pleased to partner with LINE NEXT, a company making remarkable strides in the global Web3 gaming market with its vast user base. Through our strong network of development partners, we will carefully select and bring high-quality games to the Dapp Portal, working together to create a leading example of Web3 gaming reaching a mainstream audience.”
Kim Woosuk, CSO at LINE NEXT, said: “Through this partnership with METABORA, we look forward to creating a major success case for Mini Dapp. Moving forward, we will continue working closely together across multiple fronts, including enabling USDT stablecoin support to improve game onboarding and the overall user payment environment.”
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