Games Lift: No Expiration Date

Gamecity Hamburg announced in May 2023 that applications were open for the next round of its Games Lift Incubator, a program supporting developer teams in Hamburg's games scene. The central message is that the incubator keeps evolving while emphasizing long-term relationships with teams, with a stated goal of sustaining contact with alumni well beyond the initial program phase.

Each participating team receives 15,000 euros in financial support, access to workshops led by renowned experts, networking opportunities, and individualized mentoring. The workshops form an intensive three-month phase at the start, while the incubator itself is designed to run a full year. New for 2023, a group of five mentors will accompany the teams throughout the year, holding regular meetings focused on reviewing concept and strategy and identifying challenges and opportunities for support. The program will also include a new innovation space in HafenCity intended to bring different parts of Hamburg's creative community together, with details promised in the following months.

Ole Jürgensen of Crumbling Games, a participant in the first Games Lift round in 2020, serves as the case study. He credits the network with motivation and concrete help: a developer from another alumni team, Leif's Adventure, contributed animation for the comics that tell the story of his VR roguelike "Crumbling." He also singles out Michael Schieben's Product Field Method workshop for helping him prioritize and avoid getting lost in details. Crumbling was headed for release later in 2023.

Sidebar news items show the program's continuation into 2026, with applications open from April 27 to June 1 for five teams, each receiving 15,000 euros plus a 1,000 euro coaching budget, a three-month workshop phase, individual mentoring, and a group trip to an international industry event through August 2027.