Gamecity Hamburg

InnoGames, a prominent Hamburg-based developer, has officially surpassed 2 billion euros in lifetime revenue. This financial milestone is driven by the sustained performance of the company’s established portfolio, which includes titles such as Forge of Empires, Tribal Wars, Grepolis, and Elvenar. The revenue composition highlights a significant shift in platform engagement, with mobile device contributions rising from 27 percent to 43 percent of total earnings. Furthermore, in-app purchases remain the primary driver of the company’s economic success, accounting for 99 percent of all generated revenue.

Alongside this financial achievement, the company has announced the upcoming release of a new mobile adventure game titled Cozy Coast. The title, which is scheduled for launch on iOS and Android platforms later in 2025, tasks players with exploring and restoring the island of Calista through various challenges and narrative-driven gameplay.

This announcement underscores the continued growth and strategic evolution of the Hamburg-based studio as it balances the maintenance of its long-lived browser and mobile titles with the development of new intellectual property. The milestone reflects the broader industry trend of prioritizing mobile accessibility and recurring in-app monetization models to sustain long-term profitability.

Gamecity Hamburg facilitates the participation of local independent game studios at Gamescom 2025, held in Cologne from August 20 to 24. The primary objective is to provide Hamburg-based developers with a platform to showcase their projects to investors, publishers, the press, and the public, thereby fostering business development and industry networking. This initiative is part of the organization’s ongoing Road to Program, which offers curated delegation packages and exhibition opportunities to support the growth of the regional games sector.

The showcase features four specific indie studios at the shared Gamecity Hamburg booth within the Indie Arena Booth in Hall 10.2. These include Mooneye Studios, presenting the cooperative exploration adventure IKUMA: The Frozen Compass; Tiny Roar, featuring the open-world life simulation Lou's Lagoon; Wetterfest, showcasing the strategy and island-building title Frisia – Tales & Tides; and solo developer ThinMatrix, exhibiting the farming simulation HomeGrown. These teams were selected through a competitive application process that included preparatory workshops to ensure professional readiness for the trade fair.

Beyond the featured indie teams, a significant number of established Hamburg-based companies are confirmed to attend Gamescom 2025 for B2B engagement. Notable participants include Bigpoint, InnoGames, Daedalic Entertainment, Exit Games/Photon, Gamigo, and Toneworx. Additionally, several other indie developers, such as Pipapo Games, Mo Rai Games, Happy Hippo, and Kranich Games, will maintain a presence at the Indie Arena Booth or the Home of Indies area. The initiative underscores the strategic importance of collective regional representation at major international trade events to enhance the visibility and commercial success of the Hamburg gaming ecosystem.

The Gamescom 2025 recap highlights the successful participation of Hamburg-based developers at the Indie Arena Booth, serving as a summary of the regional industry's presence at the international trade fair. Held from August 20 to 24, 2025, the event saw a significant return to pre-pandemic attendance levels, drawing over 357,000 visitors, including 34,000 trade professionals. The primary objective of the initiative was to provide local indie studios with a platform to showcase their projects, gather audience feedback, and facilitate essential networking with publishers, journalists, and media representatives.

Four specific Hamburg-based studios—Mooneye Studios, Tiny Roar, Wetterfest, and ThinMatrix—were featured at the Gamecity Hamburg booth, which was situated within the Indie Arena Booth in Hall 10.2. This area, recognized as the largest shared developer space at the event, hosted approximately 200 international indie titles. Beyond the exhibition floor, the program included various industry engagement opportunities, such as streaming interviews, stage appearances, and professional networking events organized by groups like Women in Games and other industry stakeholders.

The event underscored the vibrancy of the German indie scene, drawing attention from government officials, including Federal Minister Dorothee Bär, who toured the booth to observe the local development landscape. The initiative serves as a continuation of ongoing efforts by Gamecity Hamburg to support regional studios through its "Road to" programs, which aim to connect local talent with global industry opportunities. Following the conclusion of Gamescom, the organization shifted its focus toward upcoming regional events, such as the Polaris Convention in Hamburg, to maintain momentum for the local gaming ecosystem.

Gamecity Hamburg is set to host a prominent indie game showcase at the 2025 Polaris Convention in Hamburg, scheduled for October 10–12. The initiative serves to highlight the local gaming ecosystem by presenting eight distinct titles developed by Hamburg-based studios. This showcase is part of the broader Road to Polaris program, which aims to provide local developers with professional exposure, networking opportunities, and a platform to engage directly with the public and industry peers.

The eight featured games represent a diverse range of genres and platforms, including the family-friendly racing title Ed & Edda: GRAND PRIX, the educational math game Mambio, the cozy exploration game Map Map, and the dungeon-crawling adventure NeverLight. Other selections include the 3D platformer Super Chipflake Ü, the narrative VR experience The Amusement, the nature restoration simulation The Regreening, and the cooperative wave-defense game Vacunauts. By facilitating this presence, the program offers developers a venue to demonstrate their work while providing attendees with insights into the city’s game development landscape and available funding resources.

The Polaris Convention itself continues to grow, utilizing over 20,000 square meters of exhibition space to host approximately 150 exhibitors, stage shows, and workshops focused on gaming and Asian pop culture. Beyond the exhibition, the event serves as a hub for industry connection, underscored by the Gamecity Treff networking event. This effort aligns with the organization’s ongoing commitment to supporting the regional games industry through various funding, incubation, and promotional programs designed to foster growth and international visibility for Hamburg-based creators.

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.

The Hamburg-based development studios Shapes and Dreams and BrutalHack officially released the digital version of their game, Beacon Patrol, on September 17, 2025. Published by Assemble Entertainment, the title represents a strategic adaptation of an existing physical board game into a digital format for PC. The release highlights the ongoing efforts of Hamburg’s local game development ecosystem to transition tabletop concepts into interactive digital experiences.

The gameplay centers on a coast guard theme, requiring players to explore and secure the North Sea coastline through tile-based map expansion. Players must navigate ships to manage beacons, buoys, and waterways, balancing immediate tactical decisions with long-term strategic planning. The digital iteration enhances the original board game mechanics by introducing unlockable ships with unique abilities and incorporating multiple game modes to increase replayability and depth.

This release is part of a broader trend of creative output from the Hamburg games industry, which continues to foster local talent through various support initiatives, incubators, and networking events. By leveraging digital platforms like Steam, developers are successfully expanding the reach of their tabletop-inspired projects to a global audience, demonstrating the viability of hybridizing traditional board game design with modern digital features.

Gamecity Hamburg marked the two-year anniversary of its FLINTA Games Meetup on September 23, 2025, by hosting its inaugural Mentoring Dinner. The event served to evolve the existing meetup format, which was established in summer 2023 to provide a secure and empowering environment for female, lesbian, intersex, non-binary, trans, and agender professionals within the games industry. By transitioning from a standard networking meetup to a structured mentoring session, the initiative aimed to facilitate deeper professional development and knowledge transfer between emerging talent and experienced industry leaders.

The event featured a structured format consisting of two rounds of 1:1 mentoring sessions, followed by a communal dinner to encourage informal networking. Participants were matched with mentors possessing expertise across diverse industry disciplines, including indie studio management, programming, art direction, public relations, marketing, product management, and localization. The session drew on the expertise of eight professional mentors from various Hamburg-based and international companies, such as Capcom, Bigpoint, InnoGames, and Daedalic Entertainment.

The initiative highlights a broader commitment to fostering inclusivity and career growth within the regional games sector. Organizers noted that the consistent attendance of both new and returning participants over the past two years indicates a growing, active community of FLINTA professionals. By providing a dedicated space for mentorship, the program seeks to strengthen professional networks and support the long-term career advancement of underrepresented groups in the games industry. The event was supported by industry sponsorship, reflecting a collaborative effort to sustain and expand these diversity-focused initiatives.

Hamburg-based developer moi rai games has officially launched its latest title, Aethermancer, into Early Access. Released on September 23, 2025, and published by offbrand games, the title is currently available on Steam, with a future release planned for the Nintendo Switch. This launch marks a significant follow-up for the studio, which previously achieved industry recognition with its 2020 debut, Monster Sanctuary.

Aethermancer is a genre-blending title that combines monster-taming mechanics with roguelite elements. Players navigate the procedurally generated Fractured Ruins of the world Terastae, engaging in turn-based combat using teams of mythical monsters. A core gameplay feature involves the establishment of a soulbound connection between the player and their monsters, allowing creatures to adapt, evolve, and grow stronger through a rebirth system.

The development studio, led by industry veteran Denis Sinner—whose background includes work on the Might and Magic and Tropico franchises—operates as a small, international team working remotely. The release highlights the continued activity within the Hamburg game development ecosystem, reflecting the studio's transition from its successful debut to a more complex, procedurally driven project.

The Polaris Convention 2025, held from October 10 to 12 at the Hamburg Exhibition Center, served as a significant platform for showcasing the regional gaming industry. Spanning over 30,000 square meters, the event highlighted the intersection of gaming, anime, and pop culture. Gamecity Hamburg utilized this opportunity to host its largest booth to date, providing a dedicated space for local developers to engage directly with the public and industry stakeholders.

The exhibition featured eight distinct titles developed in Hamburg, demonstrating the breadth of the local scene. The showcase included a diverse range of projects, from educational software and family-friendly racing games to immersive VR experiences and mature-themed titles. This initiative, part of the broader "Road to Polaris" program, allowed developers to gather immediate feedback from players while providing the First Mayor of Hamburg, Peter Tschentscher, an opportunity to observe the creative output of local studios firsthand.

Beyond the exhibition floor, the event facilitated professional development and industry integration. Gamecity Hamburg provided resources regarding funding, training, and career pathways within the city’s growing games sector. The convention also hosted the Gamecity Treff at the Grüner Jäger, an evening networking event that drew over 230 industry professionals. This gathering included structured speed-meeting sessions designed to foster collaboration and strengthen the regional network. By combining public-facing showcases with professional networking, the event reinforced Hamburg’s position as a vibrant hub for game development.

The Gamecity Treff event, held in mid-October 2025 in Hamburg, served as a networking platform for the local games industry. Coinciding with the Polaris Convention, the gathering aimed to foster professional connections and facilitate knowledge exchange among industry stakeholders, including developers, interested visitors, and representatives from connected sectors.

The event attracted approximately 230 participants to the Grüner Jäger venue. Beyond informal networking, the program featured a structured business speed-meeting session designed to accelerate professional interaction and the generation of new ideas. This initiative continues a two-decade tradition of networking events hosted by Gamecity Hamburg to support the regional games ecosystem. The event received sponsorship from the photon engine team.

This recap highlights the ongoing efforts by regional initiatives to maintain a vibrant, collaborative environment for Hamburg’s games sector. By integrating these networking opportunities with larger industry conventions, organizers provide a consistent framework for professional development and community building within the local market.

The Games Lift Incubator, a program managed by Gamecity Hamburg, serves as a professional development hub for emerging game developers. The initiative provides participants with structured workshops, mentorship, and networking opportunities designed to bridge the gap between creative concepts and industry-ready products. A primary focus of the program is addressing common challenges in the games industry, such as visibility, marketing, and effective pitching, while fostering technical and business skills among early-stage teams.

The 2025 cohort features the project The Wrong Horse, a detective adventure game developed by illustrators Sharon Sacks and Vincent Will. The project aims to modernize the crime fiction genre by moving away from traditional dark, noir aesthetics in favor of a more colorful and interactive experience. The game centers on a journalist investigating a suspicious death at a racecourse, utilizing mechanics that emphasize clue combination and character interaction. The developers, both of whom are completing master’s degrees at the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, are leveraging their combined seven years of illustration experience to drive the project’s art direction and development.

The development team is currently focused on conceptualizing puzzles and story threads, with a planned release date in 2027. While the duo manages core development, they are strategically incorporating external expertise for sound design, animation, and voice work to maintain a high-quality, compact experience. By participating in the incubator, the team is refining their project scope and business strategy, demonstrating the practical application of the program’s support in transforming independent creative visions into viable, well-rounded gaming products within the Hamburg development ecosystem.

The Portside Game Assembly 2026, organized by Gamecity Hamburg, serves as a specialized B2B conference tailored for established independent game studios. Scheduled for June 26, 2026, in Hamburg, the event aims to foster professional connections within the industry through a curated, maritime-themed environment. The conference is designed exclusively for studios that have successfully released at least one commercial title, ensuring a high level of expertise among participants.

The event structure includes the core conference, a networking brunch, and an industry party. Registration for the conference is currently open to eligible studios, with a supporter ticket option available to those wishing to contribute to the event's independent mission. Ticket sales for the associated social events are slated to begin in the first quarter of 2026.

The conference has already attracted a diverse international cohort of participants, including studios from Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada, Poland, Denmark, Sweden, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Notable registered developers include Massive Monster, Eremite Games, and Landfall, among others. This gathering highlights the ongoing efforts of Gamecity Hamburg to support the independent sector through targeted networking, mentorship opportunities, and industry showcases, such as the Games Made in Hamburg initiative. The event continues the momentum established by its 2025 premiere, reinforcing Hamburg's position as a central hub for international indie game development.