Games Lift 2025: Hamburg Incubator Supports Five new Developer Teams

Five teams have convinced the Games Lift awarding committee of the potential of their game projects.  On September 8, the Games Lift incubator will launch its next round, supporting teams with a one-year workshop and mentoring program featuring input from international industry experts and 15,000 euros in financial support. More than 30 experts from the Games Lift Network will share their experience with the teams and provide professional and tailored support for the game projects. In addition to the extensive exchange, mentoring, and many workshops, the teams will travel to an international industry event together. This combination of benefits makes Games Lift unique as an incubator for games in Germany. The Games Lift Incubator is organized and run by Gamecity Hamburg on behalf of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg.

In its sixth year since its introduction, a total of 43 teams and solo developers applied to participate in the Games Lift Incubator – more than twice as many as in previous years. The decision on the five participating teams was made by the award committee, consisting of Kristin von der Wense (Publishing Producer, Daedalic Entertainment), Ole Schaper (Managing Director, The Sandbox Hamburg (Sviper GmbH)), Heiko Gogolin (Managing Director, Rocket Beans Entertainment), and Tobias Graff (Co-Founder Mooneye Studios).

Margarete Schneider, Project Manager at Gamecity Hamburg and also part of the selection committee, said: “We are delighted about the rising awareness and popularity of Games Lift – this year we received applications from seven countries and three continents. However, we also see the growing demand as a sign that, in the current industry situation, low-threshold support programs such as the Games Lift Incubator are becoming even more important. We are therefore very pleased to accompany five Hamburg teams on their way to the successful release of their first title.”

The five games and teams for the Games Lift Incubator 2025 are:

• The Wrong Horse by Sharon Sacks & Vincent Will
• Encaged and Ungraded by Leif Gutowski
• Fading Skies by Distant Blue
• Phasmopass by Curio Compass
• Project: Slimepot by Calluna Games

The Wrong Horse is a colorful murder mystery adventure set at a horse racing track. As a journalist, it is the player’s task to uncover the secrets surrounding the mysterious death of a jockey and identify the perpetrator.

Encaged and Ungraded is a mixture of anomaly horror and job simulation. A shady company forces players into the role of a card grader, where they check various cards for authenticity and quality. But soon, players find themselves searching for eerie and dangerous anomalies – and hopefully they can make it through to the end of their shift.

Fading Skies revives the charm of the PS2 and GameCube era by combining classic 3D platforming with modern action RPG elements. As Ryn, a young woman accompanied by a small magical dragon, players travel through a broken world full of secrets. The mission is to stop the planet’s decay and confront the shadows of a forgotten past.

Phasmopass is a turn-based roguelite. Players lead a team of humans trapped in a never-ending volleyball reality show against ghostly opponents. Powerful items and pacts with other ghosts help players win tournaments to escape the dystopian city of Limbo!

Project: Slimepot (working title) is an action-adventure game in which players explore a dungeon full of monsters, turn them into dishes, and serve them to guests in their tavern. Here, exciting dungeon crawling meets creative cooking and relaxed tavern management.