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Trail Redefines the Future of Gaming with Zero-friction Gaming Platform for the Browser

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Trail releases developer tools to bring accessible, high-quality gaming to the browser. No downloads, no installs, no paywalls – just play.

Trail, the game distribution platform that makes meaningful and engaging play ultra-accessible, today officially came out of stealth mode to publicly launch its SDK, enabling game developers to deliver studio-quality games, with a focus on those created in Unity, to the browser. Trail’s mission is to bring down the barriers to gaming by providing creators with tools to make their games more accessible, easily discoverable and virally shareable – with games just one click away from billions of potential players. Downloads and installations get in the way of fun; Trail removes those obstacles to make zero-friction gaming a reality. No hassles, just play.
Leveraging WebGL 2.0 and WebAssembly, Trail is the first to streamline professional game development for the web to make more games available anytime, anywhere. This next-generation technology platform enables Unity game developers to take advantage of all the benefits of the browser, while providing players an exceptional gaming experience that’s rich, engaging and satisfying.
“The recent explosion in game creation has given rise to tons of new innovative content, but the existing platforms for distributing games lack the tools developers need to break new ground and connect with entirely different audiences. Meanwhile, continuous improvements in microprocessing have made even common laptops into gaming-capable devices,” explains Willem Demmers, founder and CEO of Trail. “Trail aims to bridge this gap between developing for native platforms and WebGL, where creators can reach billions of untapped potential players. Developers struggle to be heard above the noise; Trail simplifies how they can share their games, from creation and distribution to performance and analytics.”
Trail redefines the gaming landscape with its developer-first ethos and belief that games should be easily accessible to all, without the hassle of installations and paywalls or a need for professional-grade equipment.

 

Create, Share, Play…with Trail
Games are fun, and Trail believes they should be easier to access, but billions of would-be gamers are getting left behind by burdensome log-ins and exclusive subcultures. Trail makes it possible for anyone to enjoy new gaming experiences with a single click, and to invite and play with friends simply by sending them a link – it’s as easy as watching and sharing a funny video. And for the first time, professional games can be embedded directly onto a webpage.
“The major edge Trail has is the simplicity it brings to trying out a game with instant shareability through links and embedding,” comments gamer Erveon, managing director at Oddshot Games, developer of Slapshot: Rebound, which has grown to nearly 500k active players in the past year. “It’s very difficult to get people to go to a website, find our game, download it, start it up and so on. Every hurdle is another point for them to drop off. Trail makes it so much easier – give them a link, they click and they’re in the game. It’s very nice to give players immediate access to Slapshot without any of the barriers. It’s got massive potential.”
By enabling slick, latency-free gameplay in the browser, Trail brings the full commercial potential of under-served games to a vastly bigger demographic, while giving developers the tools they need to market and grow their audience. Using the Trail Unity SDK Extension, creators can easily port new and existing Unity games into the platform, be they mobile games seeking new audiences on desktop, indie PC games looking to reach more players, or an entirely new gaming concept that is ripe for going viral. No remote or cloud streaming needed.

 

A Vision for Developers First
Trail envisions an online gaming platform that is as much by the developer as it is for the developer, with favorable revenue splits and incentives that reward creators for their influence and innovation. With Trail, developers can take control of their destiny and break free from industry gatekeepers, gaining better access to players and insightful analytics to drive engagement.
Demmers comments, “While in stealth mode, we’ve worked with a small number of Unity developers who are excited to be a part of Trail’s growth. With this launch, we encourage others to join us in building a community where developers can gain independence from distribution channels that control their player acquisition process, enforce unfair revenue splits, and limit engagement with their own playerbase.”
Being in-browser gives Trail full attribution, making it far easier to understand the player journey as compared to other game distribution platforms. These insights will soon be available to Trail developers via an analytics dashboard, which will help them understand and learn more about their players – where new traffic comes from, and even where players are dropping out or having a negative experience. These insights will enable developers to make quick fixes and even better long-term decisions. And because Trail games are browser-based leveraging WebGL 2.0, developers can iterate quickly and even run sophisticated A/B tests to deliver highest-quality performance without having deep pockets or overextending resources.
Trail offers developers a holistic approach to making games for the web with tools that overcome the problem of a not yet mature or reliable ecosystem, leveling the playing field and making the web, with its intrinsic accessibility and shareability, a viable alternative for professional game development. From start to finish, the game creation process in Trail empowers developers at every step, ensuring games are fully optimized for the web, with a global payment solution, file-streaming, performance-enhancing post-processing, player authentication and account management, adaptive quality, and more customizable settings that developers have been searching for.

 

For more information and to get started developing on Trail, visit https://trail.gg/.
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eWear launches aim.one – the world’s first functional gaming wear for esports athletes and gaming-fans

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From hoodies to short-sleeved jerseys: the entire collection has been developed to meet the specific needs of gamers – uncompromising, highest-quality and thought-out down to the last detail.

“There is the right functional clothing for every sport – for soccer, tennis, golf… Gaming used to have this gap. Not anymore!”, say the founders.

The debut collection features 4 products and thus offers the right piece for all gamers: hoodie, longsleeve, shirt and pants. Each combines innovative functionality with comfort and style. Smart gadgets – including special ventilation zones, padding and other features to promote reaction, focus and grip – make this clothing a real support in the game.

Developed from the ground up specifically for playing at a PC, “aim.one is for everyone who wants to take their gaming to the next level – from high-end eSports pros to hobby gamers,” say the founders. “With this collection, gamers finally get their own clothing tailored to their passion!”

 

The product launch will take place via Kickstarter on the 5th of August!

Until launch, Gamers can unlock MVP status for only a €/$1 donation. This grants up to 35% discount during the campaign — plus a free nickname print on their apparel.

The post eWear launches aim.one – the world’s first functional gaming wear for esports athletes and gaming-fans appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Number of companies and employees in German games industry falls for first time in years

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After years of growth, the number of companies and employees in the German games industry declined in 2025. This was announced today by game – The German Games Industry Association on the basis of data from gamesmap.de in cooperation with Goldmedia. According to the data, the number of companies in Germany that develop and/or publish games has dropped by 4 per cent within the past year, to 910. The boom in start-ups in the games sector, which was set in motion by the introduction of the German Federal Games Funding Programme in 2020, has now completely subsided. Last year’s figures already indicated a clear slowdown. This decline was due in particular to the consolidation of the global games market and the unreliable availability of games funding to date in Germany.

Three times since 2020, there have been months-long suspensions placed on funding applications. Despite the newly registered drop, the number of companies has risen by 46 per cent overall since the initial start of the games funding programme in 2020. Of the 910 present companies, 454 work exclusively in game development and 52 exclusively as publishers. The remaining 404 companies are active in both the development and publishing of games.

‘Last year was another very difficult one for the German games industry,’ says Felix Falk, Managing Director of game. ‘Germany’s international competitiveness was further decreased by the ongoing flip-flopping of the games funding policy, which ran right into the consolidation wave that swept the global games sector. Fortunately, the new federal government has already taken the necessary steps to level the playing field for companies in this country. The future funding budget is to be increased and thus adjusted to actual needs, and applications can be submitted from August onwards. These are crucial growth impulses that are urgently needed. The additional funds will not only give companies more planning security, but also time to implement additional tax breaks for games, as set out in the coalition agreement between the CDU, CSU and SPD. The improved conditions will finally give games companies a boost, which will hopefully soon be reflected in more start-ups and the creation of new jobs.’

The number of employees at games companies in Germany has also declined over the last year. Whereas game developers and publishers employed 12,408 workers in 2024, the current figure stands at just 12,134 – a drop of 2 per cent. As with the number of companies, the employee numbers had previously shown strong growth since the introduction of the games funding programme at the federal level: a rise of 23 per cent from 2020 to 2024. The recent decline indicates that the current conditions for the games industry, which offer limited scope for planning due to the repeated funding application stoppages and significant current funding restrictions, are having an impact on the job market. A year ago, there were still more companies with ongoing projects that were internationally competitive thanks to funding at levels comparable to those in other countries – financing that had stabilised Germany’s game sector, despite the global consolidation wave and a lack of funding certainty for the industry here. The game industry secures a total of over 30,000 jobs in Germany. In addition to jobs in development and publishing, these include, for example, skilled professionals in educational institutions, the media and the public and commercial sectors.

About the data
The data is drawn from a survey carried out by Goldmedia on the basis of entries on gamesmap.de. It was conducted on behalf of game – The German Games Industry Association for the period ending on 12 May 2025.

The post Number of companies and employees in German games industry falls for first time in years appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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METABORA Partners with LINE NEXT

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METABORA, a global casual game developer and blockchain project operator, has announced a strategic partnership with LINE NEXT Inc. Through this partnership, METABORA will distribute Web3 games via the LINE Messenger–based Dapp Portal, expanding its reach in the Web3 gaming space.

The Dapp Portal is a platform built on the KAIA ecosystem that offers Mini Dapps (decentralised applications) directly within the LINE Messenger app. Users can enjoy a variety of Mini Dapps—ranging from games to social features—without needing to install separate applications. Since its launch in January this year, the platform has garnered significant attention, surpassing 100 million cumulative users.

Through this new partnership, METABORA and LINE NEXT will work closely to accelerate the growth of the Mini Dapp’s gaming ecosystem. Leveraging its network of development partners and global experience in game development and publishing, METABORA will supply Web3 games to the Dapp Portal. LINE NEXT will expand accessibility to Web3 games and support marketing of these games through its platform.

As part of the collaboration, METABORA will also expand the utility of its BORA token within the LINE Messenger–based Mini Dapp ecosystem. The company plans to implement a payment infrastructure that enables users to purchase in-game items currently planned for upcoming titles to be released under the BORA brand. Additionally, METABORA will apply Gas Abstraction technology, allowing users to make in-app purchases with BORA without needing KAIA tokens to cover gas fees. This feature is expected to be fully implemented in the second half of the year.

By expanding the utility of the BORA token, METABORA aims to elevate its value beyond the confines of the BORA Chain, laying the groundwork for broader integration across the Web3 ecosystem.

In addition, METABORA and LINE NEXT plan to continue their collaboration by researching and developing infrastructure to support the use of stable coins such as USDT, further enhancing the Web3 gaming experience within the LINE ecosystem centered on the Dapp Portal.

Lim Youngjun, Co-CEO of METABORA, said: “We’re pleased to partner with LINE NEXT, a company making remarkable strides in the global Web3 gaming market with its vast user base. Through our strong network of development partners, we will carefully select and bring high-quality games to the Dapp Portal, working together to create a leading example of Web3 gaming reaching a mainstream audience.”

Kim Woosuk, CSO at LINE NEXT, said: “Through this partnership with METABORA, we look forward to creating a major success case for Mini Dapp. Moving forward, we will continue working closely together across multiple fronts, including enabling USDT stablecoin support to improve game onboarding and the overall user payment environment.”

The post METABORA Partners with LINE NEXT appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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