Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft

Gamecity Hamburg has initiated the application process for the 2023 Games Lift Incubator, a program designed to support the professional development and market entry of independent game projects. The incubator targets a diverse range of participants, including student teams, independent developers, start-ups, and small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) based in the region. Eligible projects may be at any stage of development, ranging from initial concepts to pre-release versions.

The program provides selected participants with a comprehensive support package intended to accelerate project growth. Key benefits for the five chosen teams include an expense allowance of 15,000 euros, access to professional workshops, individual coaching, and dedicated mentoring. Additionally, participants gain networking opportunities and the use of office space located in Hamburg’s HafenCity district.

The application window for the 2023 cohort opened on May 2, 2023, and concluded on June 20, 2023. This initiative reflects the broader mission of Gamecity Hamburg to foster the local games industry by providing structured resources and professional guidance to emerging talent. By facilitating access to industry expertise and financial support, the incubator aims to bridge the gap between creative game concepts and successful commercial viability.

Gamecity Hamburg allocated 410,000 euros in 2023 to support the development of six digital game prototypes. This initiative aims to foster innovation and market potential among Hamburg-based companies and start-ups. The funding serves as a critical early-stage investment, enabling studios to transition from conceptualization to functional prototype development. Notably, three of the six recipients are alumni of the organization’s Games Lift Incubator, highlighting the effectiveness of the local ecosystem in nurturing talent through successive stages of growth.

The financial distribution includes 80,000 euros each for Amberdive Interactive’s co-op shooter METACORE, Tiny Roar’s narrative adventure Project Renaissance, and Curvature Games’ mixed-reality title Reddie – ReRun of Reality. Additionally, DrownTown and Godcomplex Games each received 70,000 euros for their respective projects, Light of Atlantis and Stack 'Em Up, while Beardshaker Games was awarded 30,000 euros for the hidden object game How to Find Friends. These projects span a diverse range of genres, including puzzle, party, and immersive adventure games, reflecting the creative breadth of the regional industry.

This funding round, conducted during the organization’s 20th anniversary, reinforces Hamburg’s commitment to maintaining a competitive position within the global games market. By providing targeted financial support to both established indie studios and emerging developers, the program facilitates the creation of high-potential intellectual property. The selection process emphasizes projects that demonstrate both technical innovation and commercial viability, ensuring that the regional games sector continues to produce high-quality content for international audiences.

The Games Lift Incubator, an initiative by Gamecity Hamburg, serves to support emerging game developer teams through a combination of financial backing, expert-led workshops, and long-term professional mentoring. The program’s primary objective is to foster sustainable success for participants by providing a structured environment that extends beyond initial development phases. By emphasizing ongoing relationships with alumni and integrating new support mechanisms, the incubator aims to help developers maintain strategic focus and navigate the complexities of project management.

Key components of the program include a 15,000-euro financial grant per team and an intensive three-month workshop phase at the start of the cycle. To enhance long-term outcomes, the incubator has introduced a dedicated group of five mentors who provide continuous, individual guidance throughout the year. This support focuses on reviewing core concepts and business strategies, ensuring teams remain aligned with their development goals and avoid common pitfalls associated with project scaling.

The initiative operates within the Hamburg creative sector, targeting local developer teams to strengthen the regional games industry. By facilitating networking opportunities and fostering a collaborative environment, the program enables cross-pollination between different projects, as evidenced by participants who have successfully leveraged peer expertise to improve their own titles. The incubator’s evolution reflects a commitment to providing a consistent, supportive framework that adapts to the changing needs of developers, ultimately aiming to bridge the gap between initial concept and successful market release.

The 20th anniversary of Gamecity Hamburg and its signature networking event, Gamecity Treff, served as a milestone celebration for the local games industry. Held on May 24, 2023, at the Jupiter venue in Hamburg, the event functioned as a central gathering point for professionals to foster connections, exchange ideas, and commemorate two decades of regional industry development.

The event attracted approximately 250 attendees, representing a significant cross-section of the Hamburg games ecosystem. The gathering emphasized the importance of community building, featuring a welcome address by the head of Gamecity Hamburg, Dennis Schoubye, and various interactive activities designed to facilitate professional networking. The event was supported by key industry sponsors, including Bigpoint, Bytro, and The Sandbox, alongside local partners fritz-kola and Lemonaid.

By providing a dedicated space for both established and emerging industry figures to interact, the anniversary celebration reinforced the ongoing commitment to sustaining Hamburg’s position as a hub for game development. The event successfully highlighted the collaborative spirit of the local scene, utilizing the venue’s rooftop terrace to host a diverse group of stakeholders for an evening of professional engagement and reflection on the organization’s long-term impact on the regional gaming sector.

The 2023 Queer Games Bundle, hosted on the itch.io platform, serves as a significant initiative to support LGBTQ+ game developers and celebrate diversity within the independent gaming sector. The 2023 iteration of the bundle features a collection of over 460 items contributed by 293 creators. This initiative provides a platform for queer-led projects, offering both a fixed-price purchase option of $60 and a pay-what-you-can model, with all proceeds distributed evenly among the participating developers.

The selection highlights the breadth of creative output from the queer gaming community, spanning various genres including walking simulators, text adventures, card battlers, and visual novels. Notable titles identified for their unique aesthetic and narrative approaches include Small Town Emo, Cannelé & Nomnom - Defective Agency, Oscar Wilde Card, Hoping This Finds You Well, and Stillwater. These games demonstrate a focus on character-driven storytelling, atmospheric world-building, and experimental mechanics.

This initiative reflects a broader industry trend toward prioritizing diversity and providing visibility for marginalized creators. By curating and promoting these titles, the project aims to facilitate discovery for players while ensuring financial support for independent studios. The bundle remained available for purchase through July 6, 2023, continuing a multi-year effort to foster an inclusive environment for developers and players alike.

The School Internship Games 2023 program served as a collaborative initiative designed to introduce students to professional career paths within the games industry. Held in Hamburg, the three-week program provided 16 students with hands-on experience and exposure to various development disciplines, including quality assurance, 3D animation, motion capture, audio design, game design, and project management. The initiative aims to bridge the gap between secondary education and the professional sector by offering practical insights into the industry’s diverse vocational and academic requirements.

The program was organized through a partnership between the Initiative Creative Gaming, local studios InnoGames, Deep Silver FISHLABS, and Tivola Games, alongside the HAW University of Applied Sciences and Gamecity Hamburg. Throughout the duration of the internship, participants rotated through the participating studios and the university, culminating in a final presentation where students showcased their own game projects to industry professionals. This structure allowed students to engage directly with the realities of game development while receiving guidance on future educational and career trajectories.

Recognized as a formal company internship within the school curriculum, the program has been conducted four times since 2021 as part of a broader effort to foster the next generation of developers in the Hamburg region. Beyond this specific internship, Gamecity Hamburg continues to support industry outreach through its Gamecity@School program, which connects students with industry experts for classroom-based insights. Applications for subsequent iterations of the internship remain open to 9th-grade students, reflecting a sustained commitment to developing local talent pipelines for the regional games sector.

The primary purpose of this resource guide is to foster inclusivity and support for LGBTQ+ individuals within the German games industry. By curating a selection of organizations, networks, and events, the guide aims to provide developers, employers, and allies with actionable tools to improve diversity, equity, and representation. It serves as a centralized hub for those seeking to engage with the Pride movement and address systemic challenges faced by marginalized groups in the professional gaming sector.

The guide highlights several key initiatives, including the German Games Industry Association’s diversity guide and the "Hier spielt Vielfalt" campaign, which encourages companies to commit to inclusive practices. It also features international efforts like the #RaiseTheGame initiative and the GAME:IN collective, which focuses on improving conditions for FLINTA (female, lesbian, intersex, non-binary, trans, and agender) professionals by advocating for gender parity and diversifying conference panels. Additionally, the resource points to academic and archival projects, such as the LGBTQ Video Game Archive, which documents the history of queer representation in digital media.

Geographically focused on the German games market with a specific emphasis on the Hamburg ecosystem, the guide provides information on local events, such as the Hamburg Pride Week and CSD Parade. It also lists digital resources and fundraising opportunities, including the Queer Games Bundle and various charity-focused livestreams hosted by industry studios. By aggregating these diverse resources, the guide functions as an ongoing, updateable reference point for industry stakeholders to promote a more equitable and representative gaming landscape.

The School Internship Games initiative in Hamburg serves as a strategic educational bridge between the local games industry and secondary school students. By providing 9th-grade students with structured, three-week professional placements, the program aims to demystify career paths within the digital games sector. The initiative emphasizes hands-on experience, allowing participants to engage with core industry disciplines including game design, programming, audio production, and art, while gaining direct exposure to the daily operations of professional studios.

The program is a collaborative effort involving key industry stakeholders, including game studios InnoGames and Fishlabs, as well as the University of Applied Sciences (HAW Hamburg). Supervision is provided by media and educational professionals from the Creative Gaming Initiative. Each internship cycle accommodates 16 students, maintaining a balanced demographic of eight girls and eight boys, and is open to students from both district and high schools. The curriculum is designed to meet mandatory school internship requirements, ensuring that participants receive academic recognition for their involvement.

Operational since 2021, the initiative runs twice annually, with specific application windows for winter and summer sessions. Applicants must submit a resume and cover letter, or a short video, addressing their interest in specific game development roles. Beyond the internship, the broader Gamecity Hamburg initiative supports student engagement through the Gamecity@School program, which facilitates direct interactions between industry experts and students in classroom settings. These efforts collectively function to cultivate a pipeline of future talent for the Hamburg games hub by providing clear insights into the skills and professional requirements of the industry.

Gamecity Hamburg facilitates the participation of local independent game studios at Gamescom 2023, held in Cologne from August 23 to 27. The primary objective of the initiative is to provide Hamburg-based developers with a platform to showcase their projects, foster business connections, and secure industry opportunities through the "Road to Gamescom" program. This initiative underscores the organization's commitment to supporting the regional games ecosystem by offering free delegation packages and exhibition space at the Indie Arena Booth.

The program highlights five specific indie studios: About Cannons + Sparrows, Crumbling Games, DrownTown, Radioactive Dreams, and Symmetry Break Studio. These teams represent a diverse range of genres, including physics-based puzzle platformers, VR hack-and-slash titles, and narrative-driven sci-fi adventures. Several of these studios have previously benefited from local support mechanisms, such as the Games Lift Incubator and prototype funding, demonstrating the efficacy of Hamburg’s regional development pipeline.

Beyond the featured indie teams, the broader Hamburg games industry maintains a significant presence at the event. Notable participants include Mooneye Studios, Daedalic Entertainment, Osmotic Studios, and Rocket Beans TV, which are active in both B2C and B2B capacities. By coordinating these appearances, Gamecity Hamburg aims to increase the visibility of local talent on an international stage, leveraging the Indie Arena Booth as a cost-effective venue for smaller companies to engage with the global market. The initiative serves as a strategic effort to integrate Hamburg’s creative output into the larger European games industry landscape.

Bigpoint, a prominent Hamburg-based developer and publisher, celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2023, marking two decades of influence in the global free-to-play browser and mobile games market. Founded in 2002, the company has established a significant footprint with a portfolio that includes titles such as Farmerama, Seafight, and DarkOrbit Reloaded, collectively reaching over 410 million players. The company’s longevity serves as a case study for the evolution of the Hamburg games industry, which has transformed into a major hub for technical and creative talent.

The company’s current strategic focus centers on sustaining its live-service portfolio through content expansions and platform diversification, while simultaneously developing new projects that incorporate advanced gameplay mechanics and immersive storytelling. Managing Director Michelle Zou emphasizes that the firm’s operational philosophy prioritizes a collaborative, trust-based work culture that values diversity and cross-functional communication. In 2023, the company transitioned to a new office space designed to facilitate modern, flexible work models that balance in-office collaboration with remote arrangements.

Looking toward the future, the organization anticipates that emerging technologies—including cloud gaming, artificial intelligence, and augmented reality—will drive further industry growth. While comparing the German market to international hubs like China, Sweden, and Poland, the leadership identifies a need for increased capital investment and talent development to maintain Germany’s competitive edge. Despite these challenges, the company remains committed to its role as a key player in the global gaming ecosystem, aiming to leverage strategic partnerships to continue delivering high-quality, engaging experiences to its worldwide user base.

The strategy game Forge of Empires, developed by the Hamburg-based studio InnoGames, has achieved a significant financial milestone by surpassing one billion euros in lifetime revenue. Launched in 2012, the title demonstrates the long-term commercial viability of strategy games, maintaining strong performance and player engagement more than 11 years after its initial release.

The game’s sustained success is attributed to a combination of community-focused development and the implementation of cross-platform play, which allows the title to remain relevant amidst shifting player habits. The user base consists of 130 million registered players primarily located across Europe and the United States. Data indicates high levels of player retention, with the average user engaging with the game’s content for approximately six years. Revenue contributions are notably consistent among long-term players, as those with three and five years of tenure account for 34% and 18% of total earnings, respectively.

These findings highlight the effectiveness of InnoGames' operational strategy in fostering a durable, high-revenue product. By prioritizing community interaction and technical adaptability, the studio has successfully extended the lifecycle of its flagship product, securing its position within the billion-euro revenue tier of the global gaming industry.