Games Lift: Good Ideas for a Year 2025

The Games Lift Incubator, a long-standing initiative by Gamecity Hamburg, held its 2025 kickoff event to introduce the latest cohort of developers and their projects. The program aims to foster professional growth within the local gaming ecosystem by providing teams with structured mentorship, networking opportunities, and a collaborative environment. By facilitating connections between current participants and program alumni, the incubator emphasizes the importance of community building over simple project completion.

The 2025 cohort features a diverse range of titles currently in development. These include The Wrong Horse, a crime adventure centered on a jockey’s death; Phasmopass, a roguelike strategy game set in a dystopian afterlife; Encaged and Ungraded, an anomaly horror game focused on card inspection; Fading Skies, an action-adventure title with nostalgic platforming elements; and Project Slimepot, a hack-and-snack game involving dungeon combat and tavern management. These projects represent a variety of genres and development stages, ranging from early concepts to more advanced prototypes.

Operating out of Hamburg, Germany, the incubator continues to serve as a vital hub for regional talent. The program’s methodology centers on intensive one-on-one mentoring, workshops, and the integration of developers into a broader industry network. By hosting events at the SPACE facility, the initiative maintains a consistent, professional atmosphere that supports both technical development and long-term career sustainability for independent studios. The ongoing success of the program is evidenced by the continued engagement of alumni and the steady pipeline of new, creative projects entering the local market.