Games Lift 2024: Hamburg's Selected Development Teams

Key insights

6 takeaways

01
The 2024 Games Lift Incubator in Hamburg selected five development teams from a pool of 21 applicants to receive 15,000 euros in funding each.
02
Selected teams for the 2024 cohort include Team Honeybeak, Rouven Cabanis, Duck 'n' Run Games, Triflgard, and Tales from the Garden.
03
The program provides a one-year support cycle featuring access to over 30 international industry experts and shared office space in Hamburg.
04
Participating studios receive professional guidance in game design, business development, and marketing to bridge the gap between early-stage development and industry readiness.
05
The 2024 project portfolio spans diverse genres, including 3D puzzle platformers, cozy town-building simulations, 2D metroidvanias, and cooperative PC titles.
06
The incubator facilitates global market exposure for its participants by providing opportunities to attend international industry trade fairs.

Summary

Gamecity Hamburg announced the five teams selected for the 2024 Games Lift Incubator, a funding and mentoring program it describes as unique in Germany, supporting local game developers in launching professional projects. The announcement was published on July 24, 2024, and covers the fifth edition of the program.

Selection was competitive: 21 Hamburg teams and solo developers applied, and those who passed an initial screening pitched to an awarding committee, which chose five. Each selected team receives one year of support, including 15,000 euros in funding, a workshop and mentoring program, and workplaces in a shared Hamburg office to encourage exchange among participants. More than 30 experts from the Games Lift Network, covering game design, product development, pitching, business development, press relations and marketing, provide guidance. Teams also attend an international industry fair accompanied by Gamecity Hamburg to learn about the global business side of games.

The chosen projects span a range of genres. ForeFeathers by Team Honeybeak is a 3D puzzle platformer starring a penguin exploring ruins on flying islands. Frisia – Cozy Villages by Rouven Cabanis is a cozy town-builder inspired by Frisian North Sea architecture. Light of Atlantis by Duck 'n' Run Games is a 2D puzzle metroidvania in which water manipulation and multiple robots shape exploration; it previously received Gamecity prototype funding in 2023. Pubcrawler by Triflgard is a four-player co-op game about steering a giant mechanical pub through a wasteland. Tiny Garden by Tales from the Garden casts players as a deity cultivating gardens on barren planets while protecting leaf creatures from evil spirits.

Page sidebar content indicates the program continues, with the 2026 edition offering the same 15,000 euros plus a 1,000 euro coaching budget, a three-month workshop phase, individual mentoring, and an international event trip. Related Gamecity Hamburg initiatives include prototype funding, Portside Game Assembly, and Road to gamescom.