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Successful Premiere of Portside Game Assembly: the Indie Conference on the Water Returns in June 2026

On June 26 and 27, Gamecity Hamburg, as part of Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft, celebrated the successful premiere of Portside Game Assembly. A B2B conference for indie studios with 100 selected studio directors from 15 countries on a ship cruising through the port of Hamburg. The event provided a confidential setting for studio executives to exchange ideas and gain new perspectives. The list of attendees is carefully curated, allowing only management-level representatives from indie studios that have successfully published at least one game on board. In addition to the conference, three other Portside Game Assembly events facilitated interaction between industry members of the Hamburg games industry and international guests, as well as additional networking with conference participants, publishers, and game studios. 200 additional games industry peers met with the conference attendees in three other extraordinary Hamburg locations for networking and exchange. Following a successful premiere and receiving very positive feedback from attendees, the second Portside Game Assembly in Hamburg is scheduled for June 25 and 26, 2026!
“We saw a gap within the calendar of international games industry B2B events and decided to go for it. With the Portside Game Assembly, we are creating a space in which leaders of indie studios can exchange ideas confidentially and on an eye level. By curating the list of participants, we guarantee that participants get new impulses for their business and make relevant new contacts without distraction. We develop the content of the program in close exchange with the participating studios and always for the perspective of studio directors and founders. We are overjoyed with the feedback from the attendees on the premiere and are starting to plan the second Portside in June 2026”, explains Dennis Schoubye, Head of Gamecity Hamburg.
“With companies that have been successful for decades and a diverse and growing indie game scene, the games industry is an important part of Hamburg’s creative industry. With Portside Game Assembly, we have developed another key element that strengthens the importance of Hamburg as a games location by bringing important studio heads and industry contacts to Hamburg and thus promoting international exchange”, comments Egbert Rühl, Managing Director of Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft.
Quotes from Participating Studios
“There was a great atmosphere, and the curation was a good mix of profiles and range of companies. It was easy to get in touch with people at the different locations. I’d recommend Portside Game Assembly to network, meet other indies to connect, ask questions, and share knowledge”, Thomas Pfeiffer, CEO & Co-Founder Evil Empire.
„Portside is not your typical conference, It’s something special. No business cards, no distractions, just studio heads having real, honest conversations. Everyone in the room has been through the same challenges, and that shared experience creates a rare level of openness. Ideas, insights, and best practices were shared freely, and I left with a notebook full of actionable takeaways. Absolutely worth it”, Jeroen Janssen, Studio Head & Founder Happy Volcano.
„Portside Game Assembly provided a wonderful ‘Free Port’ for me as an Indie Dev Executive to meet with likeminded leaders from the industry.
Good, deep, conversations about what works – and what doesn’t”, Christian Nyhus Andreasen, Partner & COO Fair Games.
The program of Portside Game Assembly included a keynote on the Triple-i Initiative, short impulse talks and roundtables focusing on thought provoking and subsequent discussions. All of this on a conference ship cruising through the port of Hamburg and along the river Elbe.
After a keynote speech by Benjamin Laulan (COO & Co-Founder Evil Empire), the two conference tracks (impulse talks & roundtables) provided numerous opportunities for input, exchange and insights from speakers like Philomena Schwab (Co-Founder Stray Fawn Studio), Søren Lundgaard (CEO Ghost Ship Games), Mauricio García (Studio Director The Game Kitchen), Kevin Zuhn (Creative Director & Co-Founder Young Horses), René Habermann (Director Bippinbits) and many more.
Participating studios at the premiere of the Portside Game Assembly included Bippinbits, Bolt Blaster Games, Byterockers’ Games, Chasing Carrots, Cipsoft, Color Gray, Cybernetic Walrus, Digital Cybercherries, Digital Sun, Evil Empire, Fair Games, Foulball Hangover, Gamious, Ghost Ship Games, Grizzly Games, Happy Volcano, Hutlihut, Indoor Astronaut, Kafi, kaleidoscube, Keen, Maschinen-Mensch, Megagon Industries, Mooneye, Osmotic Studios, Overhype Studios, Paint Bucket Games, Rockfish Games, Spellgarden Games, Stray Fawn Studio, Studio Seufz, Styrax Studios, The Game Kitchen, The Good Evil, Tiny Roar, Torpor Games, Toukana Interactive and Young Horses.
All speakers of Portside Game Assembly 2025: https://portsideassembly.com/program/
At the three accompanying events of Portside Game Assembly, the 100 conference attendees exchanged ideas with 200 people from the local and international games industry. The Opening Mixer the evening before kicked off the series of events with a relaxed networking session, followed by a morning networking brunch in the Hamburg HafenCity. The closing Games Industry Party after the conference brought all participants together on the culture ship MS Stubnitz for an atmospheric final.
Sponsors and partners photon and Twin Harbour Interactive were on board to support the premiere of the Portside Game Assembly.
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Boomerang Partners conducted its own research at iGB London 2025: key findings on affiliate trends

Boomerang Partners conducted a large-scale brand awareness survey at iGB London 2025, collecting feedback from industry decision-makers at the largest affiliate marketing and iGaming industry event. In essence, the PR team used real-time measurements of the quantitative and qualitative data in an industrial environment with the view of measuring client and customer experience. Additionally, the raw data also allowed the Boomerang team to identify strong trends that other market players may want to consider when creating a roadmap for achieving long-term objectives.
Demographic distribution of the Representative Sample
The Boomerang Partners survey involved 188 respondents from the iGaming and affiliate industries, with an average of 6 years of experience in their respective fields. The largest percentage of them are decision-makers:
- C-level & department heads – 16%
- Sales – 16%
- Affiliate managers – 14%
- Other managerial roles – 14%
- Founders & Owners – 11%
- CEO – 11%
The demographics of the respondents are also interesting. 49.4% of them are from the European Union, 26.7% represent the United Kingdom, and 13.6% from Asia. The share of representatives from other regions was just over 11%.
Brand visibility
The Boomerang Partners’ survey participants provided objective opinions and assessments of affiliate programs, marketing tools, and communications, which allowed the agency to form a cross-section of industry representatives’ expectations. Thus, 29% of them indicated that they learn about new partnership programs and brands at industry events (iGB was mentioned over 120 times, while SiGMA was mentioned more than 45 times). Other ways of obtaining such data include direct research (19%), social media (15%), and networking or word of mouth (15%). Interestingly, none of the sources show a significant advantage in reading industry news and analytics. This highlights the importance of diverse content distribution for increasing brand visibility.
Content types
The Boomerang Partners survey also touched on the types of content respondents found most interesting. Podcasts ranked first in popularity, with 66 respondents mentioning them. Networking, on the other hand, was the most rarely mentioned source of content, noted by only 6 survey participants.
Impact on the market
Boomerang Partners is rightly considered one of the leading brands in the affiliate marketing industry thanks to its commitment to continuous development. The agency creates marketing that responds to industry requests through various formats, creatives, and metrics. With the help of an effective symbiosis of marketing and analytics, Boomerang is not only a landmark player in the market but also shapes its trends with an emphasis on numbers. Stay tuned.
About Boomerang
Boomerang Partners is a rapidly growing global brand offering a wide range of services. Boomerang is the Official Regional Partner of AC Milan. In 2024, it launched the inaugural Golden Boomerang Awards — a global tournament for affiliate teams. More than 400 affiliate teams participated in the second season of the tournament in 2025. Boomerang launched six new products in 2024, contributing to a nearly 1.5-fold increase in product users.
Boomerang’s portfolio contains 17+ brands offering affiliate and entertainment services across 40+ markets in compliance with local regulations. These products provide personalized bonuses and 24/7 multilingual support.
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PlayOJO and isobel Reanimate the Fun in New ‘It’s Alive’ Creative58

Leading SkillOnNet brand PlayOJO has reunited with creative agency Isobel for the second phase of its global ‘It’s Alive’ campaign, which continues to push creative boundaries in the online gaming sector with a playful undead twist.
The new ad takes the excitement of our original 2023 ‘monster’ campaign to new heights and showcases the fun of PlayOJO’s live casino games, breathing life into a spooky graveyard and transforming it into the electrifying world of PlayOJO live casino. In this captivating ad, we see hands playfully come to life from the ground, infused with the spirit of PlayOJO’s live casino and live gameshow experience.
The campaign launches in the UK on 29th July across TV and digital channels, before expanding to Spain, Canada, and Latam before the end of the year. It will go out on linear TV (Sky, Channel 4, ITV) and BVOD, as well as social and digital channels.
The concept is aimed at a live casino audience and forms part of a wider marketing strategy designed to reinforce PlayOJO’s unique positioning as the fun, fair and truly entertaining alternative in the online casino space.
Rob Fletcher, founder at Isobel, said: “This was a brilliant opportunity to extend a distinctive creative story that’s already created a buzz. The new film keeps the unexpected charm of ‘Monster’ but ramps up the fun even further with zombie hands, neon lights, and a party in a graveyard. We wanted to show that when it comes to live casino, PlayOJO doesn’t just play differently, it comes alive.”
Peter Bennett, CMO at PlayOJO, said: “In a category that often leans heavily on clichés and indistinct messaging, standing out creatively is essential, it’s also a key part of our brand strategy. Our work with Isobel has helped us build a creative platform that’s bold and memorable, but also consistent with our brand and commercially effective. The ‘It’s Alive’ campaign reflects our commitment to entertaining our players in ways that are as unconventional as they are on-brand.”
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IOA President PT Usha Applauds Champions of Inaugural WAVES Esports Championship

In a landmark moment for Indian esports, President of the Indian Olympic Association, Rajya Sabha Member and sporting legend PT Usha met and felicitated the champions of the inaugural WAVES Esports Championship (held this May under the aegis of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting) during the preparations of 3rd Asian Youth Games, Bahrain at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) headquarters in New Delhi, applauding their achievements and recognizing their role in shaping the nation’s digital sporting future.
The medal winners included Danial Patel (Gold, eFootball), Tejaskumar Hasmukhbhai Bhoi (Gold, World Cricket Championship 3), and Pavan Kampelli (Bronze, eFootball at the Asian Esports Games, Bangkok) young champions who have not only demonstrated exceptional talent but have also elevated India’s standing on the global esports stage.
Speaking at the event, PT Usha said, “India’s esports future lies in capable hands, and today’s interaction with the champions of the WAVES Esports Championship has been truly inspiring. The discipline and excellence shown by these athletes mirror that of any traditional sportsperson. I wholeheartedly thank Hon’ble Prime Minister Modi for his visionary steps in recognising esports and creating platforms like WAVES to showcase India’s digital prowess. The Indian Olympic Association stands committed to supporting our esports athletes as they script new chapters in Indian sports.”
Sharing his experience, Danial Patel, gold medalist in eFootball, said, “Meeting PT Usha ma’am was surreal. Her encouragement gave me a new sense of pride in what we do. Esports is growing rapidly, and I believe we’re only scratching the surface of India’s global potential.”
Tejaskumar Bhoi, who clinched gold in World Cricket Championship 3, added, “It’s an honour to represent India and be recognised by a legend like PT Usha. The support from institutions and platforms like WAVES is critical. With continued guidance, India can become a global powerhouse in esports.”
Pavan Kampelli, bronze medalist in eFootball at the Asian Esports Games, said, “Today was not just about medals but about validation. PT Usha’s words and presence reaffirmed that esports athletes are being seen, heard, and celebrated in India. The future is digital, and India is ready.”
Also present at the occasion was Mr. Lokesh Suji, Director of the Esports Federation of India (ESFI) and Vice President of the Asian Esports Federation, who called the moment historic.
“It was a moment of immense pride to see our Waves Esports Championship medal winners being acknowledged by none other than Padma Shri PT Usha ji, President of the Indian Olympic Association. This meeting is a landmark for Indian esports—it reflects growing acceptance and respect for our athletes within the mainstream sporting ecosystem. The support from the government, IOA and sporting legends like PT Usha ji lends credibility and encouragement that is invaluable for the growth of the ecosystem. It sends a powerful message to the youth of India—that with discipline, focus, and passion, esports can be a rewarding and respected career path,” said Mr. Lokesh Suji, Director, Esports Federation of India & Vice President, Asian Esports Federation.
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