

gaming
gamescom 2021: Meet indie gems by Hamburg-based devs – presented by Gamecity Hamburg
Gamecity Hamburg will present five companies and solo developers from Hamburg at the digital gamescom 2021 from August 25 to 29. The developers will show their new games at the joint Hamburg booth on the online platform Indie Arena Booth. gamescom is one of the most important events of the international games industry. In 2020, more than 2 million visitors attended the digital gamescom. The Indie Arena Booth Online will be accessible from August 25, 10 pm (CEST) at online.indiearenabooth.com and can be visited free of charge.
Hamburg presents itself as a games industry on the playable online platform Indie Arena Booth Online, which again invites visitors to discover numerous indie games at gamescom 2021 – free of charge and directly in their web browser. In addition to the Gamecity Hamburg location initiative, the Hamburg-based games companies Tiny Roar, Mooneye Studios, OneManOnMars, Klickaffen, and Radioactive Dreams will also be presenting their projects. Gamecity Hamburg enables the five studios to participate free of charge through the program “Road to gamescom 2021” to expand their networks, present their game projects to the media, influencers, and gamers, and win over future fans for their games.
Indie Arena Booth Online: A showcase for indies from around the world – innovation made in Hamburg
The Indie Arena Booth Online showcases the diversity of the indie game scene: visitors can explore the platform in their browser as avatars and discover a curated lineup of more than 120 games by independent developers from around the world at virtual booths.
The Indie Arena Booth is planned and produced by the Hamburg-based Super Crowd Entertainment, an event agency specialized in the games industry. In 2020, Super Crowd transformed the concept into a playable online platform within a few weeks – so that indie developers can present themselves to an international audience even in pandemic times. In May, Super Crowd was awarded a special prize for this at the German Computer Game Prize (Deutscher Computerspielpreis), awarded by the German Federal Ministry of Transport. For 2021, the Indie Arena Booth Online offers new features and sports a new look under the narrative theme “Summercamp of Doom”.
The five Hamburg indies at the Gamecity-Booth 2021
Tiny Roar: world-premiere for previously unannounced project „XEL”
Founded in 2015 in Hamburg, Tiny Roar will give the first glimpses of their sci-fi action-adventure XEL at gamescom 2021. XEL is currently being developed with the support of German federal games funding and publisher Assemble Entertainment. The official announcement of the game is planned for August 24, and on August 25 Tiny Roar will be featured with their game in the Gamevasion streaming program at gamescom.
Mooneye Indies present their first publishing project: „Haven Park”
Following the success of its own indie adventure game Lost Ember, Hamburg-based studio Mooneye now uses its marketing know-how to help other developers reach the right audience for their games under Mooneye’s new publishing label “Mooneye Indies”. Their first publishing project Haven Park takes the player to a lovingly animated nature and camping park. It was developed by solo dev Fabien Weibel and was released on August 5.
OneManOnMars shows “Leif’s Adventure: Netherworld Hero”
OneManOnMars is the company of experienced game developer Roman Fuhrer, who is currently developing the hand-drawn 2D adventure “Leif’s Adventure” as a solo dev. He went through Gamecity Hamburg’s Games Lift Incubator program with the project in 2020 and is preparing to release the game in early 2022.
Radioactive Dreams: first playable demo of 2D-Platformer „Turbo Shell”
In 2020, three experienced game developers from Hamburg joined forces under the name Radioactive Dreams to develop a 2D platform game with novel game mechanics. The team received prototype funding through Gamecity Hamburg for their game Turbo Shell 2020. At gamescom 2021, they will show a playable demo of their project for the first time.
Klickaffen Studio: „Unbuild”
For 10 years already, freelance motion & interactive designer Matthias Mach has been producing games under the name Klickaffen for the “most personal gaming device ever”, as he calls his favorite platform – the smartphone. At the gamescom, he presents his work to an international industry event audience for the first time and shows his mobile casual game “Unbuild”.
Gamecity Hamburg: Tailored support for the Hamburg games industry
Gamecity Hamburg is the publicly financed location initiative to support the games industry in the northern-German City State of Hamburg. In addition to programs such as “Road to gamescom 2021” that aims to represent Hamburg and the companies based in Hamburg at international industry events, Gamecity Hamburg supports the regional industry with other tailored support programs:
Through the Games Lift Incubator, up-and-coming game developers and start-up founders from Hamburg receive intensive coaching and mentoring from international industry experts in addition to financial support. Gamecity Hamburg also supports the development of games prototypes in Hamburg through its Prototype Funding program. Each year, 400,000 euros are available for games prototypes from Hamburg, of which up to 80,000 euros can be applied per project. For the first time, there will be a second round of prototype funding in 2021. From August 30, developers, teams, and SMEs based in or relocating to Hamburg can apply for funding.
eSports
eWear launches aim.one – the world’s first functional gaming wear for esports athletes and gaming-fans

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

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.
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Asia
METABORA Partners with LINE NEXT

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.”
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