Gaming
Hamburg Games Conference announces first speakers for 2023 edition
Under the main topic “Invest in Games”, the Hamburg Games Conference will bring together participants from the international games industry at the Altonaer Museum in Hamburg on March 1 and 2, 2023. Further talks, keynotes and panel discussions will focus on funding, dev and start-up topics. The first games industry experts contributing to the program with talks and presentations are already confirmed. Tickets for the Hamburg Games Conference are available at a reduced early bird rate until January 12, 2023.
For the main conference track “Invest in Games”, multiple talks are already confirmed, providing insights and best practices on investments and M&A deals from the perspective of founders as well as investing companies and M&A advisors:
- Janosch Kühn and Daniel Stammler (founders of Kolibri Games / BLN Capital) recap building up their studio and their successful exit in their talk “Kolibri Story – From student dorm to multi-million dollar exit in 4 years”.
- Maarten de Koning (Executive Vice President at DDM, an investment consulting firm specializing in games) will outline the most important principles for successful deals in his talk “10 Golden Rules to Avoid Investment and M&A Disasters”.
- Arnd Benninghof (Executive Vice President of Gaming at Modern Times Group) will provide insights into MTG’s M&A strategy, with which the Swedish company continues to successfully build an international portfolio of investments in the games sector (including for example InnoGames, Kongregate, Hutch and PlaySimple).
- Michael Schade (CEO and Co-Founder of Hamburg-based studio Rockfish Games) looks back on the successful self-financing of Everspace 2 through crowdfunding, early access and licensing deals in his talk “How to Self-fund a 20 Million Euro Space Looter-Shooter”.
- Frank Zahn (Delivery Director & Managing Director at the technology consultancy / software company Endava) shares his experiences selling his digital agency Exozet to Endava in his talk “Lessons Learned on Selling my Company”.
- Christof Wegmann (Founder & CTO at Exit Games / Photon Engine) will look back on success factors and lessons learned in the development of the mobile hit Stumble Guys in his post-mortem talk “Stumbling into a Global Hit Downloaded 2 Million Times per Day”.
First confirmed speakers for the further conference tracks covering funding, dev and start-up topics are:
- Linda Rendel (Production Director and founder of FemDevMeetup) will present her talk “Production Leadership – How to be an authentic lead and build trusting relationships with your team” and share insights as well as tools for authentic leadership in the context of game productions.
- René Habermann (founder and developer at Bippinbits) will share his learnings from the development and successful marketing of the indie hit Dome Keeper, which generated over a million euros in revenue within just one day after its release.
- In a post-mortem talk, Jan and Paul Taaks (founders of Hamburg-based indie studio Overhype Studios) will give insights into the development and marketing of their indie hit Battle Brothers.
Powered by WPeMatico
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.
The post Number of companies and employees in German games industry falls for first time in years appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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.”
The post METABORA Partners with LINE NEXT appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
-
Africa7 days agoAltenar appoints Brendon Jeacocks as Regional Director in South Africa
-
Aquisitions/Mergers7 days ago
Pavilion Payments Acquires CasinoSoft
-
Africa6 days ago
Shaden Dre Shabalala (Captain of the MSSA Protea Esports Team for MLBB) will lead his brave, and dedicated, team against Madagascar on 23 July 2025 at 19H00)
-
Betpro7 days ago
Kambi Group plc signs Turnkey Sportsbook partnership with Latin American operator RedCap
-
Australia5 days ago
Unibet Expands Partnership with Sydney Roosters to Support NRLW Team
-
EurAsia6 days ago
Groove Technologies Partners with “Azərlotereya” OJSC to Revolutionise Digital Gaming Experience
-
Compliance Updates6 days ago
MC Games Announces Ombudsman Channel for User Questions
-
Africa7 days ago
TigonBet Enters Kenya’s Betting Market
