Games Lift: People Make the Incubator

Gamecity Hamburg's October 2022 feature argues that the Games Lift Incubator succeeds because of the people behind it: more than 35 industry veterans who teach workshops, mentor teams, and extend their professional networks to emerging developers. The piece frames experienced practitioners as the program's central asset and explores why they keep volunteering their time.

The article draws on short interviews with several mentors and one alumnus. Steffen Rühl, a games consultant who runs the introductory pitching workshop, says the founders themselves, not the repetition of projects, sustain his enthusiasm, and he treats insecurity and setbacks as chances for personal growth. Cassia Curran, a business development and investment specialist, leads a market analysis workshop that shows teams how publishers or investors would assess their positioning. She concedes it can be brutal but argues it saves studios time later. Johannes Kuhlmann, Technical Director at the roughly 80-person Hamburg studio FISHLABS, values both giving back and encountering fresh ideas, and he once recommended an incubator alumnus for a studio project after seeing his abilities firsthand.

A concrete example of mentoring impact comes from Ole Jürgensen, a 2020 alumnus developing the VR roguelike Crumbling, due in 2023. His mentor Jan Theysen, co-founder and creative director of KING Art, suggested building the "unboxing the toy" and blister-pack moment into the game. It now features in the trailer and counts among the game's top features.

The piece concludes that when people share creativity, support one another, and approach challenges with realism and confidence, the benefits can outlast the program. Sidebar listings of later news show the incubator continuing through 2026, when five teams will receive 15,000 euros each, a workshop program, mentoring, and a 1,000-euro coaching budget.