Gaming
YAHAHA hosts Finland’s largest Global Game Jam Hybrid-Site with over 100 jammers creating on its platform
Over 80 games were created on the pioneering 3D creation platform
Community-focussed, user generated content platform YAHAHA can today present its wildly successful participation in 2023’s Global Game Jam (GGJ), which saw them host 110 people live at their site in game-development powerhouse Helsinki, making this the biggest hybrid-jam site in Finland over the course of 48 hours. A total of 80 games were created by talented jammers, collaborating both on-site and through their online community, with some games receiving as many as 34,000 plays till date. Always looking to service its community, the event was broadcast across YAHAHA’s Discord server, making this a truly collaborative and inclusive jam.
Jammer Filipe Borges, a graphic designer who joined in-person at the Helsinki site, said, ”This was amazing! I learned a lot at this event, and I connected and worked with some amazing people who I would never have met if not for events like this.”
Yahaha Studios, founded in 2020 by a pioneering group of Unity veterans, is on a mission to democratise 3D content creation. Committed to supporting its growing community of creators, YAHAHA offers them the tools they need to bring their visions to life in a 3D world. In line with this philosophy, the platform is proud to partner with GGJ to enable young game developers to take their first steps into the industry.
Pengfei Zhang, COO at Yahaha Studios, added, “It was a real pleasure to work with GGJ this year and to see so many game developers’ ideas blossom in YAHAHA. Being able to provide a physical, as well as online, space for jammers really created a sense of community amongst everyone, and we’re excited to continue our work with GGJ in the form of a long-term partnership to keep bringing YAHAHA to people around the world and pursue our mission to democratise 3D games content creation.”
GGJ is the world’s largest game-creation event, and this year’s event took place from January 30th – February 5th, with 40,000 jammers from around the globe creating a combined 7,600 games together. This year’s theme was revealed as ‘roots’, in a ceremony which included speakers from GGJ Ukraine and Code to Inspire, an organisation dedicated to bringing STEM education to women in Afghanistan.
GGJ Executive Director, Tim Cullings, said of the partnership with YAHAHA: “We were happy to work with YAHAHA on the 2023 Global Game Jam. GGJ is all about giving everyone the opportunity to make games and the YAHAHA platform enables anyone with an idea to get it working quickly with minimal training and experience. We saw over 100 games created with YAHAHA world-wide this year and I only expect that number to grow as the platform becomes more robust and people learn how it can be an extremely useful tool for game jams, prototyping, and building fully featured games. We look forward to a long-term partnership between GGJ and YAHAHA going forward and hope that our community will continue to use and support the platform after the jam.”
In the closing months of 2022, Yahaha Studios announced it had secured an investment of $40 million to further build upon the Early Alpha success of YAHAHA, a creator-focussed user-generated content social platform. Now with the added convenience of the new Asset Ovi platform, YAHAHA is currently open in Early Alpha, offering anyone the opportunity to be among the first to test the platform and share feedback as it continues to grow. This early community has an important role to play in how YAHAHA will evolve, influencing the shape the platform takes and building its digital world.
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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.
Gaming
Limited Run Games Achieves the Impossible: Announcing Pre-Orders for Standard and Collector Editions of DOOM(™) on the Super Nintendo™ Entertainment System!
Limited Run Games, a premium publisher of physical and digital games, announced today the opening of pre-orders for the long-awaited DOOM, arriving on physical cartridge for use with the Super Nintendo
Entertainment System!
To celebrate this remarkable release, Limited Run Games are also pleased to announce the opening of pre-orders for the SNES compatible Rumble Tech Controller, bringing vibration technology to SNES games for the very first time!
In a move that only Limited Run Games could have the audacity to pull off, the impossible became real, partnering with Bethesda Softworks to introduce a remarkable special edition of the classic game, some 30 years after the original DOOM first debuted for the SNES.
Headed up by legendary programming wizard Randal Linden, who first worked on DOOM for the SNES in 1995, this enhanced version is no mere re-release of the original. Determined to do justice to the iconic shooter which birthed the modern FPS, this new version expands upon the original with a host of new features, ‘impossible’ graphical tricks and engineering dark magic that will leave 16-bit gamers breathless with excitement!
Created utilizing an all-new, custom-made board, designed specifically for this project, Limited Run Games’ version of DOOM for the Super Nintendo, greatly enhances performance which SNES enthusiasts will scarcely believe possible. Limited Run Games have fully restored the entire DOOM experience, featuring all four episodes of DOOM including ‘Thy Flesh Consumed,’ which was originally introduced in 1995 as part of the updated PC release ‘The Ultimate DOOM’. There’s much more than that though, also included are levels that were missing from the original release due to technical limitations, with five new levels implemented including E1M6, E2M2, E2M5, E2M7 and E3M5, delivering a complete DOOM experience for the humble SNES for the very first time.
Limited Run Games ain’t done yet: In addition to the improved performance and restored levels, DOOM now proudly includes support for circle-strafe, monster re-spawning on Nightmare difficulty, an appearance by the dreaded translucent Spectre monster, full-motion video logos and so much more.
A release this special demands a new controller to take advantage of the enhanced features, and here, Limited Run Games have gone the extra mile. Pre-orders open on 7/11/25 for the SNES compatible Rumble Tech Controller (sold separately), an open-source gamepad which will feel familiar to fans of the original SNES controller but now comes complete with powerful dual vibration support! Naturally, this new version of DOOM includes rumble support, but Limited Run Games are showing love to the community, offering open-source support to developers and modders, allowing third parties to update their games to include rumble support or code new titles utilizing the feature!
Back to the game and players will take note of a new music player which has been included to relive the superb score of the game, high quality title and score-card screens added, and a Level Selection menu alongside a Level Code system, which allow gamers to tackle DOOM in the method of their choosing.
It’s DOOM that shouldn’t be possible, fusing old-school technology with state-of-the-art enhancements to deliver a thrilling new take on the iconic game.
Two versions of DOOM for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System will be available, with both open for pre-order on 7/11/25:
Doom Standard Edition – Super Nintendo Entertainment System – $99.99 MSRP
- Metallic Gunmetal Colored SNES Cart
- Instruction Booklet
- 12” x 16” Poster
- Retro SNES Box
Doom Collector’s Edition – Super Nintendo Entertainment System- $174.99 MSRP
- Exclusive Collector’s Edition SNES cartridge – Metallic-ink Gunmetal color with Blood Splatter print and Metal Plate Label
- Premium Embossed Foil Box
- Instruction Booklet
- 12” x 16” Poster
- Individually Numbered Certificate of Authenticity
- Limited to 666 copies
Pre-orders for Doom on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System go live on 7/11/25, but be quick, pre-orders close on 8/10/25. Visit Limited Run Games for more information.
The Limited Run Games SNES compatible Rumble Tech Controller will retail for an MSRP of $34.99 and will be open for pre-order on 7/11/25.
The post Limited Run Games Achieves the Impossible: Announcing Pre-Orders for Standard and Collector Editions of DOOM(™) on the Super Nintendo™ Entertainment System! appeared first on Gaming and Gambling Industry in the Americas.
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