Games Lift: Team Metacore Is Up for a Challenge

The Games Lift incubator program, managed by Gamecity Hamburg, serves as a developmental platform for emerging game studios, providing financial support, mentorship, and professional guidance. A primary objective of the program is to assist teams in refining their game concepts, improving technical execution, and mastering the essential business skills required for industry success, such as marketing, public relations, and pitching.

The development of the cooperative first-person shooter Metacore serves as a case study for the incubator’s impact. Formed by students from the HAW Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, the team utilized the program to transition from academic prototypes to a more commercially viable product. By participating in the incubator, the developers focused on identifying core gameplay mechanics, cutting extraneous features, and defining a unique value proposition. The team’s primary goal during this period was to establish a final concept that emphasizes player synergy and interaction, drawing inspiration from established titles while differentiating their project through specific mechanics like the use of spherical cores.

The program highlights the necessity of iterative design and professional communication in the game development lifecycle. Through the incubator, participants engage in intensive peer-to-peer playtesting and expert-led workshops to ensure their projects are both fun and marketable. By focusing on the "elevator pitch" and refining the core experience, the program enables small, early-stage teams to build the confidence and clarity needed to present their work effectively to the broader gaming industry.